Yes, a dance belt is a kind of underwear. You need it to protectyour jewels from harm, partly by supporting them the way anathletic supporter would, but ESPECIALLY by lifting them up & outfrom between your legs--which is something an athletic supportercan't do, so *don't* try to get by with one. Your thighs arefrequently squeezed tightly together (for example, in sus-sous)and you don't want anything else to be squeezed as well.
Moreover keeping the dangly bits from dangling gives you a clean,unbroken line from your toes all the way up. The legs look longerand seem to start their movements from further up, both of whichmake you look better as a dancer.
Yes, a dance belt is a kind of weird contraption. But then, thereare lots of kind of weird things about ballet. That's part of itscharm, IMHO--or, as the critic Edwin Denby once wrote, "There isa bit of insanity in dancing that does everybody a great deal ofgood."
Tom Parsons[/i]