Competition Hints
Additionally, check out this site. Competition Essentials – Costuming | The Dancing Dance Mom
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PERFORMANCE ‘FIRST AID” KIT
Since the dance team students will be attending many shows and competitions, it is important that they are ready for any situation. Many times one or two parents have supplied emergency items repeatedly to the same students without repayment in kind.
For future performances, all team members are required to carry the following items:
1. Safety pins - all sizes.
2. Bobby Pins or Hair Pins, to match your hair color and/or your headpieces.
3. Unscented extra hold "pump" hairspray (no aerosol, in an enclosed dressing room, the fumes make people ill)
4. 5 or more hairnets to match your hair.
5. Spring clips to match hair.
6. Plastic hair bands (no scrunchies or real rubber).
7. Scissors needle and thread to match costumes.
8. 2 pair of tights for each costume/color needed.
9. Nail polish remover (colored nail polish is not allowed for competitions).
10. Clear nail polish to repair small holes in tights.
11. Screwdriver and extra screws for your tap shoes.
12. Self-stick rubber shoe triangles in case needed for slippery floors.
13. Non-staining antiperspirant.
14. False eyelashes (black) and non-allergenic eyelash glue (2 pair).
15. Complete make up kit.
16. Make up remover and/or baby wipes for make-up removal and clean up.
17. SHOUT wipes to remove make up (or lord forgive, food stains).
18. Pain Killer (Aleve, Advil, or Aspirin).
19. Ace bandages.
20. Instant cold packs.
21. Copy of your music for private routines.
22. Small flashlight (in case it’s dark in theater and you are searching in your bag)
23. Optional - Small pillow and blanket (if you are tired and need to lie down).
24. Team suit to wear when not dancing. All costumes must be neat (wrinkle and tear free). All shoes and tights must
be clean and undamaged.
COMPETITION HELPFUL HINTS
This guide provides strategies for quick changes, getting costumes to and from the theater intact, and assorted other tips gathered from years of experience and blunders! In the crazy hustle and bustle and insanity of competition day, these reminders can save headaches, heartaches and tears.
THE WEEK PRIOR TO PERFORMANCE
- Place dancer’s name on every item of every costume needed for performance. White out or paint pens work great on black jazz shoes!
- Make a list of every item needed for each dance being performed that day. (costume pieces, tights, shoes, headpieces, how hair is done, lipstick color).
- Check all tights, costumes and shoes for runs, holes, or stains.
THE LAUNDRY BASKET/BIN:
- Put dancer’s last name on a big laundry basket or plastic bin. This is the most useful tool you can use all day.
- Place all costumes, shoes, make-up, tights, and hair stuff in basket/bin, or in garment bags.
Laundry baskets/bins are amazing for hauling a multitude of things easily through crowded theaters, hotels, elevators and stairways. They ensure that all of the dancers’ belongings remain in one place and not strewn all over the dressing area, which is usually cramped and crowded already.
- When the dancer has completed their dance, they can easily just throw all of their costume pieces, shoes, etc., into the basket/bin without worrying about where to find it later and change into their next costume.
- When the performance is over, you can just pick up the laundry basket/bin and go home, saving tons of time.
QUICK CHANGES MADE EASY
- The best way to master the art of the quick change is practice. As soon as you know which dances are back to back, grab a timer and get going!
- Make sure you practice everything from tights to hair and makeup. A good quick change is accomplished in less than three minutes (the average length of a competition number).
- If you have to change tights, try layering them. For instance, tan under black for quicker turn around. Just don’t do black under tan!
- DO NOT leave the costume being changed into on the hanger while waiting for the dancer to rush back into the dressing area! Place costume on floor (YES! Floor) ready for the dancer to step into as soon as they tear off their other costume. Legs of pants should be scrunched up ready to step into and pull up; shirts should have arm and neck holes already open and ready to slide on. Same rule applies to tights! Shoes should be unlaced and pulled open to allow dancer to step right into them.
- DON'T PANIC! All panicking does is make people clumsy and nervous! Remember to approach a quick change calmly, coolly and methodically. After all the practice at home, it should be a cinch!
- If you have help changing, give your dresser a list of the items you will be changing into, any hair or make up changes and the order in which these events are to take place.
IN CASE OF EMERGENCY
*Be sure you have a contact number prior to leaving for the performance venue!! Most teachers or other studio staff will be carrying cell phones. If you are running late, stuck in traffic, have an emergency or anything else that may affect your timely arrival to the show, please call someone immediately!
*If you are missing a piece of costume let your teachers know ASAP! In most cases these accidents are easily remedied with little commotion.
EATING!
• NO EATING in costume, if you need a snack, grab one of Dad’s old button down shirts, or robe, to drape over your costume, completely sealing it off from certain doom.
• No cheese snacks (Cheetos, Cheezits, etc) chocolate, colored beverages, greasy, or drippy foods, or anything that could possibly soil or damage the costume. Bottled water, only. (No SODA or FRUIT JUICE, too much sugar).
• Bring fruit or non-sugary snacks (too much sugar will actually tire you after the initial rush and please NO CHEESE FRIES or PIZZA).
OTHER IMPORTANT STUFF
1. Parents as well as students need to be supportive of every member of our team and our competitors.... Rudeness is not tolerated! Please be courteous during the awards ceremony. Applaud for EVERYONE, not just those from our studio.
2. Please be courteous when accepting awards. Always except your award with a smile and a "Thank you very much" to the person that hands it to you.
3. Make it a point to get to know other dancers from other studios.
4. Do not forget to wear your team suits when you are not in costume.
5. Do not wear underpants under your costume - tights, only or dance belt for boys. (Tights and dance belts ARE your underwear for dance).
6. No jewelry, including earrings (no matter where they are on your body), unless a part of your costume.
7. Make up should be applied before arriving at competition so we can rehearse. We will not wait for you. Learn to do your own make up (if you are age 13 and above).
Part of competitions is learning to responsible for your own make up and costumes. Mom can help but it is up to you to act grown up and to put your costumes together and make sure you have everything. Boys wear base, light blush and some eye make up to bring out features without looking made up.
8. All dancers are to wear the same color lipstick (except boys).
9. If you do not know how to do your hair, practice beforehand and find out how it should be done, way in advance of the competition. It must have NO wispy pieces and withstand a windstorm.
10. Label EVERYTHING you are bringing! Do not put your full name, just last name and Academy phone number. (Shoes, hats, tights, gloves, accessories, make-up cases, costume garment bags, dance bags, etc.)
11. Use a labeled garment bag with your last name and Academy phone number. Bring a portable garment rack to hang costumes on.
12. Bring lots of water!! There may be none available or very expensive if they sell it. AGAIN - no candy or sugary snacks until you are done performing.
13. A small touch of Vaseline on your top teeth allows those smiles to slide easily over the teeth when you are nervous and have a dry mouth (an old show biz trick).
14. A nude colored camisole leotard is a good idea for those uncomfortable changing in an open dressing room. You may wear this under everything but it cannot show. You must pin down all straps and other parts that may show from under the costume. All bra straps must be hidden, too.
15. STAY with your group. Schedules can change in an instant and if you wander off, you could miss performing. We will not go searching for you. If you are not there when we need you, your class will perform without you, or if a solo, you will miss your opportunity. If you REALLY must leave to use the bathroom, you must tell your teacher (not another dancer) where you are going.
16. And last, BUT NOT LEAST… Have fun and if you mess up, smile anyway!!
APPLYING STAGE MAKE UP
1. Start with a clean dry face
2. If applying false eyelashes, do so after you have applied the rest of your eye make-up
3. Apply moisturizer and allow drying (IF NEEDED).
4. Select a foundation slightly darker shade than your normal skin tone. This will help with the stage light wash-out. Try a stick foundation. Dot on lightly and blend in to skin of the neck, being careful to not leave lines around neck and jaw line.
5. Apply loose powder to face. Try to match skin tone or foundation.
6. Apply blush by first sweeping your brush through the loose powder then through your powdered blush. This will blend the blush in better.
7. Apply eyeliner - For creamy pencil, liquid, gel or pen, use the tip of the brush or point for the finest line, getting right at the base of the lashes. Angle the point for a heavier look. Extend the line from one corner of your eye to the other. (If that corner-to-corner look is too harsh, begin instead at the point near the inside corner of your lid, where your lashes begin.) Creamy pencil may then be smudged into a shadowy effect or left as a defined line.
For powdery pencil or crayon, begin either at the corner of your eye, at the point on your lid where lashes begin or at the outer third of your lid. (The starting point isn't that critical since you'll be smudging the line.) Smudge liner just enough to blur the edge, pushing color onto your lid and/or just towards the corners. Smudging can be done with the ring or pinky finger, a cotton swab or a sponge-tip shadow applicator. Don't tug.
Lining lower lids should be done with a light hand and never directly on the rim of the lid. Generally, liquid liner is too hard-looking on lower lids. Stick with one of the softer effects. (If your upper lid is liquid-lined, your lower lid shouldn't be lined at all.)
8. Apply eye shadow – (Using shades of brown) For a simple wash of color, apply shadow from the inner corner of your lid up and across the entire lid to just above the crease.
Use highlighting shadow to brighten your eyes and lift the look of your whole face, whether or not you're wearing another shadow. It can be a lighter, complementary shade of the one you use on your lid, or an all-purpose pale ivory; frosted highlighters are great for p.m. Blend a touch of highlighter upwards from shadow on your lid, toward the arch of your brow and, if you like, extended out a bit --- but no further than the outer tip of your brow.
*Hint: To help prevent shadow from creasing, put foundation on your lids first, wait a second for it to penetrate, and then apply shadow.
9. Apply Mascara - Date mascara when you buy it and replace it after three months to avoid clumping and bacteria. *Hint: Save your old brush. Cleaned with eye makeup remover, it's a handy declumping tool. Here are two approaches, your choice:
Put on BLACK mascara before foundation and concealer, so you can use them to cover up any smudges. Put on mascara last, so lashes won't get dusted when you put on powder.
False eyelashes go on AFTER you have finished your eye make up and mascara, not before. Touch up as needed.
10. Eyebrows – make sure that they are plucked, if straggly, and if you have very, light eybrows, darken them to a light brown, or your eyes will look strange on stage.
Either way . . .
• Twirl – don't pump – the wand to coat it. Pumping allows in air, hastening dry-out.
• If you prefer the lightest possible touch, wipe the wand gently with a clean tissue to remove excess mascara before applying. • Hold the brush horizontally for upper lashes. Start at the base and wiggle it up to the tips to maximize separation and lushness. Allow the first coat to dry completely, and then repeat.
• Hold the brush vertically for lower lashes and sweep it lightly across them.
• If lengthening is your goal, fluff on an extra dash of lengthening mascara just at the tips of lashes.
Apply Lip Liner and Lipstick - Do liner first
*Lip liner is optional but if you use it, it should go on first. Don't use liner darker than your lipstick, because if the lipstick fades and the liner doesn't, you're left with just an outline. Use neutral or lipstick-matched liner.
• Starting at the center of your upper lip, draw a line to each outer corner, following the edge of your natural lip line.
• Fill in color all over lips if you want extra holding power for your lipstick.
*Hint: Chill lip pencil in the refrigerator for a few minutes to make sharpening easier.
Lipstick
• A dusting of powder or bit of foundation beneath lipstick can maximize its staying power. Either can dry lips, though, so use a creamy formula lipstick.
• Stretch your lips and starting at the center of top or bottom, glide color to corners. Blot, reapply and blot again for longer-lasting color.
* Hint: A lip brush gives you the most precision in applying lipstick
Make up tips for Males
1. Apply a thin layer of sheer moisture blend foundation to even out skin tone
2. Brush peach toned powder on eyelids, extending slightly above each crease
3 Add a small amount of brown mascara to the tips of eyelashes to add length and texture
4. Groom eyebrows with a brow brush or a toothbrush. If brows are sparse, lightly fill in with a powder that is a shade lighter than brow color, and if you have very, light eybrows, darken them to a light brown, or your eyes will look strange on stage.
5. For a more dramatic look, add dark eyeliner or eye shadow along the base of the lashes and smudge. For a more rigid look, line the whole eye.
……………………………………..
Keep dancing and spread the joy!
Janet LaCava
Director – Road to Broadway Mini Dance Competition
www.roadtobroadwayminidancecompetition.com
Since the dance team students will be attending many shows and competitions, it is important that they are ready for any situation. Many times one or two parents have supplied emergency items repeatedly to the same students without repayment in kind.
For future performances, all team members are required to carry the following items:
1. Safety pins - all sizes.
2. Bobby Pins or Hair Pins, to match your hair color and/or your headpieces.
3. Unscented extra hold "pump" hairspray (no aerosol, in an enclosed dressing room, the fumes make people ill)
4. 5 or more hairnets to match your hair.
5. Spring clips to match hair.
6. Plastic hair bands (no scrunchies or real rubber).
7. Scissors needle and thread to match costumes.
8. 2 pair of tights for each costume/color needed.
9. Nail polish remover (colored nail polish is not allowed for competitions).
10. Clear nail polish to repair small holes in tights.
11. Screwdriver and extra screws for your tap shoes.
12. Self-stick rubber shoe triangles in case needed for slippery floors.
13. Non-staining antiperspirant.
14. False eyelashes (black) and non-allergenic eyelash glue (2 pair).
15. Complete make up kit.
16. Make up remover and/or baby wipes for make-up removal and clean up.
17. SHOUT wipes to remove make up (or lord forgive, food stains).
18. Pain Killer (Aleve, Advil, or Aspirin).
19. Ace bandages.
20. Instant cold packs.
21. Copy of your music for private routines.
22. Small flashlight (in case it’s dark in theater and you are searching in your bag)
23. Optional - Small pillow and blanket (if you are tired and need to lie down).
24. Team suit to wear when not dancing. All costumes must be neat (wrinkle and tear free). All shoes and tights must
be clean and undamaged.
COMPETITION HELPFUL HINTS
This guide provides strategies for quick changes, getting costumes to and from the theater intact, and assorted other tips gathered from years of experience and blunders! In the crazy hustle and bustle and insanity of competition day, these reminders can save headaches, heartaches and tears.
THE WEEK PRIOR TO PERFORMANCE
- Place dancer’s name on every item of every costume needed for performance. White out or paint pens work great on black jazz shoes!
- Make a list of every item needed for each dance being performed that day. (costume pieces, tights, shoes, headpieces, how hair is done, lipstick color).
- Check all tights, costumes and shoes for runs, holes, or stains.
THE LAUNDRY BASKET/BIN:
- Put dancer’s last name on a big laundry basket or plastic bin. This is the most useful tool you can use all day.
- Place all costumes, shoes, make-up, tights, and hair stuff in basket/bin, or in garment bags.
Laundry baskets/bins are amazing for hauling a multitude of things easily through crowded theaters, hotels, elevators and stairways. They ensure that all of the dancers’ belongings remain in one place and not strewn all over the dressing area, which is usually cramped and crowded already.
- When the dancer has completed their dance, they can easily just throw all of their costume pieces, shoes, etc., into the basket/bin without worrying about where to find it later and change into their next costume.
- When the performance is over, you can just pick up the laundry basket/bin and go home, saving tons of time.
QUICK CHANGES MADE EASY
- The best way to master the art of the quick change is practice. As soon as you know which dances are back to back, grab a timer and get going!
- Make sure you practice everything from tights to hair and makeup. A good quick change is accomplished in less than three minutes (the average length of a competition number).
- If you have to change tights, try layering them. For instance, tan under black for quicker turn around. Just don’t do black under tan!
- DO NOT leave the costume being changed into on the hanger while waiting for the dancer to rush back into the dressing area! Place costume on floor (YES! Floor) ready for the dancer to step into as soon as they tear off their other costume. Legs of pants should be scrunched up ready to step into and pull up; shirts should have arm and neck holes already open and ready to slide on. Same rule applies to tights! Shoes should be unlaced and pulled open to allow dancer to step right into them.
- DON'T PANIC! All panicking does is make people clumsy and nervous! Remember to approach a quick change calmly, coolly and methodically. After all the practice at home, it should be a cinch!
- If you have help changing, give your dresser a list of the items you will be changing into, any hair or make up changes and the order in which these events are to take place.
IN CASE OF EMERGENCY
*Be sure you have a contact number prior to leaving for the performance venue!! Most teachers or other studio staff will be carrying cell phones. If you are running late, stuck in traffic, have an emergency or anything else that may affect your timely arrival to the show, please call someone immediately!
*If you are missing a piece of costume let your teachers know ASAP! In most cases these accidents are easily remedied with little commotion.
EATING!
• NO EATING in costume, if you need a snack, grab one of Dad’s old button down shirts, or robe, to drape over your costume, completely sealing it off from certain doom.
• No cheese snacks (Cheetos, Cheezits, etc) chocolate, colored beverages, greasy, or drippy foods, or anything that could possibly soil or damage the costume. Bottled water, only. (No SODA or FRUIT JUICE, too much sugar).
• Bring fruit or non-sugary snacks (too much sugar will actually tire you after the initial rush and please NO CHEESE FRIES or PIZZA).
OTHER IMPORTANT STUFF
1. Parents as well as students need to be supportive of every member of our team and our competitors.... Rudeness is not tolerated! Please be courteous during the awards ceremony. Applaud for EVERYONE, not just those from our studio.
2. Please be courteous when accepting awards. Always except your award with a smile and a "Thank you very much" to the person that hands it to you.
3. Make it a point to get to know other dancers from other studios.
4. Do not forget to wear your team suits when you are not in costume.
5. Do not wear underpants under your costume - tights, only or dance belt for boys. (Tights and dance belts ARE your underwear for dance).
6. No jewelry, including earrings (no matter where they are on your body), unless a part of your costume.
7. Make up should be applied before arriving at competition so we can rehearse. We will not wait for you. Learn to do your own make up (if you are age 13 and above).
Part of competitions is learning to responsible for your own make up and costumes. Mom can help but it is up to you to act grown up and to put your costumes together and make sure you have everything. Boys wear base, light blush and some eye make up to bring out features without looking made up.
8. All dancers are to wear the same color lipstick (except boys).
9. If you do not know how to do your hair, practice beforehand and find out how it should be done, way in advance of the competition. It must have NO wispy pieces and withstand a windstorm.
10. Label EVERYTHING you are bringing! Do not put your full name, just last name and Academy phone number. (Shoes, hats, tights, gloves, accessories, make-up cases, costume garment bags, dance bags, etc.)
11. Use a labeled garment bag with your last name and Academy phone number. Bring a portable garment rack to hang costumes on.
12. Bring lots of water!! There may be none available or very expensive if they sell it. AGAIN - no candy or sugary snacks until you are done performing.
13. A small touch of Vaseline on your top teeth allows those smiles to slide easily over the teeth when you are nervous and have a dry mouth (an old show biz trick).
14. A nude colored camisole leotard is a good idea for those uncomfortable changing in an open dressing room. You may wear this under everything but it cannot show. You must pin down all straps and other parts that may show from under the costume. All bra straps must be hidden, too.
15. STAY with your group. Schedules can change in an instant and if you wander off, you could miss performing. We will not go searching for you. If you are not there when we need you, your class will perform without you, or if a solo, you will miss your opportunity. If you REALLY must leave to use the bathroom, you must tell your teacher (not another dancer) where you are going.
16. And last, BUT NOT LEAST… Have fun and if you mess up, smile anyway!!
APPLYING STAGE MAKE UP
1. Start with a clean dry face
2. If applying false eyelashes, do so after you have applied the rest of your eye make-up
3. Apply moisturizer and allow drying (IF NEEDED).
4. Select a foundation slightly darker shade than your normal skin tone. This will help with the stage light wash-out. Try a stick foundation. Dot on lightly and blend in to skin of the neck, being careful to not leave lines around neck and jaw line.
5. Apply loose powder to face. Try to match skin tone or foundation.
6. Apply blush by first sweeping your brush through the loose powder then through your powdered blush. This will blend the blush in better.
7. Apply eyeliner - For creamy pencil, liquid, gel or pen, use the tip of the brush or point for the finest line, getting right at the base of the lashes. Angle the point for a heavier look. Extend the line from one corner of your eye to the other. (If that corner-to-corner look is too harsh, begin instead at the point near the inside corner of your lid, where your lashes begin.) Creamy pencil may then be smudged into a shadowy effect or left as a defined line.
For powdery pencil or crayon, begin either at the corner of your eye, at the point on your lid where lashes begin or at the outer third of your lid. (The starting point isn't that critical since you'll be smudging the line.) Smudge liner just enough to blur the edge, pushing color onto your lid and/or just towards the corners. Smudging can be done with the ring or pinky finger, a cotton swab or a sponge-tip shadow applicator. Don't tug.
Lining lower lids should be done with a light hand and never directly on the rim of the lid. Generally, liquid liner is too hard-looking on lower lids. Stick with one of the softer effects. (If your upper lid is liquid-lined, your lower lid shouldn't be lined at all.)
8. Apply eye shadow – (Using shades of brown) For a simple wash of color, apply shadow from the inner corner of your lid up and across the entire lid to just above the crease.
Use highlighting shadow to brighten your eyes and lift the look of your whole face, whether or not you're wearing another shadow. It can be a lighter, complementary shade of the one you use on your lid, or an all-purpose pale ivory; frosted highlighters are great for p.m. Blend a touch of highlighter upwards from shadow on your lid, toward the arch of your brow and, if you like, extended out a bit --- but no further than the outer tip of your brow.
*Hint: To help prevent shadow from creasing, put foundation on your lids first, wait a second for it to penetrate, and then apply shadow.
9. Apply Mascara - Date mascara when you buy it and replace it after three months to avoid clumping and bacteria. *Hint: Save your old brush. Cleaned with eye makeup remover, it's a handy declumping tool. Here are two approaches, your choice:
Put on BLACK mascara before foundation and concealer, so you can use them to cover up any smudges. Put on mascara last, so lashes won't get dusted when you put on powder.
False eyelashes go on AFTER you have finished your eye make up and mascara, not before. Touch up as needed.
10. Eyebrows – make sure that they are plucked, if straggly, and if you have very, light eybrows, darken them to a light brown, or your eyes will look strange on stage.
Either way . . .
• Twirl – don't pump – the wand to coat it. Pumping allows in air, hastening dry-out.
• If you prefer the lightest possible touch, wipe the wand gently with a clean tissue to remove excess mascara before applying. • Hold the brush horizontally for upper lashes. Start at the base and wiggle it up to the tips to maximize separation and lushness. Allow the first coat to dry completely, and then repeat.
• Hold the brush vertically for lower lashes and sweep it lightly across them.
• If lengthening is your goal, fluff on an extra dash of lengthening mascara just at the tips of lashes.
Apply Lip Liner and Lipstick - Do liner first
*Lip liner is optional but if you use it, it should go on first. Don't use liner darker than your lipstick, because if the lipstick fades and the liner doesn't, you're left with just an outline. Use neutral or lipstick-matched liner.
• Starting at the center of your upper lip, draw a line to each outer corner, following the edge of your natural lip line.
• Fill in color all over lips if you want extra holding power for your lipstick.
*Hint: Chill lip pencil in the refrigerator for a few minutes to make sharpening easier.
Lipstick
• A dusting of powder or bit of foundation beneath lipstick can maximize its staying power. Either can dry lips, though, so use a creamy formula lipstick.
• Stretch your lips and starting at the center of top or bottom, glide color to corners. Blot, reapply and blot again for longer-lasting color.
* Hint: A lip brush gives you the most precision in applying lipstick
Make up tips for Males
1. Apply a thin layer of sheer moisture blend foundation to even out skin tone
2. Brush peach toned powder on eyelids, extending slightly above each crease
3 Add a small amount of brown mascara to the tips of eyelashes to add length and texture
4. Groom eyebrows with a brow brush or a toothbrush. If brows are sparse, lightly fill in with a powder that is a shade lighter than brow color, and if you have very, light eybrows, darken them to a light brown, or your eyes will look strange on stage.
5. For a more dramatic look, add dark eyeliner or eye shadow along the base of the lashes and smudge. For a more rigid look, line the whole eye.
……………………………………..
Keep dancing and spread the joy!
Janet LaCava
Director – Road to Broadway Mini Dance Competition
www.roadtobroadwayminidancecompetition.com