Welcome to my website! If you are new to competitive dance I am sure you have a lot of questions about what you need. As a former professional dancer and a seasoned dance mom, I get asked this question a lot. Now that you are part of the dance mom/dad team I am happy to share my experience with you. Grab my free printable Essentials list down below and let’s make sure you are fully prepared for your upcoming competition season!
Most essential item you need
This often gets overlooked as being an essential item however, a positive mindset is the first thing truly needed in a competitive sport. Competitive dance can get intense and stressful therefore the most important thing I knew I needed was an intense resolve to make this experience the best it could be with minimal conflict! I want my girls to look back on this time with fondness, love, excitement, and joy. And I do not want them to remember me as a monster who yelled at them, gruffly put their hair up and stressed them out. This is something that should be fun and memorable for all of us! Remember the phrase, “will this matter five years from now?” it will help keep your perspective in the right place.
Time to choose our gear
Firstly, you will need to shop for a bag that’s specifically for competitive dance. Each families needs will vary however, the most common concerns are size, dressing curtain and looks. Some families have limited storage space and look for collapsible bags but to others that’s not important. Your main goal when looking for a bag is to find what works for you. We settled on the large Glam’r Gear rolling bag in rose gold. It had everything we needed, large size, dressing curtain, plus rolled on four wheels. Check out some of the dance bag options below.
How to protect the costumes
Secondly it’s especially important to keep each costume in it’s own costume bag. Keeping them in separate bags ensures every piece is accounted for and at the same time protects them from damage. When researching costume bags I realized I wanted them to be the shorter size, clear with fabric seams, and have an inside pocket for a description card. Keep in mind that the shorter ones fit in the large Glam’r gear bag without having to be folded. I decided on the Simply Caddy bags and purchased one for each costume. They have held up nicely through two seasons and I highly recommend them!
A place for all the extras
Thirdly I needed to find something to house all other essential items. Personally I want to have as few things to carry in as possible so I didn’t look at a separate bag. I wanted something that would be small with compartments for each item. With this in mind I started looking at tool/craft boxes. I decided on a little tool box with a large compartment on top and three individual containers with dividers. This fits nicely in the bottom of the Glam’r gear bag with plenty of room for everything else.
Our tool box has 3 containers with removable dividers. I have one container for hair, one for first aid and one for extras. In the top compartment I put an extension cord, lint roller, steamer, makeup wipes, and anything else I might need. Yes, a steamer is an essential item! You do not want to take the stage with a beautiful costume that’s completely wrinkled.
What's in our hair kit?
In our hair container I have hair nets, bobby pins, clear elastic hair bands, along with two bun makers. This container also has earrings, extra sets of earrings, extra earring backings, and three different sizes of safety pins.
First Aid
My first aid container has multiple size and shade band-aids, Q-tips, and feminine products. I also have different medication in this container including pain relievers, Benadryl, and Zyrtec. Make sure that you put the medicines your family needs and uses in here not just what you find on a list. Customize this all for your family!
All the extras
Our last container is for all of our little “extras”, anything that doesn’t fit into the other categories but is needed. This is where I keep butt glue, small scissors, a sharpie, needle and thread, and even small cords for charging speakers. I do advise putting the butt glue in a plastic as it can leak a little. A Tide pen is an absolute must have! Last year one of my girls teams had a white top, her team mate got dark pink lipstick all over hers, that Tide pen saved us!
What extras go in the Glam'r Gear
I always like to have a brand new pair of shoes just for competition that stay in the bag. If your dancer has a solo bring a back up solo costume, just in case! We also have battery packs to charge our phones, phone chargers, a small ring light, a speaker and a muscle gun. Each of my girls has a complete change of clothes including undergarments and socks along with their company jacket. Another essential item we always have with us is a blanket, some of the venues can get pretty cold. I also have a print out of the program that I put into clear plastic sleeves clipped to a carabiner that I hang on our curtain rod with our dances highlighted. Our hanging program has been utilized so frequently that this is a tip I’m glad I added to our essential items!
Welcome to the dance Mom/Dad team!
I hope this post has been of some help to you. Remember, competitive dance is about your dancer learning and growing in their craft so they can become a stronger dancer. I hope you and your dancer have a wonderful dance experience that you look back on with fondness. – Break a leg
