In case channelling our 1980’s inner Flashdance diva (sporting leg warmers, slouchy sweatshirts and sweat band/headbands) isn't reason enough to wear warm-up clothing, here are the five great warm-up wear benefits for dancers…

1. Start Warm

Hence the name "warm-up wear" …As you head into your first dance class of the day, and past the students finishing their last class, you will notice flushed cheeks on the dancers leaving and goosebumps on the dancers heading in.

Most studios keep their rooms at a cooler temperature that is comfortable for hard working bodies, but chilly for a dancer wearing a tank bodysuit and (maybe) tights. Those un-stretched muscles and that bare skin will have a harder time warming up after entering a chilly dance studio exposed to the cool air.

Dance class is already hard – why make those muscles strain even more?

A removable sweater, some knit shorts, a pair of leg warmers and shoe booties, give muscles a toasty head start so that dancers are ready to go when class begins.

2. Don’t Overheat

Warm-up wear is designed to go over your regular dancewear and dance shoes. When you are warm enough, you can easily take it off. If you’re watching individual performances between your own classes, just throw the warm-up wear back on for a few minutes to make sure your muscles stay soft and limber!

 

 

3. Don’t Compromise Your Training

Ok, so you are warm when you want to be and cool when you want to be – why not just layer your street clothes over your dancewear?

Your homage to Flashdance is ruined! But really – your dance teacher cannot monitor your alignment and technique under layers of tees and sweats.

That is really what you are paying the dance teacher for, right? Their expertise on movement ie dancing. Dancing is all about the hip bone being connected to the… I don’t even know what it is connected to, …but your dance teacher does, and they need to see when it isn’t aligned properly.

Warm-up wear is designed to cover the bits that can be covered, while exposing critical areas like the hips, waist and knees, which the teacher needs to see to properly instruct you.

4. Stay Warm

So you have danced an hour, already warmed up and got your sweat on. Now you have a break between classes. Throw on the warm-up wear for those 10 and 15 minute breaks between classes and keep your muscles, joints and tendons ready to go.

The start and stop between multiple classes is one of the leading culprits in dancer’s injuries. Protect yourself with easy-on/easy-off knit leggings and a sweater to ensure muscles retain their stretch and blood-flow between classes.

 

5. Don’t Forget the Feet

One of the cutest additions to Inspirations' dance warm up wear are shoe booties. These fun moon-boot looking slippers are designed to be pulled on over your dance shoes and can be worn with ballet slippers, jazz shoes, FootUndeez, or pointe shoes – really any basic dance shoe other than tap shoes. These warm up booties are great for competitions and performance.

In addition to keeping the feet warm they protect the dance shoes from the non-dance surfaces like tile and carpet that often lead to premature wear and tear on your dance shoes.

Shop for Warm-up Wear