Attire

One of the most fun and confusing aspects of ballroom can be what to wear when dancing. We've compiled a guide with advice and resources below.

Shoes

The first thing you will need when practicing seriously is a pair of dance shoes. Ballroom shoes are more flexible than normal dress shoes and have a suede sole for easier movement across a floor. Both men's and women's shoes come in multiple varieties, the most important divide being Standard/Smooth vs. Latin/Rhythm. They ought to fit more tightly than everyday shoes and are expensive, but well worth the investment. A good guide with more detail can be found here, and feel free to ask our officers for advice when picking a pair. Many Rice students buy their shoes at Dance Galaxy, a store which also carries heel protectors, practice wear, costumes, and other such useful dancewear. Speaking of which...

Practice Wear

...is not strictly necessary, but wearing special clothes for lessons and open practice does wonders to transform your mindset – plus, you look and feel cooler and more elegant than everyone else. Here are some places where you can buy practice wear:

Yilinfeier
An Amazon list curated by one of our own open level dancers
Dance Galaxy and International Dance Design in Houston

Costumes

Yep, these are the fancy dresses. You don't get to wear them until Bronze level. Let that be your motivation to practice hard enough to earn the right to wear one! With that said: once the time comes to pick one out, it can be an exciting and daunting process. Buying used will often save you a lot of money. Here are several Facebook groups that sell Standard and Latin dresses. If you want to buy your own costume, there are a lot of companies out there (e.g. Venus Dancewear, Latino Dancewear, and Swanstudioau). The quality is usually not as stellar as buying used, but it's usually custom made, so if you give them good measurements you can end up with a very nice fit. Regardless of where you choose to buy from, ask your teammates for advice before you decide!

General links:

International Dance Design, another store in Houston
A ballroom blog filtered for posts about costumes