Ballet Class for Cross Dressers
77A man wearing tights and a leotard is what many people would describe as cross dressing. Well in ballet class men have to wear tights whether they like it or not. Sometimes a ballet class for beginners might not be so strict, but all ballet schools that have a high standard have a strict dress code for students. If you like the idea of wearing ballet tights and leotards without people questioning your motives then why not take a ballet class?
It’s also a fantastic way to trim yourself fit and learn to have a perfect posture and move with grace and elegance. Wearing a tight fitting ballet outfit helps make you conscious of your body shape and you’ll already feel more fit just from wearing it. The male to female ratio in ballet class is something like 10 : 1 and among the heterosexuals that ratio is probably more like 20 : 1 . So chances are that you might be the only man among a whole group of thinly dressed, feminine women. If ever there was an incentive for guys to take ballet class!
More about Ballet Class
Training for advanced ballet is one of the most physically demanding and strenuous activities ever. A ballet class of 90 minutes can be very tiring but young students aspiring to become professional dancers spend most of their day doing ballet practice. I think ballet is a great example of physical discipline and anyone would benefit from taking at least a few years of ballet lessons.
When you learn a musical instrument, you normally practise on your own, in your time and use the method and routine of your choice. But in ballet, most exercises are done in class as a group.
Appearance and Clothing in Ballet Class
Most ballet schools are very strict about appearance. For example the Royal Academy of Dance (RAD) used to require girls to wear pink ballet tights with a navy blue leotard while the boys had to wear black ballet tights (thicker than the girl’s tights) and a white leotard. Hairstyles are also subject to regulation. Women have to wear their hair in a bun that must be very secure without a stray hair, and men (sadly) have to cut their hair relatively short.
But this is for serious ballet students who take exams and aim to be professional dancers. If you just want to do it for fun, you can easily find a ballet class for beginners that will not be so strict. Especially in adult classes there is often no real dress code at all. But tights are a must in ballet. You need to be able to see the legs properly and the teacher needs to be able to see if your legs really are straight. You cannot go beyond the very basics if you never wear ballet tights. Without tights, ballet class is more like an aerobics class.
Tutu
skirts are not normally worn in ballet class. Some kids’ classes have them because
the girls love it and it makes them more enthusiastic. Sometimes students will
have practice tutus for class though. Getting a tutu is surely what you're dreaming of so have a look at my article on tutu skirts.
Getting the Ballet Outfit
So you’ve taken some ballet classes for beginners and want to stick with it. Then find out from your teacher what exactly you need because it can vary from school to school. The tights used in ballet are thicker and more durable than what you find in a hosiery department. Also the shoes need to fit well and so there’s no way around going to a ballet shop and trying things on to get the right sizes.
Pointe Work and Pointe Shoes
Dancing en pointe is the cliched tiptoeing that we all know from ballet on TV. Men hardly ever dance en point but sometimes they do – especially if they act women’s roles or in some contemporary production. Some schools have men take pointe classes even if only for practice. Pointe work requires specialized pointe shoes and buying these can be a major challenge of its own. You have to go to a ballet shop for this and get them fitted properly. The shoes on the photo above, even though the dancer is en pointe, are NOT pointe shoes. Pointe shoes have a solid block at the tip in front of the toes making the foot appear longer.
Pointe work is more advanced though and beginners don’t and shouldn’t do it. When it is time, you’ll be taking specialized pointe classes for it rather than doing it in the regular ballet class. Not everyone has feet that are suited for pointe work though. The ballet teacher will inspect your feet and see if they’re strong enough.
Cross dressing in Ballet Class
Well apart from the fact that you’re wearing tights and leotards, you won’t be doing any cross dressing in ballet class unless you got the role of a female character in a performance. There is a dance company that is all male but play female ballerinas as a comedy act. They’re hilarious actually and they dance really well too. I think they were called the Trocks or something like that.
However, because ballet is often about costumes and dressing up, cross dressing for fun isn’t unheard of. So you might find a ballet class where you get a chance to wear one of those pretty tutu dresses.
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Thanks for the great comment Maggied. Yes there are many reasons to take ballet. Also the male dancer's physique is just the most beautiful and aesthetic ever.
Great article Lucy. I've always wanted to take ballet classes and wear tights and leotards, but I was afraid of what people might think. But now, because of this article I'm inspired to sign up for ballet lessons. People may call me a sissy but I don't care, I don't mind being the only male in leotards and tights. Thank you Lucy.
great post by maggied. I , too had the older and younger sister deal, but the younger was 5 years on. Older took lessons, some days I'd have to sit at the school and wait for her, I fell in love with girls in leotards then. Being a boy, I was torn, we boys generally were encouraged to sneer at dancing. It is too bad I didn't have the gumption to ask to be in class also. I did try their leotards and tights, and still love the feel of closefitting stretchy clothing. The modern leos and tights are so much nicer than they were 50 years ago. I use them for yoga and general stretching, they do allow your form to been seen so much better.
Kudos to you!
My first interest in ballet came in the 5th grade when I found a book my sister had titled "On Your Toes Susie". I fell in love with the main character Sue Peters and the cover pic was what got me excited about ballet. But sadly I never took lessons! Now I wish I had!
Today I love to go to see local Nutcracker performances performed by students at local dance schools because when I watch them I dream I am back as a child dancing along with them!
I own my own pair of point shoes, several pink leotards and one or two practice tutus. I love dressing up, pretending I am at ballet school dancing with the girls there.
Recently I ordered online my very first more professional tutu. It is what is known as a "pancake" tutu, as it is short, stiff, sticking out approx 14 inches from the waist. Along with it I ordered the matching leotard. I can't wait for them to arrive!!!!!!!!
Even though I have never taken ballet lessons, and at my age I think it's a bit too late to try now, I still feel so special when I dress up! It makes me feel so happy!
If you do take lessons I am very happy for you. But if you just want to feel special, go buy yourself a tutu, practice ones are just fine, a pair of tights and a pair of ballet slippers, or maybe even a pair of real point shoes! Dress up and I can assure you you will feel so special and happy!
Les ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo (or the Trocks) - that my dear was one of the greatest nights for me in the theatre - surely you are aware of this fine ballet company of only men ... if not go to You Tube and see if you can find them - and I found you - so there can't be anything better than that!!!!! Bravo to you and keep following your dreams ......
I used to go to ballet classes, wearing black tights a black leotard, charcoal grey short shorts with black leg warmers. And a cut-off T-shirt draped over my shoulders. Never felt more comfortable. Nobody cared. I even wore ballet pink shoes. I miss that.
While smoking cigarettes after class my female classmates would give me pointers on female posture. SO MUCH FUN!
unfortunately as a ballet loving cross dresser I have to atke ballet class in regulation black tights and white t shirt. I look enviously at the females in their leotards, pink tights and ballet cardigans. I can only wear my favourite pink tights and black leotard in private
as a gay sissy i dress as a girl in my ballet class and i find it wonderfull to be allowed to wear a leotard,short skirt,tights.i also only learn steps that girls do and they [teacher and other girls] dont mind at all
I am a male and will starting taking begineers pointe classes in the new year. I also will be dress female: black leotard, pink footless tights, and pink point shoes. I will be wearing the pointe shoes barefooted for class for comfort and so that I can feel the floor. All the girls are very excited about me wearing pointe shoes for class
I just got done taking my first pointe class with the girls. The girls sewed the ribbons on pointe shoes and tied the ribbons on my pointe shoes for the first class. The girls were very excited that I took my first class wearing pointe shoes.
hi I'm about to take on ballet classes wearing black sleeve leotard and white tights I'm a straight male but love to try ballet but I'm nervous what females will say in class .
Hi I'm about to go to ballet class for first time will there be more females than males ?
Hi nigel,
normally, the men wear black or navy blue tights with a white leotard but I've not been active for a while so perhaps some schools have different colors.
You absolutely don't have to be nervous. While there will probably be a lot more women than men, you won't be something unwelcome or unwanted.
It's OK to want to wear tights and leotards, I do it quite often. But if your only goal in taking ballet lessons is only so you can wear tights and leotards, you'll quickly find that you will be required to work very hard. So be ready to sweat, stretch and strain like you've never done so before.
Hi John,
absolutely right.
I would love to take a ballet class -- my wife used to dance and I know that it gets you in amazing shape. I love women in leotards and tights, so that is a huge plus!
BALLET FOR ANYONE by Dane Youssef
It's great that transgenders, transsexuals and people who are just plain confused are not only being accepted more, but finding brand-new ways to circumvent the standards of acceptable dress code.
But ballet shouldn't just be an excuse to wear a short skirt, pantyhose, house-slippers and make-up. Still, it's good and reassuring to know that ballet has finally become hip and trendy. And as the ladies would say... "Well, HOWEVER we can get boys in here... if it's working."
Clearly, everything IS evolving. Keep dancing, whatever the reason...
--For Every Male Ballet Dancer Ever There Was, Dane Youssef
Hi Lucy. Great news I've been at beginners ballet classes and enjoying ballet and women and teacher seem ok with me . Yes and I'm wearing the black Leo and white tights . Thanks for your message of surports Lucy .
Glad to hear that nigel.
Now practice hard and follow the instructions ;)
maggied 2 years ago
Both my older and younger sisters, one about 18 months older and the other 18 months younger were enrolled in ballet class. When mom signed them up she was faced with the enigma or what to do with me while they were in class. I was only six so the answer was simple to enroll me too. She never really asked me if I wanted to take lessons but after all as a six year old in kindergarten you really don't have a voice in things. This only left one obstacle to overcome, the woman who gave the lessons in her house didn't normally take young men. But mom was pretty persuasive and and the woman really needed the extra income from my two sisters so to my delight I was soon in a pair of leotards dancing along side all the other girls.
I was so excited that I wanted to wear my new leotards to school to show off but of course mom wouldn't let me but I told everyone. I think that's the first time I ever encountered gender discrimination, one of the girls in my class said that guys couldn't take ballet so if I did I must be a sissy. I didn't know what a sissy was but whatever it was I didn't want to be one. So when mom picked me up that afternoon I told mom I announced that I wasn't going to take lessons anymore. Mom asked me why and when I told her what the girl had said she told me she was full of pooey, that lots of men danced in the ballet including famous actors and that the girl was just jealous.
I guess I must have been pacified because why I changed schools several times I continued my ballet lessons well into my senior year. The only time I ever remember wearing a tutu, though it wouldn't have bothered me was for a couple of recitals when I first started like everyone else the woman taught, though about the time I was 15 I think mom bought me a wrap (sort of like a skirt) that I could throw on between sets so my legs didn't freeze up.
I never really spent a lot of time in pointe shoes though I did own a couple of pairs but most of our practice was done in regular ballet slippers and most of my onstage experience was in support roles. There were not all that many male parts in a lot of the performances I did so I just tried to blend in but lets face it leotards are leotards.
You noted that you would find mostly women in ballet classes and estimated the ratios of straight and gay men. I would have to agree with you, as I matured and moved up most of the other male dances I came in contact with were gay but that was never an issue. It was all about the dancing not the sexuality of the dancers.
I think a lot of people much like that little girl in my kindergarten class assume when they see a man in tights that he is somewhat feminine. But let me assure you while I might have taken a little ribbing from the few macho males I knew but while they were sitting at home weekends I had my pick of dozens of beautiful girls I could call. These girls were my friends, the people I spent hours practicing with day in and day out and to be honest my so called dates were more about hanging with friends then anything else. It was other people who tried to read things into it.
Also you mentioned that at the RAD they required the males to wear their hair short. I wore mine longer, it was the early sixties, the Beatles were the hottest thing in music and young men were experimenting with long hair. Out of practicality I would wear it up in a ponytail during practice with a headband to keep sweat from rolling in my eyes and mom would help me put it up in a bun for recitals.
I never really gave it much thought, a couple of times she even put it up in french braids for me. It was more about the culture of ballet then cross-dressing or anything else. The beauty of ballet is that if you can find a class most of the instructors are pretty open and accepting as long as you have the desire to learn and practice. I think the overall acceptance you find is one of the things I liked most about ballet. The sad part is a lot of the women who have never taken ballet who enroll in these classes today aren't quite as accepting. But don't let that stop you from signing up.
Ballet is great exercise and it's never to late to learn to dance.