The Ultimate Guide to Choosing the Perfect Dance Show Costumes

Picking dance show costumes for your performance is exciting, but let’s be real–it can also be a bit of a headache! As a dance school owner, you’ve probably found yourself browsing through endless costumes, debating fabrics, colours and styles. With so many options and elements to consider, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed. Costumes aren’t just about dressing your dancers–they help weave the entire performance together. The right dance show costumes can set the tone, tell the story, and ensure your choreography makes the most impact. They can make or break your performance, so it’s important to choose wisely. 

Here’s a guide to help you navigate the dance costume selection process, so you can focus on what really matters: putting on an amazing performance! 

Always start with the basics: What’s the vibe of your performance? What narrative do you want to portray? Understanding your theme inside and out will help guide your dance show costume decisions and ensure they fit the concept. Whether your piece is light and joyful or dark and dramatic, the costumes should reflect that energy and pull it all together. By mastering the theme, your dancers can forge a deeper connection with the audience, making it more memorable and impactful. Research thoroughly–look for inspiration everywhere. Explore dance history, fashion trends, nature, and create moodboards with colours, fabrics, and designs that resonate with your theme and choreography. Having a visual starting point will make it easier to narrow down your options later. 

As a principal, you’ll have many responsibilities besides planning the show. With the event still months away, it may not be a priority in your daily tasks. However, a common mistake we see dance school owners make is not allowing enough time, so planning ahead is essential. You might be waiting for parents to commit to the show or for payments to come in before purchasing costumes. But the sooner you start planning and ordering costumes, the better. Costumes are such a huge part of the show, so get them as early as your budget allows. By planning and ordering costumes well in advance, you’ll minimise stress as the show date approaches. You don’t want to be scrambling for costumes just weeks before the event, trying to get everything in order.

Your costumes should stand out from a distance and create a strong visual impression. Think about how they’ll look from the audience's point of view as well as under stage lights. Do the colours pop? Do they help your dancers stand out while also working together cohesively? The style of dance and choreography should also heavily guide your costume choices–ballet, for example, often calls for simplicity that highlights the dancer's technique and grace, which is why tutus and leotards are classics. Flowing and lightweight fabrics are essential for a contemporary or lyrical routine as these fabrics move gracefully with the dancer, emphasising fluidity and the emotional expression of the routine. But keep in mind the choreography, if the routine has a lot of floor work a shorter skirt or dress would be more practical than a long one. Considering these details can transform your performance from good to unforgettable. 

Costumes are such a large part of a dance school show, so choosing the correct costume for each genre is important so that even the inexperienced dancer will shine on stage and feel confident in their costume. 

When picking out dance costumes, don’t forget that fabric is just as important as style. If your dancers are having to adjust their costumes mid-performance, it’s distracting and potentially impacts their technique. Also, think about any embellishments or added materials. It’s great to add a touch of detail but it shouldn’t overpower the garment or get in the way of the movement you have created. For instance, in an Acro routine with lots of lifts, highly sequined costumes might not be practical as they can interfere with the physical interaction between dancers. If you buy or plan to buy your costumes from budget fast fashion companies, usually there is no stretch in the fabric as the garments are not designed to be danced in. Keep this in mind when selecting costumes as it’s worth buying proper dancewear to ensure your dancers feel comfortable and can perform properly. 

Sizing can be one of the biggest challenges, and parents will not always give you the correct size of their child. It’s a good idea to measure your students and allow growing room. A costume can always be adjusted nearer the show rather than the student being squeezed into a costume which is too small. Unless you are having bespoke costumes (which can be expensive) you will be purchasing off the peg garments that may need adjusting to fit a particular body shape. Dancers come in all shapes and sizes, so it’s important that the style of the costume is age appropriate and not revealing on young children. If the student feels comfortable in their costume, they will perform much better on stage. Involving your student in the costume choice is not always easy as they will not all agree on a particular costume. However, be aware that your student may have personal issues regarding their body image, or culture, and always take this into consideration when making your selection and be open to discussing this with the student or parent. Girth (body length) is usually the most important measurement. For example, if a tutu is too short on the body, the nets will stick up. You can make a costume smaller by adjusting it, you can’t make it bigger. If you have a child who’s in between sizes, always get the bigger size and adjust it.

Check out our handy Costume Planner that you can use to help plan your show.

When selecting colours, think about how they will unify your dancers on stage. Cohesive colour schemes create a stronger visual impact and help the audience see your dancers as a group rather than individuals. Different colours can also evoke different emotions. Bright, bold colours can bring energy and joy, while darker shades might add a touch of drama or seriousness. Also, if your choreography has specific formations or positions you want to highlight, think about how your costumes can enhance those moments. These details can transform your performance from good to unforgettable. 

You don’t have to have every dancer in the same costume. Check out this video of Ellite Studios performing at CYD? Super Convention. The costumes are different but work as a cohesive group through the clever use of colour.

Budget of course comes into play, and parents often don’t realise the overall cost of a show with costumes being one of the main expenses. Trying to purchase costumes within your budget and keeping the parents happy can be a tricky issue. 

It is sometimes easier to charge all students the same amount per costume, that way, if you can save on one costume you can spend a little more on the adult sizes which tend to be pricier. Another option is to charge a show fee to all the students taking part which would include their costume, rehearsal times and other show expenses. If you have children who are in multiple numbers in the show, the price can really add up. One costume for ballet, another for tap, modern, jazz. That’s four costumes. If you are on a tight budget, there are things you can do to make multiple costumes from one piece. You can add a skirt to a leotard, or use a two-piece costume that you can mix and match and use in more than one number in the show. IDS stock a range of costumes to suit every budget, and a lot of our costumes are adaptable and come with more than one piece. The key is to be creative. Below are some examples of two-piece costumes that can be adapted:

• 1st Position Asymmetrical Leotard with Contrasting Half-circle Skirt
• 1st Position Shoulder Frilled Biketard with Separate Fringe Skirt
• Revolution Feeling Good
• 1st Position 1-Sleeved Sequin Mesh Unitard with Separate Tutu

Fundraising Fun! If your school puts on a show every year, why not get creative with fundraising? Coffee mornings, toy sales, and cake stalls are great ways to bring everyone together to raise money for dance show costumes—supporting the school and the children! Get parents and students involved; it makes the whole experience more enjoyable.

Lastly, our resident costume expert Kate has some advice for dance school owners who are new to the process of choosing costumes for their show. 

"Putting on a dance show is a balancing act, especially when it comes to involving parents. Of course you want them to feel included, but remember, it’s your school and your vision! While their input is welcome, your decisions should ultimately take the lead. When you’re just starting out, it’s easy to get overwhelmed, so planning ahead is key. If you’re gearing up for a show, delegate tasks wherever you can. Finding a helpful parent or assistant can lighten your load significantly—trust me, there’s a mountain of work involved in putting on a performance! You should definitely keep the big decisions, like costumes and ticket sales, in your hands since you’re the one paying for everything. Speaking of tickets, using an online app like Stage Stubs can save you tons of time and hassle. Many of my friends in the business swear by it! So, offload as many tasks as possible to others and keep your focus on what really matters."

In the end, the goal is to create a seamless experience where the choreography, music, and costumes all work together to tell a story. So, take a deep breath, tap into your creativity and have fun with the process! 

IDS offers showroom appointments both virtually and in-person for one-to-one consultations on dance costumes and accessories. Visitors can explore over 800 designs and receive expert guidance. For more details, visit our showroom page.