Dancing in pants

[pygmalion]

Just curious. After almost a year in DF, I've formed a few hard and fast opinions. Just checking to see if my prejudices are right.

My view is that whether or not dancing ladies wear pants is greatly influenced by the type of dance they do.

Ballroom ladies go for dresses. Salsa ladies like dresses, too, but occasionally wear pants. Country and Western ladies go for pants. Tango ladies like dresses. Swing ladies who like retro, like swirly skirts (dresses.) Swing ladies who do contemporary clothes, do pants. Did I miss anybody with my gross generalizations? :roll: :lol:

Okay. So how'd I do? :wink:

[Flat Shoes]

Around here, the tango women were both pants and dresses. When it comes to swing, pants are dominant, but more dresses appear on dressing up occasions.

[AnnieMarie]

This CW gal prefers her skirts. I do wear jeans in the winter...but I like the skirts the "fly out" when I turn :) Of course, being a competitor might influence my choices more...since I try to show up more than I want to blend in most of the time.

[pygmalion]

I like the way skirts feel, too. 8) I very rarely see any in the C&W bars around here, though. It's jeans and boots all the way. *shrug*

[AnnieMarie]

Lots of jeans here too. I just get too warm to fast. The club I dance at, you can tell those of us that compete...we all seem to have a preference for skirts.

[cl5814]

I prefer black pants and a more flashy/colorful top for dance......specifically ballroom. I look better in pants than dresses......well, at least that is what the mirror makes me believe.

[Larinda McRaven]

I am with you, I like pants better than skirts. A couple of reasons.

1 With a skirt I feel compelled to wear my heels instead of coaching shoes, and my day is way too long to be in heels all day.
2 If I wear a skirt, short skirts look hideous when doing standard or smooth, therefore I would want to wear a longer skirt...but...
3 If I wear long skirtst then my students can't see my legs and the shapes I am making, And sometimes can't even see my feet, so I end up hiking up my skirt continuously to demonstrate things.
4 Protan or other selftanners fade in bizarre ways sometimes and the color of my legs and ankles often don't match the rest of my body, I look diseased ...

I love the way skirts look, they just don't seem practical for me.

[bjp22tango]

Like Larinda, I dance in pants most often because I can wear my coaching shoes. I both lead and follow so I need to have comfortable shoes that will allow for that.

However, if I am going out to predominantly dance follow, and if I am going out to a new venue, I wear my girly shoes and dresses or skirts because previous experience has shown that an unknown follow blends into the woodwork if she is of a certain age and wearing pants :cry: , but a lady in a dress or skirt gets asked to dance more often, even if unknown :lol: Sexist, but nontheless true. :roll:

[ShyDancer]

Im a ballroom girl and although I would love to wear skirts all the time, I cant because like Larinda said, its not practical, and short skirts look awful when you are supposed to be gracefully dancing a Waltz or Foxtrot.

If I were to go to a night where they only danced Standard, you can bet your last dollar that I would go in a lovely long skirt.
Same deal for Latin, Id go in my favorite swishy skirt ( which, just between the small DF family an me, I sometimes wear around the house because I adore the swish when I practice! :lol: :lol: )
BUT... I only know of one place that has a night that only one style is danced..and thats New Vogue! :lol: :lol: :lol:

So pants it is for me.

[jon]

Women who contra dance wear skirts. Some of the men wear skirts, too :-)

I think you're generally on the mark although there are skirts among the country dancers I see, and the incidence of skirts is pretty low in all sorts of dance around here. But the Bay Area is not very representative of the US demographically, ethnically, socially, economically, or politically.

[cocodrilo]

I agree with the previous two posts about shoes & pants. Jazz shoes look dorky with dresses(for salsa). I feel I can get wilder when I wear pants. They are also easy to coordinate, fashionwise. Black pants, flashy blouse, etc. Have dozens of pairs of spandex/lycra/poly etc blend jazz pants. I wear them not just for dancing but for everyday use. Good for this humidity, too as they dry quickly!

[pygmalion]

lady in a dress or skirt gets asked to dance more often, even if unknown :lol: Sexist, but nontheless true. :roll:

Someone mentioned that before, in an older thread called "Your partner's clothes," or something like that. Hmm. I wonder why. Food for thought. :?

BTW, I love jazz pants for practice. They look quite nice with practice shoes.

[cocodrilo]

[quote=bjp22tango]lady in a dress or skirt gets asked to dance more often, even if unknown :lol: Sexist, but nontheless true. :roll:[/quote

BTW, I love jazz pants for practice. They look quite nice with practice shoes.

They look good with suits, bikini tops, and camisoles, too! :D

[pygmalion]

I've gotta try the bikini top look. :wink: Not for dancing, though. I don't want anything to fall out. :shock: :lol:

[cocodrilo]

I've gotta try the bikini top look. :wink: Not for dancing, though. I don't want anything to fall out. :shock: :lol:

Gee, I wish I had that problem! :cry:

[pygmalion]

:lol: :lol: We all have our figure "issues," sister. I sure have mine. :oops: :?

[salsachinita]

Hey, how could I have missed yet another clothes-related thread?!

Ok, I dance in pants most of the time for the same reason Larinda & others have mentioned: shoe-related! My mules look great with pants, even if I do make an effort with those over-priced (& over-rated IMHO) salsa shoes these days!

I don't really wear skirts because I don't have a real butt......way too much excess fabric around the area :oops: .

Cute little tops with low ride, wide-legged pants are both comfy & flattering for me.

Dresses are great too, eventhough I don't find myself getting asked more (even when I'm out of town & unknown) or less........but lately, I've just learnt how simple (and, sadly, shallow :oops: ) guys can be! It seems that the skimpier my outfit, the more dances I get asked :shock: (and this is in my local scene)!

I mean, gimme a break, guys! No matter what outfit I wear, I am still the same girl from the same hood, AND I still dance the same way :roll: !

[pygmalion]

Yes, you're the same girl. But men, sadly, are often impressed by jiggly bits more than dancing ability. They can't help themselves. It's genetic, I think. :roll: :lol:

[Sagitta]

Dresses are great too, eventhough I don't find myself getting asked more (even when I'm out of town & unknown) or less........but lately, I've just learnt how simple (and, sadly, shallow :oops: ) guys can be! It seems that the skimpier my outfit, the more dances I get asked :shock: (and this is in my local scene)!

I mean, gimme a break, guys! No matter what outfit I wear, I am still the same girl from the same hood, AND I still dance the same way :roll: !

Well...I've had people come in their jammies to the Tuesday night Latin dance and they came that way as they were dragged by friends and are determined not to dance. :? Another explanation is the way you dress sometimes reflects the way you feel. I know that some nights I'm laid back and so my dress is laid back. I'll sit out some dances...etc Other nights I'm out to attack the night, to dance, a little more aggressive... and that's reflected in my dress. I'm dressed sharper, definitely more noticable!!

[Purr]

When I out social dancing, I usually wear dress pants and a nice blouse. :D

[Sabor]

Yes, you're the same girl. But men, sadly, are often impressed by jiggly bits more than dancing ability. They can't help themselves. It's genetic, I think. :roll: :lol:

can't we be impressed with both? :wink:

how u dress does makes a difference.. not only that.. but how u smell.. attitude.. even the slightest thing makes a difference.. its not about being shallow.. maybe it is for some but i definitely wouldn't generalize.. salsa is sexy, flirty and playful.. u cannot disengage the personal attraction out of the dance.. this is what some thrive on.. its a 3-4 minute love story .. so u need to represent 8) ..it sets the chemistry and plays the senses.. remeber, we are all one big chemical reaction.. so given u are a good dancer, the sexier u look the better it gets naturally..

[peachexploration]

I prefer black pants and a more flashy/colorful top for dance......specifically ballroom. I look better in pants than dresses......well, at least that is what the mirror makes me believe.

Yeah, I'm into pants and flashy tops as well. But will wear a skirt occasionally. I just like pants (not jeans) better for Salsa. I'm less inhibited when I wear them. :)

[Sagitta]

I prefer black pants and a more flashy/colorful top for dance......specifically ballroom. I look better in pants than dresses......well, at least that is what the mirror makes me believe.

Yeah, I'm into pants and flashy tops as well. But will wear a skirt occasionally. I just like pants (not jeans) better for Salsa. I'm less inhibited when I wear them. :)

Anything that makes you less inhibited is good for me. :wink: :)

[peachexploration]

:lol: :lol: :P

[jon]

Paid attention at the ballroom dance last night and about 10-15% of the women were wearing skirts or dresses. The rest were about 2/3 black slacks and most of the remainder jeans.

[Sagitta]

Paid attention at the ballroom dance last night and about 10-15% of the women were wearing skirts or dresses. The rest were about 2/3 black slacks and most of the remainder jeans.

About 28% in jeans!! This is interesting. Ballroom dance is the one dance that I wouldn't associate with women in jeans.

[jon]

There was hustle in the back room, which may have biased the numbers some.

[cocodrilo]

Paid attention at the ballroom dance last night and about 10-15% of the women were wearing skirts or dresses. The rest were about 2/3 black slacks and most of the remainder jeans.

At the ballroom practices in my city ALL of the women wear skirts or dresses. Have never seen any in jeans(nor do they hustle!)...

[jon]

At the ballroom practices in my city ALL of the women wear skirts or dresses. Have never seen any in jeans(nor do they hustle!)...

That fits, as most of the people wearing dresses or skirts here appear to be of Asian ancestry.

[dancin_feet]

Pants all the way for me. I'll occassionally get all girly and put on a skirt to go to a party, but 95% of the time, it's pants.

[squirrel]

it all depends on my mood... pants and flashy tops some nights and dresses or skirts some other nights... and yes, I also used to get asked more often when I wore skimpy outfits... not any more... it seems that ever since I'm teaching guys are afraid to invite me no matter what I wear!

[pygmalion]

Take it as a compliment, squirrel. They're just intimidated because you're so darn good. 8)