Dancers Are Serious Athletes – And They Have Needs…
March 12, 2008 by Kimberly Edwards
For those of you who have never participated in a ballet class, you have no idea!
I was a rhythmic gymnast and Canadian hopeful back in the day. I even lived away at Gymnastics school in Toronto, and guess what…We did ballet EVERYDAY (and Jazz a few days/week)!
This, by far, was the most difficult and strenuous part of our all-day practices, but probably one of the most important…The sheer strength and endurance it takes, not to mention serious concentration, is off the charts, if you want to be good at it! Phew!
One of my favorite days would be when the Gym Suit lady would come to sell new Leotards and other gear like our special Gymnastics Slippers we needed for working on the carpet, Dance Shoes and Ballet Shoes, and other Gear like our apparatus…Not only did we get a short break, but there’s nothing like dawning a brand new outfit…not just any outfit…but one that has been made specifically for our gymnastic and dancing purposes! They may have been a little pricey from that lady, but it was well worth it, and much cheaper and better quality than you would have found retail.
There are times when you are having a really tough day in training and you look down at your new suit and get a bit of cheer…It may sound funny, but it’s so true!
I remember how hard it was to track down all of the Gear and Leotards you needed…What a Pain!!! They never had everything you needed in one place at one time, and if they did, the price sent you right back out the door empty-handed, since it could get costly replacing your gear and leotards as often as they were needed.
We didn’t have the internet then, and that certainly would have made life a lot easier. Today, dancers have access to what they need and I Stumbled (add me as a friend on Stumble Upon) an amazing place where you can find all of your dancing needs in a one-stop-shop!
The website, DanceDirect.com has dance-wear for every type of dance, including ballet, tap, jazz, urban, men’s and women’s, including shoes and accessories! I would have loved that! You can order a free catalog to be shipped to you or place your secure order online…They even have a rewards program, and offer some of the biggest and best brand names available today.
Looking at some of their prices, they are super reasonable – leotards starting around $20 USD…I remember back in 1989, we were paying at least $25-30 for a new gym suit and that was reasonable, and we were happy to do it…That’s one thing that impressed me on this site and made me want to share it with you…
It makes sense though because I read that the website was founded by former professional dancers, who found the same problem of not having one place they could get all of their gear…So, they created such a place…
So, if you’re in dancing of any sort or gymnastics, it’s certainly worth a look…I hope you find exactly what you’re looking for!
***
I hope you enjoyed today’s installment of Championship Circle! Until next time…
Play Like a Champion!
Kimberly Edwards ;D
P.S. It’s a UK dance site, but they have a great size converter there to help you make your order…
Technorati Tags: rhythmic gymnastics, dancing, ballet, jazz, tap, dance wear, dance gear, gym suits, leotards, ballet shoes, dance shoes, dancers, athlete








May God bless you all.