It’s no surprise that in 2024, there is still a lack of equity in the performing arts. Yet, the pain of being historically excluded is becoming more evident as more artists speak out.
According to Zippia’s survey on performing artists demographics by race, Black, Indigenous, and other people of color make up just 34.1% of the population. It can be a challenge to feel accepted and meet the high standards and expectations of their chosen art. This particularly affects those in the career of dance and/ or theater where looks do matter.
It’s becoming increasingly common in dance schools and intensives that dancers must wear dance tights, jazz shoes, and ballet (pointe) shoes in their skin tone. Yes, there are options, but the options within them are still limited, even for the professionals of the professionals, like Misty Copeland, the first Black female principal dancer at the American Ballet Theatre.
Imagine how it would become a time-consuming and discouraging search for people in the industry with darker skin tones.
Have you tried shopping for a darker skin tone? If, not you’ll quickly see that the term “nude” does NOT include everyone. This still leads to performers having to dye their tights to match their skin tone or settle for wearing “ballet pink”.
Why Do Black and Brown Dancers Need Tights in Their Skin Tone?
The original concept of “ballet pink” tights was created to match the skin tones of European ballerinas, excluding many dancers who were of any other color for centuries. This affected many ethnic groups, particularly Black people.
This was until the multi-ethnic group of students attending the Dance Theater of Harlem (founded in 1969 during the height of the civil rights movement), decided to make and wear dance tights that matched their skin tone.
Asian American with tan and brown skin and Black American ballet dancers, asking for tights in their skin tone isn’t for a part of the costume, it’s to allow them to create strong uninterrupted lines and to allow them to be themselves while on the stage.
Whether you’re preparing for dance practice, a part in a local production of Carmen, or competing in the Youth America Gran Prix, a dancer must always be ready.
We’ve found seven reliable online stores with various skin-colored dance tights for brown and black skin tones.
Best places to shop for flesh tone dance tights for Black and Brown dancers in 2024.
My Nude Shade
My Nude Shade is an easy-to-shop online store for all things skin-toned. Gaining recognition from dancers and dance schools in the U.S. and the U.K., My Nude Shade aims to solve the colorism problem in the apparel, retail, and textile industries.
The emerging online store provides an easy shopping solution by combining brands (like Mariia Dancewear and Blendz) and products for adults and children all in one place sorted first by skin tone, and then by use. To determine your skin tone, My Nude Shade offers personal consultations.
Founded by Cleveland actress and designer, Ebony Glass. My Nude Shade’s goal is to bring together the brands and products, particularly apparel and products that run darker than ‘suntan’, ‘beige’, or ‘ballet pink’. Therefore, eliminating the frustration felt by dancers and other performers with brown skin.
My Nude Shade Customer Reviews:
Blendz
The popular Atlanta-based dance apparel brand was founded in 2018 by Jamia Ramsey. After realizing that some of her dance students were struggling to find affordable tights in their skin tone, the idea of Blendz was born! Blendz is well-known among U.S. and international customers as a source of truly pigmented tights for darker skin dancers to truly feel comfortable in their skin.
Blendz Customer Reviews:
Mariia True Bare Dancewear
Made with the modern ballerina in mind, the Mariia line of True Bare dancewear ensures that every dancer feels comfortable and confident in their true shade of nude.
Mariia offers a wide variety of dance apparel with tights, leotards, shorts, socks, and more in six different flesh tones to match your skin tone.
Mariia Dancewear Customer Reviews:
Sheer Chemistry
Founded by Tahlia Gray, Sheer Chemistry is a U.K. hosiery brand empowering Black and Brown dancers. They’re on a mission to redefine what is considered a beautiful and acceptable skin tone. Shaking the hosiery industry one leg at a time. *pun intended*
Offering five different skin colours in dance tights, ‘Vibrance’ performance dance tights are popular among U.K. and international customers with the same goal in mind. Their tights are soft, high-performance, and made of durable 3D microfiber to last through multiple practices and performances.
Sheer Chemistry Customer Reviews:
SHADES Dancewear
A revolutionary and inclusive U.K. brand, SHADES Dancewear has created a line of skin-toned tights, shoes, socks, and dance belts enabling dancers of all shades to keep their identities and embrace their ethnicity as performers.
Available in four skin tones, their colors are named after African-American dance icons of the 20th century; Pearl Primus, Alvin Ailey, Raven Wilkinson, and Bill “Bojangles” Robinson.
Super soft and ultra-durable, Shades convertible dance tights allow dancers to wear tights footed or footless.
SHADES Customer Reviews:
Nude Barre
Founded by former NY Knicks dancer, Erin Carpenter, was created out of the frustration of not finding tights in her skin tone and having to dye her tights. Nude Barre has shades like a clock has time. Named by each hour, every shade of y(hue) can be found in their size-inclusive line of tights, underwear, and socks.
They’ve matched nude tights to a long list of celebrity nudies (customers) like Beyonce, Lizzo, and Doechii!
Nude Barre Customer Reviews:
Capezio Tights
With its start in 1887 making pointe shoes for the Metropolitan Opera House, Capezio has over a century-long history of being the go-to source for all things dancewear and fashion. They’ve been spotted on stage being worn by celebs such as Beyonce, Taylor Swift, Maddie Ziegler, and Lady Gaga.
Capezio has an almost even amount of colors per shade range. With approximately, 14 skin tone shades available and about three colors for light, tan, brown, and dark brown complexions, the dancewear company provides various styles in adult and children’s sizes.
Changes in skin tone or skin color happen due to sun exposure, hormones, scars, medication, and more. Therefore, it's important to have a variety of store to find tights in your skin tone.
Are there any brands that we forgot to mention? Let's talk about it. Name a brand we forgot to mention and let us know how you like them.
Related Post: Nude Tights for Dark Skin? Tights For Dancers and Figure Skaters of Color.
Citations and sites:
1. Performing Artist Demographics and Statistics. https://www.zippia.com/performing-artist-jobs/demographics/
2. Misty Copeland is Calling For More Skin Tone Options in Pointe Shoe Emojis. https://www.essence.com/news/misty-copeland-skin-tone-pointe-shoe-emojis/
3. Think Nude! [Blog] https://digitalorange.medium.com/think-nude-ebc5cc3e71ed
4. Dance Theater of Harlem History. https://www.dancetheatreofharlem.org/our-history/
5. My Nude Shade Shop https://www.MyNudeShade.com
6. Blendz Tights https://blendzapparel.com/
7. Mariia True Bare Tights https://mariiadancewear.com
8. Sheer Chemistry Tights https://www.sheerchemistry.com/
9. Shades Dancewear https://www.shades-dancewear.com/
10. Nude Barre https://nudebarre.com/
11. Capezio https://www.capezio.com/
