Your dancers have been practicing for weeks. They know their song choice and their dance number.

Next up, getting their dancewear down. The costume a dancer wears really makes a difference and it can easily round out the character portrayal and the performance. That's why you want to get the costumes and accessories just right. Here are some tips to help you decide on the perfect dancewear for a performance.

Picking the Best Dancewear

Consider what the song is about. Look deeper than the song title; look at the lyrics as well. You may discover that the song has a deeper meaning than you originally thought.

Match the costume to the song. Now that you have an idea of what the song is really about, it's time for some fun!

You can match your dancewear style to your song theme, for example:

• A military theme. Consider costume elements such as colors like Navy blue or Army green, metallic accents, strong shoulders, zippers, buckles or button, or patches or sashes. Look at pieces like our Digi Camo Legging.

• Sea theme. Incorporate sailor or nautical pieces, or underwater elements.
• Dance school or high school theme. Use costumes like school uniforms or cheerleading outfits.
• Colorful or kaleidoscope theme. Anything goes! Mix up colors; have each dancer sport a different color.
• Retro theme. Look at dotted prints full skirts or high waist briefs.
• Tribal theme. Mix up bright colors and bold patterns.
• Futuristic. Think angular shapes and metallic, robot-like colors. Consider a silver costume like the Galaxy Princess Biketard.

Look at current dance costume trends. If you need any inspiration, you can always look to some of the most current dance costume trends. Consider futuristic, peplum leotards, spangles or edgy, strappy backs for jazz numbers. Look at thumbed monkey sleeves or decorated leggings for high-kick numbers, or romantic pieces, open front skirts or clean, modern leotards for contemporary dances.

Look at costume colors and features. Pay attention to the floor pattern, colors and backdrop. You don't want to pick a costume that blends in and disappears into your scenery.

Consider adding skirts. Skirts can make a fun addition to any costume. Look at layered pieces like the Tri Layered Skirt or the Juliette Layered Skirt, or flowy, romantic skirts like the Georgette Hi-Low Skirt or the Alexandra High Low Skirt.

Choose accessories to complete your costume. Finally, the right accessories can completely transform a costume. If you have dancers with multiple numbers and tight budgets, pick dancewear that can easily be changed from one theme to another with different accessories. Look at tights, hats, gloves, and hairpieces to round out and complete your dancers' look.

Pick shoes that match and accent. Your dancers may or may not wear shoes with their dancewear, but if shoes are going to be a part of their dancewear, choose shoes that match and accent the rest of their costume. The shoes should also be comfortable enough to be worn throughout the performance.

Additional Tips for Picking Dancewear

Be prepared for costume malfunctions. Dancewear malfunctions can happen so it's best to be prepared. Pack a small sewing kit, safety pins and double sided tape, just in case.

Test your costume with your dance. Certain moves like open second leaps, calypso leaps, or turning leg holds can be hard to do in restricting outfits. You should be able to move, kick and lift your arms freely in your dancewear. Have dancers try on their entire costume and kick, spin and twirl their hearts out to make sure they aren't hindered in any way.

Learn how to secure hair. Whether a ponytail or bun, her hair has to stay put through dancing, leaping and more. Make use of bobby pins, gel and hairspray, and make sure you have some backup hair ties, pins and hairspray in your bag.

Consider the age and body type of the dancer. Costumes come in all different shapes and sizes, and you want to pick something that fits the music, but is also age-appropriate and fits the dancer well. Pick something she can move in and something she feels comfortable in.

Make picking a group dance costume as painless as possible. Outfitting one dancer is hard enough; finding dancewear for multiple dancers is even harder. You have to take into consideration the song, the theme, and perhaps even the dancers' preferences. Keep in mind that everyone will have their own opinion, and opinions may conflict. Here are other tips to make picking a costume to appease multiple dancers as painless as possible:

• Offer two choices. You don't want to offer too many choices; doing so will just make picking more difficult.
• Eliminate hated choices. If there's a choice that everyone dislikes, take it out of the running.
• Keep budgets in mind. Some costume choices will be more than others. Keep smaller budgets in mind and a look for alternative options, for example a solid black costume with matching accessories can work for a large group.
• Opt for complimenting costumes. If your dancers absolutely can't agree, look for complimenting costumes rather than the exact same ones.

The costume you choose for your dancers' performance can enhance a performance, and it's important to choose a costume that matches the song, is comfortable for the dancers and looks good in group performances. Not always the easiest thing to do, but use these tips to help make picking dancewear from the most current dance costume trends as easy and painless as possible.