How do I make my ballet bun look good in class?

Firstly, what studio do you attend that won't allow a black hair net on dark hair? I've attended and taught at some pretty strict schools...including Alvin Ailey American Dance Center and Dance Theatre of Harlem, and I've never heard anything like that. Anyway, the first question is what kind of hair do you have? Curly hair and straight hair behave very differently. If you have hair that is naturally straight, or has a loose curl, I would try wetting your hair just a little around the front/crown area, and applying a little mouse or gel to the palm of your hand, rub hands together then smooth the hair back away from the face and up from the neck. Then, using a GOOD brush with bristles, brush and brush until every hair is smooth. Then put it into a ponytail...at DTH we use the ear as a guide. Your ponytail should extend up on a diagonal from the ear. Once its in a good tight ponytail, I would braid your hair into a nice neat braid...if its long enough. This will keep any little "fly aways" from jumping out of your bun. Put a small rubber band on the end of the braid to keep it from unraveling. Then break out the bobby pins! Not hair pins...bobby pins. Begin to wrap the braid around the ponytail holder, but the trick is to pin as you wrap. Wrap it a little, put a couple of pins, wrap it a little more, add more pins, until you've created a nice tight bun. Then, I would finish with a net. Speak to the director of your school...I'm sure they'll allow you to use dark brown or black for class even if it doesn't match perfectly. If you're a real stickler, you could always buy white and dye it, but that seems like a waste of time, energy and money. You should be focusing on training, not the exact color of your hair net. If you're in uniform everywhere else, I'm sure it won't be a problem. You could even wear a scarf or bandana for 15 or 20 minutes before class while you pack your dance bag and get ready for class. That way, the scarf will be laying the hair flat while the gel or mouse has a chance to set. You'll figure it out...sometimes its just trial and error. Now, if you have naturally curly hair...I mean very curly like natural african- american hair, you may need to use a different approach. If this is you, add that to your question and I'll be glad to help! Otherwise, good luck...just sit down and practice in front of the mirror. You'll get it!