The world of acro costuming has come a long way… even five years ago, you would be lucky to find a handful of acro-suitable options in a costume book, and would often be forced to pick between a clown or snake-print unitard…
On the flip side, we’re currently in a great position as AcroDance teachers, because today’s costume trend is very streamlined, which has no-doubt been influenced by the rising accessibility of AcroDance. Acro is constantly being woven in with jazz, lyrical, and contemporary choreography, so form-fitting bodysuits and biketards, with beautiful patterns and interesting cut-outs, can be found in almost every costume catalogue!
Since you have lots of great options to choose from, here are some recommendations to help narrow down your list:
- Bare hands and feet will always be the safest option for your students. Some students may also want bare forearms, but this will depend on the comfort-level of your students and the amount of elbow-balancing work in their routine.
- There will inevitably be lots of upside-down work in your choreography, so you’ll want to make sure all is covered appropriately. I personally lean towards shorts (over a bodysuit line) for this reason, but you’ll want to figure out what will work best for your own dancers.
- It’s also good to be aware of things like zippers, that can dig into your dancers during floor work. Some things may be bearable for them, but in some cases it’s just easier to steer clear if there is lots of “hardware” going on.
- If you love a costume but are afraid it won’t stay in place, all is not lost: some tack stitches here and there may be all you need!
Have fun selecting costumes that match your vision: and if that means bringing back the full-length clown or snake-print unitard, I know your students will rock it!
