FASHION : Fast & Loose

In a world where skimpy thong leotards and thigh-gripper leggings are the workout attire, Regina’s School for Performing Arts is a world apart. At this professional dance studio, many classes are taught to hip-hop music and students work out fully dressed.

The place is the physical equivalent of a think tank for developing dance moves that eventually filter down to the city’s best funk-aerobics classes.

Although the studio boasts numerous trendsetter visitors--Madonna, Sinbad, Pebbles, Jasmine Guy and BBD--the real excitement comes from the regulars, unknowns who dress as creatively as they dance.

They’ll throw on a pair of overalls and a ripped tank top, wear hooded sweat shirts over frayed lace leggings and baggy shorts, or dress up a pair of oversize jeans with shiny black boots and a cap. Men tend to wear jeans two sizes too big, held up by a thick belt, with a big T and thick-soled shoes.

“The trick to hip-hop is to be comfortable and loose,” explains Lance Crumes, a dance teacher.

Regina Williams, the choreographer-teacher who owns the studio, says there is an art to hip-hop dressing. “You need a variety so you can create a pleasing line to the body,” she says.

But she cautions against overly revealing attire.

“This is a family-oriented dance studio,” she says. “I want that attention to come from their dancing, not from their clothes.”