7 Ways to Survive Your Next Dance Performance

1. Warm-ups

When performing, it is very important to warm up your muscles to prevent injury. However, you may not always be able to warm up right before you go on stage. This is why it is important to put on clothing that will help keep your muscles warm and limber. Legwarmers and warm-up shorts help keep your legs, hip joints, knees, and ankles warm, loosened up, and ready to perform. Ballet sweaters are also good to help keep your upper body warm.

2. Water

As always, it is very important to keep hydrated while backstage. Keeping hydrated for performances is just as important as keeping hydrated in class, especially with nerves and adrenaline going. There may not be a water fountain backstage, so be sure to pack a few bottles of water so you can have some before the performance and in-between going on stage.

3. Hair Needs

You can never have enough hairspray at a dance performance. Keep a bottle of emergency hairspray with you for sudden fly-aways, to spray on the heels of your pointe shoes to make them stick, or even on the tip and bottom of pointe shoes in case of a slippery stage floor. You may also want hair gel for stronger hold if you need to slick back bangs or short hair.

Bobby pins are always a necessity along with hairnets and ponytail holders. You may already have your bun in place, but extra bobby pins are always needed to pin on hair pieces, such as tiaras or flowers. Bring extra ponytail holders because they are not very durable and you never know when one will pop. Also bring extra hairnets because they are very delicate and get holes very easily.

4. Makeup

Basic makeup that you should always to bring to the performance is lipstick, false eyelashes and eyelash glue, foundation/base/powder, blush, mascara, eye liner, and eye shadow. These items are essential for putting on stage makeup. Other things you may want to consider are body glitter and bronzer for a little extra glow.

5. Extra Shoes

It is very wise to bring extra shoes to a performance because you never know when one will break or wear out. It is especially important to have an extra pair of pointe shoes on hand because they are more likely to break than any other shoe. Be sure that you have sewn the ribbons and elastic on them already and that you have worn them at least once because you would not want to perform in brand new pointe shoes.

6. Needle/Thread

Be sure to bring a needle and thread in case pointe shoe ribbons or elastic come unsewn. This is very important because if pointe shoe ribbons or elastic come unsewn and you have nothing to sew them back with, it may be very difficult to perform. A needle and thread may also come in very handy for costume malfunctions, such as something coming unsewn or a button or zipper falling off.

7. Other things to consider

• Bring a few pairs of extra tights in case you get a hole or run in one.
• Bring safety pins in case a costume falls apart and you do not have time to stitch it up before you go on stage.
• Very importantly, bring nude undergarments to wear underneath costumes that you may be able to see through or that are cut very skimpy.
• Double-stick tape is always a good thing to have for straps, etc. that slip off while dancing.
• You may bump into things while in a hurry to change, so bring a first aid kit with band-aids.
• Never be caught without your deodorant because you will sweat even more on stage with the hot lights pointed at you.
• Also, do not be caught at a performance with a little underarm stubble. Keep a razor in you bag just in case you forget to take care of that before you leave home.
• Keep feminine hygiene products on hand just in case of an emergency.
• Bring some Advil or Tylenol for sudden aches and pains that may occur or especially if you have had a recent injury.
• Lastly, bring Vaseline to put on your gums so you lips do not stick when you smile.

Amber Heil has worked at Pampos Dance & Swim for over 4 years and has been a manager for over 3 years. With 16 years of ballet training, Heil is knowledgeable in other areas of ballet such as forecasting trends in ballet leotards and other types of dancwear. She studied marketing at Louisiana State University (LSU) and earned her degree in December 2006.

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