By Brianna Ciniglio
Special to the Chronicle

Ballerina buns, harem pants, tutus and leg warmers: dancers have worn these fashion trends, which are seen all over the world today, for ages. Although these types of clothing are sold in retail stores for style purposes, dancers wear these looks for their accessibility when dancing at the studio or performing on stage.

Hofstra dance majors, Amber Bennett, Nora Steinkamp and Sierra Sharratt, shared that some clothing, such as leggings, leotards and tights, are specifically for their dance classes and not day-to-day apparel.

“It’s a little weird,” said Bennett, when asked what she thought of dance attire being worn for fashion purposes.
Steinkamp agreed with Bennent about this new fad, “Sometimes I see people wearing these things, and I assume that they’re dancers because they’re wearing our clothes.”

Their reactions are understandable. These outfits are a type of uniform, which express who the dancers are with pride. But, as the old saying goes, imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. “I’ve always thought that it was cool that our art affects society,” said Sharratt, “It’s kind of nice to know that our style affects society, as well.”

We may not be able to move like these dancers, but emulating their style can almost make us feel like we can. Mimicking styles is simply what society does best. It makes one wonder what the military thinks about army jackets and boots coming into style.