While it’s easy to get caught up in the latest dance shoe trends, many performance styles call for bare feet or dance socks. From training to rehearsal to performance, dancers at every level are seeking socks that support safe movement—and several brands have started to respond with new options.
Apolla Performance Wear
As life-long dancers, the two founders of Apolla Performance Wear were inspired to create a product that supports artistry while reducing injury risk. Two years of research went into the design of the company’s dance sock, with each prototype going through multiple rounds of studio testing and feedback on grip placement, fit, and support. “We refined over and over until we found that balance: a sock that feels natural but actively helps protect the foot and ankle,” says CEO Brianne Zborowski, who co-founded Apolla along with Kaycee Jones, noting that their socks have been given the American Podiatric Medical Association Seal of Acceptance.
Patented, targeted compression zones support the arch and ankle, reduce muscle fatigue, and improve circulation without restricting range of motion. Made from sustainable and moisture-wicking material—engineered to pull sweat away from the skin, spread it across the fabric’s outer surface and allow it to evaporate, keeping dancers dry and cool—the sock is manufactured in the U.S. and is available with or without a patented refreshable grip. Apolla offers the sock in a variety of colors and styles (including no-show, crew, mid-calf, knee-high, half-sole), plus a legwarmer.
Sugar and Bruno
After observing that convention dancers needed performance socks that were breathable while providing cushion and support, and being told by the celebrity dancers they were working with about the need for neutral options, Sugar and Bruno introduced its SB Performance Socks in fall 2015. “We wanted a sock that had compression, a left and a right foot, plus thick soles for dancing on both carpet and onstage,” says the company’s president, Challen Powers. “We did research with our celebrity dancers on what they liked best for the fabric content and found that the Coolmax component sets us apart.”
Coolmax is a brand of polyester fiber engineered to have channels that create a large surface area, which wicks moisture away from the skin for rapid evaporation, keeping the wearer cool and dry. The SB Performance Sock provides stretch support, sole padding, and mesh ventilation, and comes in eight colors and four sizes: itty bitty, small, medium, and large.
Capezio
The Capezio Lifeknit Ballet Sox launched this summer to provide additional footwear options for lyrical and contemporary dancers. “Even though there is a wide variety of shoes and socks for these categories, the Lifeknit Ballet Sox have a distinctly ballet-shoe look while performing like a compression sock,” says Marissa Rowe, senior marketing planner. “They provide support and protection with a barely-there look.”
Designed with Lifeknit circular knitting and compression technology, these all-vegan socks offer a barefoot feel while enhancing muscle engagement and control. Built-in arch compression and pre-sewn cross-elastics deliver added support and stability, and they come in a dedicated right- and left-foot fit. Capezio tested them in a variety of settings on a variety of dancers, as well as in Pilates and yoga classes. “The product aims to serve all of these populations as a crossover item that can be used in dance class just as easily as on the reformer,” Rowe says.
Só Dança
Kya Socks launched in 2024 after feedback from dancers and studios who asked for breathable comfort, reliable traction, less compression, and improved “stay-up” ability, says Kelly McCaughey, North American sales and marketing director of Só Dança. “Dancers shared that overly tight socks often left their feet sore after long rehearsals,” she says. “The Kya ribbed leg construction ensures a secure fit that stays in place, allowing dancers to focus on movement rather than adjusting their socks.”
The soft, stretchy acrylic-blend sock comes in a grip and a smooth-glide version and is part of Só Dança’s Vegan Dance Shoe line. It comes in a wide range of sizes, and has a hidden message woven into the inside cuff: “Knock their sox off.”
Arebesk
Arebesk started in 2017 by creating the first luxury grip socks—featuring the company’s patented grip design giving better traction—for Pilates, barre workouts, and yoga. “I knew that I could make socks that looked cuter and were better quality than what was currently on the market,” says founder and creative director Leana Shayefar. “It needed something more edgy and dressy.”
Named in homage to the classic arabesque step in ballet, Arebesk socks feature sparkles, elastics, cutouts, and bows—details that require production in three or four factories before completion. “The final product feels and looks like an elegant, designer sock,” Shayefar says, noting that each style includes a patented silicone grip with two half-circle patches on the ball and heel of the foot, plus a silicone tab inside the heel. Each pair has twice the silicone of traditional grip socks, offering extra cushion and a more secure fit, and comes with a mesh wash bag to help them last longer.
Arebesk is carried by Nordstrom and Free People Movement, as well as 700 Pilates, barre, and yoga studios in 13 countries. Discount Dance Supply began carrying the brand in October 2022, and Shayefar has had her eye on expanding into the dance market ever since. “We have dance influencers who love our socks,” she says. “I’m excited to tap into this new market.”
SAFERSOX
When SAFERSOX launched in 2014, the company specialized in odor-free socks designed for maximum comfort, before expanding into environmentally safe, insect-repellent socks in 2016. The German company never imagined they’d be expanding into the dance market a decade later. “More and more theaters in Germany were ordering our beige safari socks,” says co-founder Bernhard Frank, “which made us realize there was a strong demand in the performing arts world.”
Costume designer Judith Adam collaborated with SAFERSOX to develop its professional dance sock. “We had very intensive discussions with her ahead of development, asking what was especially important for dancers and what our existing sports socks were lacking,” Frank says. The result is a dance sock with a reinforced sole for smooth gliding and added cushioning, made from a cotton, nylon, and elastane blend that ensures a secure fit and prevents slipping during jumps and turns. Available in crew and ankle lengths, in a range of sizes and skin tones, each pair also has “merde” stitched inside.
At the time of interview, SAFERSOX was preparing its U.S. launch in early 2026, starting with selling through Amazon. For now, the company’s plans have been delayed due to DHL suspending deliveries to the U.S., which is, in turn, due to new customs regulations and unclear procedures. “We are actively working on a solution and remain committed to our U.S. launch in Q1 2026,” the brand wrote via email. It plans on setting up a U.S. distribution company and warehouse in the future, but until then, it will aim to ship from its facility in Germany.
Hannah Maria Hayes has an MA in dance education from New York University and has been writing for Dance Media publications since 2008.