Ballet tights are an essential part of a dancer’s dress code, as they typically wear them to class under their leotards, and even for performances. This daily use wears the tights down a whole lot, forcing dancers to be continuously purchasing new pairs. When tights start to get old, they will usually get “runs”, and holes will start forming as you stretch them. Of course, this will vary on the brand and the price of the tights, seeing as they will vary from a price of $5 to $20.
So how often will dancers have to change them? It really depends on how much a dancer takes care of them and how careful a dancer is when pulling them on and taking them off. In my personal experience, I will start getting “runs” and holes in my tights after two moths of use. They cost me $13.57 a pair and I always buy two pairs so i’m not 100% dependable on one. That means that I spend $27.14 dollars every two months on tights, which would add up to $162.84 per year!
So how often will dancers have to change them? It really depends on how much a dancer takes care of them and how careful a dancer is when pulling them on and taking them off. In my personal experience, I will start getting “runs” and holes in my tights after two moths of use. They cost me $13.57 a pair and I always buy two pairs so i’m not 100% dependable on one. That means that I spend $27.14 dollars every two months on tights, which would add up to $162.84 per year!
Usually when ballet students participate in summer intensives, the program will ask them to bring a certain amount of tights that they know will last them throughout the activities of the intensive. I know that in the six-week program I attended, I was asked to bring ten pairs of tights. Now, most of the tights I already owned had holes and tares in them and that was unpresentable, so I was forced to buy ten pairs of brand new tights. We are talking about $135.7 for a period of six weeks! |
There are about 52 weeks in one year, six of them which are already taken up by my sumer intensive in which I spent $135.7. That means that for the remaining 46 weeks, or ten and a half moths, I paid $27.14 every two months, which would add up to be $141.44 for those 10.5 months, and $277.14 in total per year spent on ballet tights!!
Nevertheless, as I mentioned before, this depends purely on the care of the tights, as they are very thin and delicate, so even the small things such as getting a broken nail caught up in the tights, can cause a tare. To save money, many dancers will sew the holes in their tights, or apply some transparent nail polish over the “runs” to keep them from spreading even further when the tights are stretched.
Nevertheless, as I mentioned before, this depends purely on the care of the tights, as they are very thin and delicate, so even the small things such as getting a broken nail caught up in the tights, can cause a tare. To save money, many dancers will sew the holes in their tights, or apply some transparent nail polish over the “runs” to keep them from spreading even further when the tights are stretched.