A ballet dancer must constantly be aware of how her body looks to ensure proper form. In order to keep track of every minute detail of the body, the ballet dancer's clothing must be form-fitting. Attire for the ballet dancer must also be easy to move about in, to allow for the range of motion a dancer's body requires. Ballet slippers are usually made of canvas or leather with soft leather soles and elastic straps to secure the shoe onto the dancer's foot. Pointe shoes are made of satin with a toe box of burlap stiffened with glue, a cardboard or hardened leather shank (the toe box and shank help support the dancer's weight when en Pointe). The School of American Ballet in New York requires female dancers to wear a black leotard with pink tights and ballet shoes for basic ballet classes, and male dancers a wear white shirt with black tights and ballet shoes.
This style of dance definitely needs attire that allows a dancer to move freely, quickly, and with agility. The tap dancer must also be able to scrutinize his/her body and movement, therefore tap dance attire must also be form-fitting to a degree. Tap shoes are usually made in oxford, Mary Jane (a low-heeled dress shoe), or character (a high-heeled dress shoe) styles, with metal plates on the toe and heel of each shoe. At the Broadway Dance Center in New York, female tap students are required to wear a leotard and black jazz pants (which are form-fitting pants usually made of lycra), along with black oxford tap shoes. Male tap students are required to wear a black fitted shirt or tank, black pants, and black oxford tap shoes.
Jazz dancing requires a dancer to have a wide range of motion, therefore the attire required for jazz dancing must allow a dancer to leap, turn, twist, kick, and otherwise move about freely. Jazz shoes are made in oxford, boot, and sneaker styles. They have smooth soles made of leather; or in the case of jazz sneakers, made of polyurethane with a circular spot on the ball of the foot for turning. The Broadway Dance Center in New York requires female jazz students to wear a leotard with black jazz pants and black jazz shoes, while male dancers wear a black fitted shirt or tank, black pants, and black jazz shoes.