I'm mad! Once again male dancers are getting the short straw. It's time to make a stand. Read on to find out why...
About ten years ago, "Doctor Dancebelt" first appeared on America Online. At the time, the Web was in its infancy, and AOL was the primary site for connecting with other people who shared an interest. In my many years as a dance student, performer, and teacher I've frequently dealt with questions from newbies facing the challenges of comfortably wearing tights and a dance belt. AOL provided a forum to take my advice online as Doctor Dancebelt. Over the years, I emailed and IMed with many fine folks and my advice was valued (as well as plagiarized and copied to many other sites).
Of course AOL eventually shot itself in the foot and is now an irrelevant dead end of the information super highway. But also during that time Harmonie dance belts came on the scene, providing products with a comfort factor far higher than anything else available. That pretty much made Doctor Dancebelt's advice and wise counsel unnecessary. Almost every query could be simply answered with "Buy a Harmonie dance belt".
Recently, Capezio - the parent company of Harmonie - decided to discontinue at least one model of Harmonie dance belts, the HM10B "relaxed fit". The HM11BP "impact" may be rebranded as part of the Capezio line - stay tuned for updates. My dancewear retail sources tell me Harmonie dance belts are extremely popular and they can't understand the corporate reasoning. Once again, male dancers are faced with the Sisyphean challenge of trying to find a comfortable dance belt that also works for its intended purpose.
If you are a fan of Harmonie dance belts, please write to Capezio and tell them to bring them back! Their website is a mess and their online store is currently dead, but here are several ways to reach them:
CAPEZIO BALLET MAKERS, INC.
20-10 Maple Avenue
Fair Lawn NJ 07410
800.595.9002
973.595.9000
info@balletmakers.com
If you're a fan of Harmonie dance belts, you might consider buying extras if you can still find your size.
Meantime, my plan is to flesh this website out and once again start providing advice for the dance belt wearers of America and beyond. Check back for site additions and feel free to offer any comments or suggestions you'd like to add.