MARC JACOBSWhen it comes to choosing a black leotard there are several things that you should be thinking about. With so much choice on offer, it can sometimes be difficult to decide which style and material to go for.
I hope this blog helps to highlight a few things for you to think about when choosing your next black leotard for dance, gymnastics, yoga, etc.
The history of a Leotard
Leotards have come a long way from the time they were made famous by the French acrobatic performer Jules Léotard. In the beginning, leotards were mainly won by performers in the circus and acrobatic shows. Then the leotard became a favorite style of swimwear, later adapted by professional dancers where they paired fancy, metallic leotards with stockings.
It was only in the 1970s and 80s that the Leotard started gaining popularity in aerobics fashion. During this time, leotards were a runaway hit among students and practically everyone on the street.
The icon of aerobics videos, Jane Fonda, immortalized the garment, back in 1982, with a horizontal striped red-and-black leotard, which she wore on the cover of her first exercise video, “Jane Fonda’s Workout."
Today, the leotard has wholly taken the fitness world by storm with innovation in style, fabric, design, color thus making it a must-have in the wardrobe of dancers, athletes, gymnasts, acrobats, sports, by both men and women.
Although the leotard was primarily a garment worn by men, it is undoubtedly become more popular among women, over the years. Leotards worn by men, are slightly different in style and cut, depending on the wearer’s requirement.
Why did we choose black leotard?
One reason is a sweat issue. As we know that sweat is normal in class, but we choose not to have large sweat spots that are super-visible on our leotard. Black leotard is the only color I have found that doesn't seem to show the sweat as much. Secondly, other colors tend to reveal more, how do I put this, information- like how cold the studio is that I don't like- at least on myself. I love all of the fun color leotards but choose to wear the traditional black and pink and add some color with fun skirts.
How to choose a black leotard?
Style: The very first thing to determine is the style of the black leotard that is prescribed for young dancers. The Speerise Ladies High Cut Tank Leotard is perfect for starting.
A long sleeve black leotard is also worth buying as the child progresses through the levels. Regarding style alone, there are several styles of leotards available for children, which can be considered for various purposes.
Choosing a leotard with an interesting back can be a nice way of adding some individuality to your choice of leotard but make sure it doesn’t hinder your performance in any way! Some leotard designs have a very low back, which often looks lovely on photographs but a very low back on a leotard can sometimes make the material gather on the side, especially in a forward and side port de bras.
It is important that your leotard is practical and again you want to think about your body shape when considering this. For example, if you have a larger bust size then you must make sure that your leotard is going to support you correctly. This is not just for your confidence and comfort when dancing but it is a safety issue as well. Most ‘strappy’ leotards come with an internal crop top style bra that is designed to be moderately supportive. If you know that you should be wearing a proper sports bra for your ballet classes then make sure that your choice of leotard will accommodate this and that the straps will be hidden under the leotard or that the sports bra and leotard complement each other.
Fabric: When choosing a black leotard, the most common fabrics are nylon Lycra and cotton Lycra in colors such as pink and black. However, you will find that they also look great in other colors and fabrics.
Here are the most common fabrics:
Nylon Lycra Leotard – this material has a bit of shine and comes in a wide variety of colors. This means that you can use even the most basic leotards to harmonize or contrast the theme that your specific dance is exploring.
Metallic Leotard – these fabrics usually have a reflective aspect that creates a sparkly and glittery quality.
Cotton Lycra Leotard – this material has a matte finish and comes in a wide variety of colors.
The advantage of the black leotard
1. Keep your muscles warm Before the game, to get your body into the rhythm of the game as soon as possible, you will often warm up to activate the muscles, but it may take a while before you can play after the warm-up, and the black leotard can keep warm at this time. , The compression function will speed up blood circulation to maintain body temperature. James once mentioned: "I wear it to keep my knees warm. When I go to the bench, I don't want my muscles to cool down."
2. Provide a certain amount of protection and support. Leotard (compression) underwear can give players a certain amount of support during sports, and some will also carry out specific support designs for the corresponding muscles to reduce the probability of injury during sports. Joe Smith mentioned above is for this reason. Part of the compression leotard will be additionally designed with pads on the knees, elbows and other joints to prevent players from colliding and falling. Another situation is that it is inevitable that there will be abrasions caused by a fall when playing. To a certain extent, wearing long sleeve black leotard can reduce the appearance of abrasions.
3. Restoring better black leotards can reduce muscle jitter during exercise. Compression equipment will also use gradient compression, that is, the farther away from the heart, the stronger the compression, which increases blood circulation to deliver more oxygen to the muscles, and at the same time reduces the level of lactic acid in the blood. Wearing during exercise can relieve muscle soreness after exercise, and some players will also wear compression pants after the game to help speed up recovery.
4. More comfortable black leotards usually contain more spandex. On the one hand, it brings good elasticity, which can fit the body well; on the other hand, it has good sweat absorption and perspiration performance, which reduces the effect of sweat soaking through the clothes/trousers.
