I was interested in emilienne's post: "I wonder how much this [black vs white tights] also has to do with personal preference as well as stipulations from tradition or the coaching staff."

One factor must be the overall costume design but I was wondering what the issues rising out of personal preference and tradition might be. Why would a dancer prefer black? Do some ballets require a certain color tights?

Dancers like black because it is supposed to make one look thinner.

Certainly ballets require certain colored toe shoes (think Western Symphony, etc), so I should think that color stipulations on tights also exist. However, how much of this depend on the ballet and not just the person performing?

I have never seen an Apollonian Baryshnikov with white tights (due age and stupidity), but my impression has been that the black tights, along with appearing slimming, make the performer seem more grounded on the stage.

Also, in Ballet with E Villella, EV dances Apollo's second solo in a white top and what seems to be grey or lavender tights. It could just be discoloration from the age of the tape, but they were definitely not white.

emi

Black not only slims a body's appearance, it diminishes it generally, so it makes the dancer look shorter as well as narrower. If the dancer's top half is light colored and the tights are dark, it makes the torso look longer and the legs shorter.