However, it seems the very first thing many friends ask when they hear I'm a dancer is, "do you have to wear tights?", which indicates they ARE a big deal to many people.
A lot of adult ballet programs have very relaxed dress codes to attract people who have some issue with the traditional dance garb. This is a mixed blessing: it may get them to class, but then the teacher can't properly correct them because he/she can't see what their body is doing under their sweats or other non-dance clothing. Meantime, it gives the class a very unprofessional look to others investigating the school.[/i]