How to Model Leotards

This is an example of one of the poses of epaulement.

A leotard refers to a stretchy garment commonly worn by dancers, which wraps around the chest and torso, allowing a dancer to stay covered as she leaps, kicks and spins through the air. If a designer or manufacturer of leotards has asked you to model these garments, you should feel flattered; it means that you either have the body of a professional dancer or that you are a professional dancer. Posing strategically will best show off the leotard and flatter your shape.

Things You'll Need

• Hairbrush
• Elastic
• Hair pins
• Hair gel spray
• Black stirrup tights
• Leotard
• Soft ballet shoes or point shoes

Instructions

1. Brush your hair back into a bun at the crown of your head or the nape of your neck, depending on what looks best on you. Secure with an elastic.

2. Twist your ponytail and coil it into a bun, securing it with hair pins all around the edges. Spray heavily with an extra-strength hair-gel spray, smoothing out all wisps from your hair.

3. Put on a pair of black stirrup tights. Black tights are more flattering to the line of your leg.

4. Put on the leotard. Put on your soft ballet shoes or point shoes. Pull the bottom of the stirrups down over your shoes. These tights will elongate the line of your leg, making it look thinner and longer.

5. Stand in front of the camera with your feet together and picture an imaginary square around you. Fan your feet out to a V-shape with your heels together. Angle your body and feet slightly to the right corner of the imaginary square.

6. Point your left foot to the front right corner of your imaginary square. Raise your right arm above your head in a rounded position. Lift your left arm horizontally from your body. This pose is croise, one of the positions of epaulement. Epaulement translates literally to "shouldering" from the French and refers to various positions of the body in the ballet vocabulary with a combined rotation of the head and shoulders in relations to the hips.

7. Go back to your starting position and angle your body towards the left corner of your imaginary square. Fan open your feet and point your right foot toward the left corner of the square. Round your left arm above your head and lift your right arm straight horizontally besides you. This is croise on the other side of epaulement.