Tom Kilps On the Creation of Dance Jox

Phonetic pronunciation: Tom Kill-ps | Pronouns: he/him

By Madison Huizinga, DWC Blog Editor

Throughout their training, professional ballet dancers are encouraged to improve upon their work to near perfection. Being a dancer instills confidence, discipline, and a hard work ethic in individuals, which can carry over to other professional realms. After dancing professionally for over a decade, Tom Kilps carried the hardworking principles he learned as a dancer to Dance Jox, a company that specializes in high-quality dance belts. Shop Dance Jox at Dancewear Center today!

Tom was inspired to begin dancing after attending a local dance studio’s recital with his mom and sister around age 11. He recalls watching tap dancers in the recital and being impressed by moves like round-offs and coffee grinders. While walking back to the parking lot after the recital, Tom told his mom he was interested in taking classes himself. He ended up dancing at the local studio for a couple of years, mainly taking classes in jazz and ballet and being the only boy in many of his classes. Tom attended numerous summer dance programs, performed in local productions of The Nutcracker, and attended PBT School at Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre at age 16. He also attended The Rock School of Dance Education for a short period of time before graduating high school.

After receiving his high school diploma, Tom trained at Houston Ballet Academy where he got to work with company members and Artistic Director Ben Stevenson. Tom worked under Ben at Texas Ballet Theater, where he danced for about 12 years. During his time dancing at TBT, Tom remembers returning home to Madison, Wisconsin for the holidays and messing around with his mom’s sewing machine. This is where the seed for Dance Jox was planted.

Tom thought it may be interesting to design his own dance belt, as the ones on the market at the time were largely subpar. A dance belt is an essential piece of dance apparel for male dancers, worn under tights or in place of underwear to lift and support the male anatomy. Tom had little experience with sewing let alone creating a dance belt, but quickly fell into a “rabbit hole” where he learned more about the process through research. “Ballet dancers, we have a tenacity and…a dedication to get something done and see projects through,” Tom says, sharing the commitment he had to the process.

In 2013, Tom applied for Career Transitions For Dancers, a grant offered by the Entertainment Community Fund, helping professional dancers take their next steps after retirement. Through the program, Tom was able to secure funds to put towards the development of a dance belt pattern for Dance Jox. After producing several samples and fine-tuning, Tom created a small batch of dance belts to test on his fellow male dancers at TBT. The belt was soon a hit, the dancers loved it!

As with most products, developing the Dance Jox dance belts was not an overnight success. “I’ve done a lot of modifications to the pattern,” Tom says of the tweaking that needed to be done. He points out that dancers understand the necessity of receiving notes and refining their work over time. The processes of receiving feedback and revising work are methods that Tom undoubtedly took from his dance career to his work at Dance Jox. He also shares that the perfectionist attitude many ballet dancers have is one he also has in regards to his work at Dance Jox. When honing his dance belt, Tom strives to constantly improve it and strive for a product that’s as close to perfection as possible.

Tom shares that what sets Dance Jox apart from other dance belts on the market is the fact that the company’s largest considerations are comfort, construction, and education. When developing the dance belt, Tom was striving to build a product that could hold up over time and through frequent use. He shares that the Dance Jox dance belts are sewn multiple times over multiple places, providing durability and long-wear support. The dance belt is also well-padded in the front, allowing for a smooth profile that can conceal dancers’ anatomies more than other brands. Whereas some dance belts can bother a dancer’s tailbone as they sit, Tom shares that the Dance Jox dance belt provides full stretch so dancers can sit comfortably during rehearsals and in between shows.

“My website offers education to parents and any boys or men who don’t know how to wear dance belts,” he says. Tom recalls attending a summer program at Milwaukee Ballet School when he was 14 years old and changing in the dressing room. He had put on his dance belt and was about to put on his tights when a fellow dancer informed him how to position his anatomy in a dance belt correctly. Prior to this experience, no adult had told Tom how to properly wear a dance belt, thus he strives to provide that kind of information and support through his brand.

Dance Jox offers its dance belt in a full seat and thong style. Across these styles, the product is also offered in four different colors, including beige, caramel, brown, and black. “There are a lot of companies that only had the tan, beige [dance belt] for those of us that are white,” Tom says of the color range of other dance belt companies. He’s thrilled to offer multiple options for dancers at Dance Jox and is excited to see more dancewear companies promoting inclusivity in their products. “I want to include everybody!” he shares. Tom is also excited about Dance Jox’s new active shorts in the colors midnight, raven, and royal. He also shares that the company is currently working on the development of black tights, so dancers should keep an eye out for those in the future.

Shop Dance Jox at Dancewear Center today!

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Tom Kilps On the Creation of Dance Jox

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