Dance costumes are used to place emphasis on particular movements or parts of the body. For example, short tutus are worn by ballet dancers so that we can see their muscular legs and masterful movements all the better. In ballroom dancing dancers wear long flowing gowns. These dance costumes emphasize the twirls and sweeping movements of ballroom dancing.

Sometimes dance costumes are used to set off different groups of dancers in the same production, or to give greater emphasis to the lead role in a production. No matter what type of dance performance, dance costumes are generally used to set the performers apart from the audience and to provide a sense of excitement and uniqueness about the production that keeps the audiences attention riveted.

Dance costumes can also help to define the particular message or meaning of the dance performance. Along with lighting, the set, props, sound and movement, dance costumes form a critical element of nearly all types of theatrical production.

In early eras of classical ballet, as well as found in many types of tribal dance, the dance costumes are very elaborate and difficult to move around in. These early dance costumes often covered all or most of the body and restricted movement to a considerable degree.

Postmodern dance costumes, on the other hand, took a wholly opposite approach and shunned the elaborate costume, instead focusing on only the movement itself. In this era of dance costumes, the costume as well as other theatrical elements, such as light, set and narrative were intended to be understated.

When choosing which types of dance costumes will best represent your production, think about the style of show as well as the kinds of attention you want your costumes to attract. If you want the costumes to take a back seat to pure movement, then simple is best. If you want to exaggerate movement and personality then big and / or elaborate dance costumes may be best.