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Show Day and Costumes Dance Recital Guide

Dance Recital Guide: Costumes and Show Day

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Check out the second installment of our Dance Recital Guide! The first blog can be found HERE. This one is all about taking care of your costume and getting ready for the big show day. Special thanks once again to Ms. Ayleen for writing this helpful content.

Costume Care:

  • If your costume gets dirty, spot clean with cold water and mild soap.
  • DO NOT use washing machines, dry cleaning, or ironing.
  • If needed, gently steam the costume using a garment steamer to remove wrinkles.

Shoe Care:

  • For leather shoes, use matching foundation to cover up dark spots and abrasions for photos.
  • For canvas shoes, gently spot clean with cold water and mild soap.

Costume Preparation:

  • Make sure costumes are neatly hung up.
  • Talk with your dance teacher about specific problems such as itchiness or undergarments showing before the show day.
  • Wear seamless and skin-colored undergarments or a leotard under your costume
  • Make sure straps are clear and/or convertible. This ensures that no straps are visible on stage.

To keep the fluff and poofiness of the costume:

  • Hang costume upside down
  • Gently use hairspray on the bottom of the tutu to keep its shape
  • Gently and lightly hairspray tights to prevent rips

 

Show Day Preparation and Tips:

  • Bring hair and makeup items in an extra bag for emergency touchups.
  • If participating in more than one dance, bring bags to separate shoes, costumes, and accessories.
  • Assigned backstage parents will be made aware of costume changes. Review costume changes with them and let them know if you will need assistance.
  • Set up a small station for your costume change. Take your costume out of your garment bag, lay shoes on the floor beside it, and have all accessories close by and ready to go.

Bonus Tips:

  • If possible, bring an extra pair of tights in case of a rip.
  • Use body glue if your dancer is doing tricks, doesn't wear tights, or if the costume moves a lot.
  • For any questions regarding costumes, please ask your dance instructor.
  • Label the dancer's name on the costume, tights, and shoes.

Recital Checklist:

  • Checked dancer information sheet
  • Bought tickets
  • Packed hair supplies for touchups
  • Packed makeup for touchups
  • Packed a small snack
  • Packed a lot of water
  • Packed backup tights (if you have extra)

 

Dealing With Nerves:

Recital day is a very special day for all of us. All season long, our dancers have made bonds with their dance friends, had fun in class, and practiced their dance to show a big audience. However, for many, this is their first time on stage. Even if they have done a show before, the nerves may still be there. Here are some ways to help ease their nerves on show day:

  • Find a story or book that relates to your dancer. My personal favorite is “The Night Before My Dance Recital”
  • Write a special note for your dancer to read backstage.
  • Talk to your little dancer. Ask them what their favorite part about dance is! Get them excited about being able to dance again!
  • After the show make them feel special! Getting on stage and dancing is a huge success. We are proud of our dancers for following their passions and we want to encourage that and help them find confidence on stage, before and after a show.

 

Conclusion:

We can't wait for our big Spring Dance Recital, and we hope that this information is helpful to our dancers! Remember to check out the other half of this guide as well as our other posts on the Knowledge Blog. Until next time, keep dancing, and see you at the show!

Dance Recital Guide Hair and Makeup

Dance Recital Guide: Hair and Makeup

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It’s Dance Recital Season, so I thought we should share some great advice and guidance on how to best prepare your dancer for the big show! Special thanks to Ms. Ayleen for creating this excellent content. Please note that students of other dance programs may have slightly different requirements – the instructions here are what we use at Songbirds. Stay tuned for next week’s Knowledge Blog which will include more Dance Recital information like costume care, tips for handling nerves, and special things to bring to the show!

Styling Hair for the Dance Recital:

Any of the following hairstyles are great choices for a Dance Recital. Be sure to check with your instructor to see if she has a preferred choice for your routine!

Ballet Bun With a Donut

  1. Slick the hair back into a high ponytail
  2. Place the donut onto the base of the ponytail
  3. Spread hair around the donut and secure it with a hair tie
  4. Wrap the remaining hair around the base of the bun
  5. Secure all the hair with pins and hair ties
  6. Slick back the hair using gel, hairspray, hairnet, etc.

Ballet Bun with Thick Hair

  1. Slick the hair back into a high ponytail
  2. Separate the hair into two sections
  3. Start wrapping one section of the hair around the ponytail. Secure it in place with pins
  4. Take the second section of hair and wrap it around the first section. Secure it in place
  5. Repeat these steps until all of the hair is wrapped and secured.

High Ponytail

  1. Trace your finger from the ear to the top of the head. This is where the ponytail should sit
  2. Slick back the hair and gather it all together where the ponytail should be.
  3. Secure the hair with hair ties, spray, gel, etc.

Half-up Half-down

  1. Trace your finger from the ear to the top of the head. This is where the ponytail should sit.
  2. Starting at the ear, use a comb to part the top half of the hair. Secure it at the top of the head.
  3. Secure with hair ties, spray, gel, etc.

Low Ponytail

  1. Part the hair in the middle
  2. Slick back the hair to the back of the neck
  3. Secure with hair ties, spray, gel, etc.

Low Buns (for Acro)

  1. Unless specified otherwise, low buns are the required Acro hairstyle.
  2. Use the same method for ballet buns to create a bun at the back of the neck.
  3. Ensure that the dancer can perform performance tricks with ease with the hairstyle

Styling Short Hair

  1. Use half-up half-down styles to be able to secure as much hair as possible
  2. Use extra pins, hairspray, and gel to ensure hair does not fall out
  3. Use low buns instead of ballet buns

Special Notes and Tricks:

Hairspray and Hair Gel should be used for all hairstyles. This ensures that all flyaways and baby hairs are tamed and that the hair stays put through the entirety of the performance.

Bobby Pins and Ballet Pins should be used for most hairstyles. These also ensure that all hair stays put through the entirety of the performance.

Thick U-shaped ballet bun pins are best for all bun hairstyles.

Hair Nets should be used for all bun hairstyles to keep the hair secure for the show.

ballet bun dance recital
Ballet Bun
High ponytail dance recital
High Ponytail
half up half down dance recital
Half-Up, Half-Down
low ponytail dance recital
Low Ponytail
low bun acro dance recital
Low Bun (for Acro)

Makeup Tips for the Dance Recital

Base

  • Having a base ensures that the dancer doesn't show any redness on stage
  • BB creams are perfect for littles and beginners for makeup. They reduce redness but they're not as heavy.
  • Foundation is recommended for older dancers who might need fuller coverage.

Face

  • Bronzers and blush help bring dimension back to the dancer's face as stage lights wash out facial features.
  • Highlighter helps accent the cheek and eyebrow bones.
  • Tip: you can use these as eyeshadows!

Setting Powder

  • Powders are amazing for covering any sweat or oil that is emphasized by stage lights and photography.
  • Use a powder with color to avoid flashback.

Setting Spray

  • Make sure to find a mattifying setting spray
  • Setting sprays help blend the makeup together and prolong the look.

Eyes

  • Mascara and eyeshadow can be so fun to play with for dancers!
  • Use your bronzers, blushes, and highlights as shadows for your eyes to avoid extra expenses!

Lips

  • Make it pop with some lipstick!
  • Try to avoid glossy lip products to prevent smudging on the face
  • Go towards darker and bolder colors to prevent being washed out.

Conclusion:

I hope that this helps your dancer prepare for the big day! Stay tuned for some more excellent Dance Recital tips next week, and until then, check out our other Knowledge Blog posts!

International Dance Day Songbirds

Celebrating International Dance

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It’s easy to focus on our favorite dance styles, especially for current students of ballet, hip-hop, and other classroom dance education. However, we all know that dance has evolved and changed with humanity for eons – the first recorded history of dance is from over 4,000 years ago! In honor of International Dance Day this Saturday, May 29th, let’s take a moment and enjoy some quality videos and information celebrating how far we’ve come with dance!

 

All resources in this Knowledge Blog have been pulled from KET Education, an amazing resource for educational and archival material. I’ve curated my favorite videos, but please explore their site further!

 

West African Dance

Africa has an incredibly rich culture of dance and music, the two of which are forever intertwined. Dance blends and connects social conversation, religion, ceremony, celebration, and fun in Africa. Check out this video of an instructor teaching some basic West African Dance moves!

 

Salsa

Everyone loves a good Salsa! From swing dance groups to Latin, Salsa has always been a hit. Check out this video to learn the basic Salsa pattern and incorporate it into your routines! As mentioned in the video, Salsa is based around a musical repeating phrase, the clave. Salsa is a great way to hone your rhythmic skills as well!

 

Appalachian Dance

Folk dance (and music) from the Appalachian area of the United States has always been at risk of being lost to time. Check out this video that does an excellent job preserving it – you may recognize some moves!

 

Jamaica Funk

Truly an international dance, Jamaican tap, like in the video, is a blend of European and African styles. Students of modern tap will recognize similar techniques that carry over from this style! Check it out in this video!

 

Irish Dance

Everyone loves some good Irish Dance! One of my favorite parts of living in Pittsburgh was attending the annual Pittsburgh Irish Festival – an excellent time to view international dance, music, and cuisine. This video demonstrates some traditional Irish Dancing and accompaniment.

 

Navajo Shaker Dance

The Navajo people are the second largest indigenous group in the United States and inhabit modern-day Utah, New Mexico, and Arizona. They have a rich culture that is permanently linked to dance. This video shows a traditional dance from their Fire Dance Ceremony.

 

Bharathanatyam Dance

Moving across the world of international dance, India has a vast archive of traditional dances. The style showcased in this video includes all major aspects of Indian classical dance, especially facial acting, narration, and postures. Watch the hands for a lot of key moves!

 

Chinese Sword Dance

Like other international dance cultures, China’s roots in dance are linked to its other forms of expression. In this case, Tai Chi and martial arts fluidly mix with dance to create the Chinese Sword Dance. Tai Chi is a soft, defensive martial art that also focuses on meditation. It is practiced by over 300 million people worldwide! Check it out here!

 

Conclusion:

I hope that you learned something new from these resource videos and gained some inspiration for your next routine! Happy International Dance Day – be sure to thank the dance teachers in your life! Stay tuned for our next installment of the Knowledge Blog, and until then, keep practicing!