Ballet & Dance
Buy and sell ballet and dance gear in Costa Rica.
A ballet bag holds soft slippers, a leotard in the colour the academy set for that level, tights and, a few years into classes, a first pair of pointe shoes. Costa Rica adds its own wardrobe: the full enaguas and golas of folk dance, and the light, smooth-soled shoes many people wear for swing criollo. Children outgrow most of it long before it wears out, which is why slippers, tutus and recital costumes pass so easily from one family to the next. New and pre-owned pieces both have a place here, from a single pair of jazz shoes to a costume that went on stage once.
Soft ballet slippers, pointe shoes and character shoes:
each do a different job. Every student starts in soft slippers: leather lasts longer and gives the foot more to push against; canvas is lighter, washes well and shows the arch. A full sole suits beginners because the foot has to work through the whole shoe, while a split sole bends easily and suits dancers who already point well. Pointe shoes come later, once the teacher says the ankles are ready, and are built differently: a stiff box around the toes and a rigid shank under the arch, made by Bloch, Capezio, Grishko and others in widths and shank strengths that have to be fitted in person. Schools teaching character dance ask for character shoes, with a low heel and a strap, and jazz and tap shoes cover the rest of the timetable.
Leotards, tights and tutus:
split into class wear and stage wear. Class needs a leotard, pink or skin-tone tights and a wrap skirt or top for warming up. Many academies fix the leotard colour by level, so a used one is most useful to a student moving into that level. A practice tutu is soft net on an elastic waist; a stage tutu, the flat plate-shaped kind, has layer upon layer of stiff net held out by a hoop and is made for one role. Recital costumes are bought or made for one number at the end-of-year show, worn once or twice, then left in a wardrobe. Bands and mats for stretching at home overlap with yoga and Pilates, and a portable barre sits with the home training kit in exercise equipment.
Enaguas, golas and swing criollo shoes:
bring Costa Rica’s own dancing into the wardrobe. Folk groups dance in long, brightly coloured enaguas, or golas in Guanacaste, with a white ruffled blouse for the women and a white shirt, hat and red sash for the men, with caites on the feet. The spread of the skirt matters more than the trim, because newer folk choreography is built around the faldeo, the lifted and swung skirt, and a narrow enagua cannot make the shape. Swing criollo, all quick bouncing steps and small kicks, is often danced in dance sneakers or low shoes with suede soles that let the foot turn; ordinary rubber trainers grip the floor too hard.
A pointe shoe is finished long before it looks worn:
the satin can be clean while the box has gone soft and the shank no longer holds the arch. A worn pair has also moulded to the toes of the dancer who broke it in, so the only pointe shoes worth buying second-hand are unworn ones: the wrong size from a fitting, or a model the teacher ruled out. Check that the sole has no scuffs and the box does not give when pressed; sewn ribbons are fine if the shoes were only tried on. Soft slippers are a far safer used buy, since children outgrow them first: look at the suede patch under the ball of the foot and the elastic over the instep. A tutu’s net should still stand out rather than lie crushed, with every hook at the back in place, and the taps on tap shoes should be screwed tight with none cracked.
Tutus, slippers and enaguas nobody at home fits any more:
go to the next student quickly when the listing settles sizing. Give the brand and the size printed inside, not the street shoe size, because dance sizing runs differently and changes between makers; for pointe shoes add the model, width and shank, and say whether they were ever danced in. For leotards and costumes, measure the torso girth, from the shoulder down between the legs and back up, and name the academy level or recital number a costume was made for, since a student at the same school may need exactly that piece. Photograph tutus spread flat from above and enaguas held out to their full width. A parent coming to collect a stage tutu will want to see it hanging or laid out, not pulled from a bag, so keep it that way until they arrive.