Capezio Quilted
Les Steinhardt - rear
The comfort war has been joined! For the first time, there are several dance belt choices that offer valid alternatives on the comfort front.(The first one on the left isn’t among them.)
It was just a few years ago that whining and complaints about dance belt comfort was totally justified, instead of just locker room trash talk. The reigning king for many years has been the Capezio ‘Quilted” model, which looks like a medical device and (in my always humble opinion) is only one level of pain better than the Les Steinhardt “Nutcracker” of my youth. At least it has a pouch instead of a flat panel in front!
Danskin 1100
Harmonie Impact / Capezio 5936
In the early 1980s, Danskin made the first dance belt that accommodated the male anatomy in rubberized elastic. It was a hit for many dancers of the era, but got lost in the shuffle as Danskin abandoned their legacy of being a dancewear maker in favor of marketing to the disco crowd. It taught dancers that comfort was a possibility, even though the Danskin didn’t quite achieve it.
Around the turn of the millennium, Capezio’s Harmonie division took advantage of newly created high-tech stretch fabrics to create the ‘Impact’. Male dancers who wore it experienced something resembling comfort for the first time ever. Although not perfect, there was a light at the end of the tunnel!
Wear Moi - narrow
WearMoi might be the first dance belt actually designed by a male dancer. First available only from a strange little Asian importer in San Francisco, it took off when online retailer boysdancetoo became its champion several years ago. The narrow waist-band model quickly became the acknowledged comfort favorite.
Now there’s a challenger for the crown.
In early 2014, Body Wrappers announced their new ‘ProBelt’ line, with both wide and narrow waistbands. Dancers who wear them rave about all-day comfort combined with performance level support.
Full disclosure: Body Wrappers asked me to participate in the design process, along with Robbie Fairchild of NYCB, five other professional dancers, and a teenager who wore a beta test model all week to a summer intensive last year. The new ProBelts reflect my dance belt preferences and prejudices.
From the beginning, Body Wrappers' goal was to create the best dance belt ever by combining their fabric and fabrication expertise with real-world testing and feedback from real dancers. After three years of development and testing, I believe they've succeeded. I also believe I can still write an honest dance belt review in spite of my relationship with them. You can be the judge. Feel free to write if you disagree with my opinions.
UPDATE June 20, 2014: The comfort battle has now become a 3-way race. Tom Kilps, First Soloist at Texas Ballet Theatre is now selling his new Dance Jox model, which he claims is the best thing since sliced bread. I’m testing it now.
