What do ballerinas wear when they're not onstage in pointe?

According to more than 73,000 videos tagged "balletcore" on TikTok, looking like a dancer requires tutu-like tulle, endless hair bows, and blush pink leggings. Actual ballerinas and ballet enthusiasts say there are better ways to express a dancer's grace and poise than the ballet-core trend. For stars like Misty Copeland and Violetta Komisian, dressing for the audience means mixing playful summer tailoring with subtle allusions to center stage and bringing out the best in Chanel.

These dancers were among the stars who gathered at Lincoln Center on Tuesday, July 30, at the opening night of the BAAND Together Dance Festival, New York's premier dance showcase that Chanel supports annually, They supported five of New York's leading companies (Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, American Ballet Theater, Ballet Hispanico, Dance Theater of Harlem, and New York City Ballet). They simultaneously gave lessons on how to dress elegantly for ballet viewing.

American Ballet Theatre star Misty Copeland left almost every cord of her spotlight outfit behind for the evening. She wore a Chanel puff-sleeved leather blouse with coordinating shorts and a quilted double C bag dangling from one hand. A low bun and dainty stud earrings were the most balletic part of her look.

Other references to pliés and jetés were chic and minimal. Ballerina-slash-actress Violetta Komishian coordinated her puff-sleeved outfit with black Chanel flats, similar to Black Swan's famous pointe shoes. Havana Rose Liu, star of Bottoms and former dancer, wore a pink Chanel coordinating long-sleeved blouse and tie-waist jogger pants with summer sandal heels. The comfortable look looked like a few degrees up from her bar session uniform.

VIPs of the evening, from actress Tommy Dorfman to stylist Beverly Nguyen, lightly incorporated ballet touches into their outfits, including satin ballet flats and hair bows. A step away from obvious ballet touches, such as ballet sneakers with ribbon ties and wrap cardigans perfect for barre rehearsals, reflected the modern costumes worn by the dancers later in the evening. The dancers themselves eschew traditional tutus and baroque-inspired leotards, instead opting for billowing chiffon skirts (American Ballet Theatre), oversized shirting (Ballet Hispanico), velvet unitards (Dance Theatre of Harlem), and other garments pirouetted.

The informal Chanel dress code was not the only indication that Chanel has supported the BAAND Dance Festival since its first edition in 2021. Further back in Chanel's history, the love of dance is as widespread as the love of tweed and fine tailoring. Gabrielle Chanel was instrumental in the revival of the monumental ballet The Rite of Spring in 1920 and designed costumes for several productions in the 1930s. Decades later, former creative directors Karl Lagerfeld and Virginie Viard also brought their design talents to the Paris Opera Ballet for special occasions.

In the auditorium at Lincoln Center, homages to the classics of the ballet core were still everywhere. Little girls wore exquisite tutus, and 20-somethings dressed up as performers in off-the-shoulder tops that resembled rehearsal leotards. And as a testament to both the history of ballet and Chanel's influential designs, several of the dancers in attendance wore the finest ballet shoes.

The BAAND Together Dance Festival runs through Saturday, August 3 at Lincoln Center in New York City.