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What to wear

Lessons and practices

For lessons and practices we recommend you wear something comfortable (people usually wear jeans, t-shirt and trainers or shoes with a slight heel if they prefer). 

Shoes

We recommend everyone on the team buys a pair of dance shoes (not essential though). The best place to buy them from is the fancy dance shop on Micklegate. They have a few shoes on the website, but they have plenty more in the shop and will be able to help what you are looking for even if they haven't got it in stock. Mention you're taught by Joel to get a 10% discount.

Ballroom and latin dresses

If you fancy a ballroom or latin dress, we recommend Viva Dancewear who custom make dresses at a very reasonable price.

However, beginners are restricted to non-competitive dress except in the team dances.

Non-competitive dress for beginners

These are the guidelines from the IVDA constitution. If you follow this set of guidelines, you will not have any problems with the non-competitive dress rule at any of the competitions. If you are unsure please ask the team captain in advance and bring a spare outfit in the unlikely event that you are asked to change. The society owns some suitable outfits if you would like to borrow something. You should also try to have dancing shoes as these are allowed all day and make things much easier on the highly polished floor.

  1. Non-competitive dress shall not allow items specifically designed for competitive dancing
  2. It shall allow practice wear
  3. The following items are allowed (this takes precedence over 1 and 2 in cases where both apply):

    Ballroom

    Men: Plain dark trousers, plain shirts, ties or bow ties, waistcoats

    Ladies: Plain skirts or trousers, tops without excessive adornment, dresses (not including ball-gowns)

    Latin

    Men: Plain dark trousers or Latin trousers, plain or ruffled shirts or T-shirts, plain Latin tops (no transparent material), ties or bow ties, waistcoats.

    Ladies: Plain skirts or trousers, tops without excessive adornment, dresses(not including ball-gowns) Plain is defined as meaning unpatterned or having a small single or repeating pattern.

  4. The standing committee have discretionary powers regarding the interpretation of 3.18.1 - 3.18.3; they may ask a competitor to remove or replace a garment; competitors not complying will be disqualified.
  5. There shall be no restrictions on accessories.