How To Be Performance Ready
As spring begins to bloom, dancers are working hard on choreography for the annual performance. Since it has been a while since many have taken the stage, we prepared this guide to help dancers and their families to be performance ready this June! Whether you’re a dancer with us or at another place, this guide offers tips for being prepared and confident heading into performance season.
Preparation Perfection:
- Plan ahead! Please make sure to look over the schedule and Performance Handbook you have been provided. These guides offer you the inside scoop on when rehearsals are, what order you perform in, even what tights and shoes you need. Looking at these documents now means you won’t be scrambling for anything last minute!
- Practice alone. Running through your dances in the living room or your backyard challenges you to remember all of the choreography without needing to glance at your fellow dancers. Feeling stuck? You can always refer to the videos in the Family Portal for a hint or two. Your music is also available for rehearsal!
- Imagine it! Take some time to visualize your performance and watch yourself doing your best. Visualization is a clinical technique used to assist athletes with overcoming performance anxiety. By engaging athletes in a mental rehearsal of their performance in their respective sport, it can sharpen their focus and restore confidence in their ability to follow through.
- Dancers: pack a perfect dance bag. If you take a few minutes to stock your bag with the essentials, nothing can stop you! Take a look at the checklist below to make sure your bag is ready.
- Parents: pack a perfect audience bag. Enjoy our performance when you pack ahead! Take a look at the checklist below to make sure you are prepped for the performance.
Performance Pointers:
- Dancers should have all the proper tights and shoes for each of their classes. If you checked the provided list, you’ll be all set!
Tip: if you need to wear both footed and footless tights, just get footless and pull them down over your toes! Tuck in the extra material under your foot and slip your shoe on to hold it in place. This saves you a change of tights and no “elephant ankles” from convertibles!
- When it comes to makeup, simplicity is best. Our venue has strong stage lighting which can wash out your features, so eye makeup is a must. Neutral eyeshadow and mascara should do the trick! Blush and a rosy lip color will enhance your smile too.
- Ditch the “glam”. Long, manicured nails in funky colors? Super sparkly rhinestone earrings? Though these feel-good accessories are fun, they can be distracting onstage. We ask that dancers wear natural nails with no polish and keep earrings to simple studs. Please be sure to remove any bracelets/anklets, necklaces and rings.
- Multiple routines? Stay organized by writing out your routines in performance order and listing the tights, shoes and accessories needed for each. Keep it posted with your belongings and each time you need to get ready, you’ll know exactly what to do during the show!
Audience Etiquette:
- Check in early! Our seating is on a first come, first served basis. Please arrive on time to secure your favorite spot.
- Please do not “save” seats with jackets or papers. Any items left unattended on seats will be removed.
- Settle in! We ask that you please remain seated during a dance routine. Lots of commotion in the house is distracting and disrespectful to the performers.
- Applause is a beautiful sound. Dancers really appreciate your encouragement and love to hear applause at the end of their performance. Screaming names and other chants is inappropriate.
- Capture the moment! In a typical performance, photography and videography are prohibited. We encourage everyone to just enjoy the show! Photos and video will be taken by a professional and made available for purchase.
- Silence is golden. We ask that you turn off or silence all electronic devices for the duration of the performance.
That’s it! It might seem like a lot of details, but if you plan ahead, this year’s performance will be the best one yet! See you onstage!
Dance bag checklist:
- All dance shoes
- All required tights (plus spare ones!)
- Extra hair ties
- Bobby pins
- Hairnets
- Hairspray
- Hair brush
- Clear nail polish (for runs in tights)
- Safety pins
- Makeup kit (eyeshadow, mascara, blush, lip color)
- A nut-free snack
- Water bottle
- Backstage shoes (like slip on sandals or crocs)
- Band aids and toe tape
- Nail file
- Handheld mirror
Parent/Audience Checklist:
- Tickets!
- Smartphone (for digital program)
- Performance gift for your dancer!
- for our younger dancers, an activity or toy
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