Dance Bag Essentials

“Do it big, do it right, and do it with style.”

-Fried Astaire

It can be frustrating, when you get to dance after a long car ride and come to realize that you have accidently forgotten something. Instead, get a check list going to make certain you have not left anything behind, and it is all there with you. There are several dance essentials that you need every day to practice. With my experience I will share some ideas, but use this guide to customize your dance bag to your own essentials.

Obviously every dancer should have a dance bag where they can keep all of their shoes stored. As a competitive dancer you need a larger space for more items to be stored. So, as my first piece of advice, I would suggest investing in a large dance bag, with several pockets and zippers. Make sure it is sturdy and will not break if you have a lot of weight in it. A useful type of bag, may be a backpack, duffle or over the shoulder. If you’re into the color pick one you really like and one that is neutral, so you don't get tired of it.

Next aspect to think about is making sure you have every style of shoe, for each class. Yes, that means one left and one right. Hello? No one wants to be known as the dancer with two left feet, literally! An organization method for shoes is using, a Victoria’s Secret or Toms bag to keep them in, and have them separated. This decreases the time you might take searching for your shoes and reduce the smell of your dance bag.

Oh no! Its ballet day and you forgot your leotard, good thing you were prepared for this and have an extra set of dance clothes in a compartment of your dance bag. Having extra clothes is essential. You may not be prepared for a surprise and need to change quickly. Have extra undergarments, socks, a pair of tights, spandex, hair ties, bobby pins and a hair brush. It will make life so much easier, and it is also helpful if someone else needs something.

Jumping into the fact that hygiene is extremely vital for a dancer to take care of. Always have a stick of deodorant with you, dancers sweat a lot, and it never hurts to be prepared. It’s simple, it’s fast and it’s easy. Perfume is also good to have although not as necessary as deodorant. I would also highly suggest putting in a just for girls bag, as a just in case matter, for all things that a girl may need. Wink, wink!

These essentials will help make the start of the dance season more organized. You will feel ready to go and will look awesome doing it. It's a lot of fun to customize your dance bag, but it's also important to keep it organized all season.
 

~Julia Brewer