Welcome to Never Asked Questions, the series where we answer the questions you’ve never dared to ask but have always wanted to know about your breasts, sports bras and exercise.

It feels like ballet has never been a supportive friend to big breasts. Leotards usually have open or half-open backs, so where does a sports bra fit into all this? Or doesn’t it?

To shed light on what the deal is with breast support and ballet moves, Michaela DePrince gives us good intel.

Michaela: For me, it depends on what choreography I’m doing. I prefer wearing a sports bra instead of a leotard in a contemporary workshop so I can really feel everything in my body. Classical ballet is very two-dimensional, but contemporary is completely 360 degrees, so you really want to be able to see everything and that’s why I love the Nike Alate Bras
– because you forget you’re even wearing one.

If I feel uncomfortable because a leotard is a bit see-through, I’ll wear a sports bra underneath. But if a leotard has the right lining, then I don’t. I’ve worn costumes where I’ve felt a bit exposed on stage and wished I had worn a sports bra underneath. One time, I wasn’t wearing a sports bra under my costume and my top fell off while I was doing my solo in front of a packed audience. (It was even in the newspaper the next day. Yup, really.) So, now I know to wear a sports bra if I’m performing and my costume doesn’t fit in the right way.

“Most of the time, I just want to focus on the fact that I can breathe and have the freedom to move,” Michaela says. Which is why the Nike Alate is such a good fit –whatever your size. The material gives the perfect amount of stretch then reshapes when you take it off. There’s no digging in from the fastening at the back as the hook and eye are padded. The edges and underband are super smooth providing a second-skin feel, and the pads help to lift and shape. It’s kind of the dream bra –whether you’re dancing or not.