Which of the following is the best attire for males in modern standard dances? *

Imagine this…

You're in the middle of an amazing date…

She's gorgeous.

You're out Salsa dancing and all the guys walking by are staring at her.

But she's with you 🙂

Wanting to show off a little you decide to bust out “the move”.

You're going for the big lift “Dirty Dancing” style…

You pick her up…and then everyone sees it (and smells it)…

Pit stains running down the sides of your shirt.

You didn't wear the right outfit.

What's a guy supposed to wear on a night dancing anyway?

How can he still stay stylish but comfortable enough to get groovy in?

In this guide I will give you some simple rules to follow when picking outfits.

This is a guest post written by Leon Turetsky. 

Professional Ballroom Dance Teacher and Passion 4 Dancing. If you'd like to learn more about how to dance you can visit him here

I’ve been teaching men and women How to Ballroom dance for over 20 years now and have seen the good, bad and the ugly when it comes to outfits on the dance floor.

When choosing outfits for a night out dancing it is not so much the clothing item by itself that matters, but it's the characteristics that make it specifically better for dancing.

Those characteristics are:

1. Colors that hide sweat.
2. Fabrics that breathe.
3. A fit that is optimal for dancing/moving.

I’ve chosen those 3 characteristics because they will allow you to move around the room with confidence and style. Let’s dive deeper below and see how they apply in choosing shirts, pants and shoes.

The Best Men's Shirts For Dancing

Color

The main purpose of choosing the right color is to hide sweat from all the dancing you’ll be doing.

This tends to make it land on the extremes of the color spectrum such as near black or absolute white.   Popular color such as blue, red or pastels will mark your sweat spots very clearly.

If you sweat a lot, then go darker. However, understandably you don’t want to go out looking like you’re attending a funeral.  This is where patterns come into play…

With patterns, you can mix in colors and “pop” on the dance floor without showing underarm patches afterward.  Just be careful to not be flashier than your partner.

Fabric

With fabric, go for something that “breathes” and is comfortable.

Of course, you don’t want to show up grooving in your running gear, but you’ll be moving a lot and your body temperature will rise.  Among the breathable fabrics, cotton blend is the best.

Linen also does the job.  The concern with linen is that it does get wrinkled fast but you’ll be moving all night anyway so it shouldn’t be a concern.

On the other hand, anything that is silk, polyester or nylon blend is bad.  These do not breathe and will stick to you by the end of the night.  You can identify these “bad” blends if the fabric feels “silky” and it’s usually shiny too.

Fit

You want to be comfortable yet stylish. This requires the top to be fitted not too tight but not too loose either.

Anything that is too tight will stick to you and restrict your movement.

And anything too loose may flap around, get in the way of your moves and even hurt your balance. Pick something in between.

The Best Men's Pants To Wear Dancing

Color

With pants, you have a bit more freedom with the color as sweating is less of an issue here.  However, I would still advice to go with darker colors to be safe.

Fabric

The fabric of the pants should breathe as well as have a good flow.

Jeans are always good however if you’re looking for something dressier look for some of the fabric blends that are used for summer suits.  These include cotton blends and linen blends.

However, a non-obvious choice is a wool blend from fresco wool.  This wool has an open weave which makes it very airy.  It is designed specifically for the summer with its open weave allows airflow.  It also wicks away moisture which makes it the ideal choice for a refined night out.

Fit

You’ll be moving yourself and your partner around all night so make sure your pants can accommodate that.

Beware of “skinny” and “slim” fit.  Make sure they can perform a wide range of movements.

You can do the “lunge test” to determine if the pants are a good fit.  Put it on and do a few lunges on both sides.  If you’re comfortable then they’re good to go.

The Best Men's Shoes To Wear Dancing

Color

Even though there is no real restriction with the color of your shoes on the dancefloor, I recommend going with a classic color because you don’t want to overshadow your girl!

Another thing to think about is that you may get stepped on, so lighter color shoes will show those dirt marks more.

Fabric

Leather shoes are great protection on the floor if you get stepped on (Those heels can really hurt…).  Shoes that are made out of textiles such as sneakers can generally be comfortable for dancing, however, they may not look as dressy.

Try to find dressier heels that have somewhat of a flex to them which will help your weight change. If you are planning to dance a lot in the near future, you may want to consider investing in a pair of dance shoes.

These are made especially for dancing with a non-slip suede sole and incredible flexibility.

Fit

You want to make sure that the dance shoes fit very snug on your foot for dancing. You don’t want something loose that will interfere with your balance and coordination.

The best is for it to fit like a glove.

Lastly – About Accessories

While you may be tempted to wear lots of cool necklaces, bracelets, and watches you should be careful with accessorizing too much.

The reason being is that when you are turning, sliding, dipping and trying to keep the beat, accessories that hang loose will tend to fly around and get in the way of leading your girl, and may even hit her.

If you must go with accessories try to get some that stay on tightly on your arm and neck.

Secondly, you want something that doesn’t have rugged/thorny things sticking out. In other words, keep it simple!

I hope this gives you a better idea of how to choose clothes for a night out dancing. If you are interested in learning Ballroom dancing please visit me at Passion4dancing.com. And if you are interested in learning other dance styles visit Learntodance.com.

This is a guest post written by Leon Turetsky. 

Professional Ballroom Dance Teacher and Passion 4 Dancing. If you'd like to learn more about how to dance you can visit him here

When competing it is essential to have good shoes--they should slide on the floor, look nice, and fit tightly. Ballroom shoes are typically between $90 and $130, but you can find lower priced shoes online. If you are interested in buying shoes, you should ask some comp team members about getting cheap deals online and about choosing the right size & style. Some common brands are: Capezio, Bloch, Very Fine, Freed, Supadance, and Stephanie.

For guys, dress shoes with leather soles or jazz shoes work, but ballroom shoes with suede soles are ideal.
For girls, character shoes may work, but ballroom shoes are much better, especially for Latin.

Our guide to ballroom shoes ›

Clothing

For guys
Wear black dress pants and black socks. Wear a long-sleeved white dress shirt for Standard and a black shirt for Latin. Make sure the shirts don't bunch up at the shoulders when you raise your arms, and try to have the Latin shirt be fairly close-fitting.

For girls
For Standard, wear a long-sleeved fitted top and a long skirt (mid-calf to ankle length). For Latin, wear a short skirt (mid thigh or shorter) with shorts underneath and a tight-fitting top. Asymmetrical skirts tend to look good on the floor. It is also best to either wear skin colored tights or put makeup on your legs for Latin. If you have an outfit that you think will work, feel free to run it by a veteran of the team to make sure. If you need a dress, you can contact any officer and we can take you up to the closet to help you pick something out from our collection.

For both Standard and Latin, hair should be neatly pulled back. Longer hair should be put in a bun. Make-up should be done to the extent of stage make-up (but not clown make-up), including foundation.