Congratulations on participating in a dance competition!! To make the experience go smoothly, there are a host of things you should do prior to the actual event. At Fred Astaire Dance Studio in Raleigh, our instructors have a lot of experience both in participating in competitions themselves as well as guiding our student dancers through the process so they can easily prepare for a dance competition. Based on our experience, we have compiled our best dance competition preparation tips for you to get through the experience as stress free as possible. Not only are we giving you tips, we have included a list of regional and national competitions with dates for you to peruse. When you know the date for the competition you can plan other activities accordingly. You will need to clear a lot off your plate the week before and the week of the dance competition in order to focus on the event.
Here are a few time-tested tips and tricks to help you go in prepared so you can relax and enjoy more of the day. Fruit, nuts, veggies, protein will give your dancer energy to make it through the day. Some venues will have food available but it leans toward pizza and nachos. Gum, mints, twizzlers, and other non-chocolate candies are also very popular. Best hack ever? Use a tackle box type organizer and fill with a variety of treats. Lunch places near comp venues tend to get very busy. Place all of the pieces and parts for each costume in a bag and label it. The dressing areas tend to be crazy, chaotic and a hot mess.
Competition season is an exciting and demanding time of the year. Investing in a good quality makeup or train case is one of the best things a dancer can do to make sure they are organized and prepared for dance competitions especially out-of-town events that make you bring your entire hair and makeup station with you on the road. Makeup wipes, or simple soap and water is all you need to wash this off after you are done dancing. Keeping all of those pieces organized and in a safe place can sometimes seem impossible — especially when you have quick changes — so using a clear garment bag with a few pockets is the best solution to this! It helps you to separate all of the pieces. The best part is that it is see-through, so you can do a quick check before leaving the house that you have everything you need.
Every dancer wants to do their best at their dance competition, and although it takes technique, unique choreography, and quality performance to get a high score, there are some other things you can do to improve your score. Here are some things that judges look for at dance shows, so that you can perform your best and score higher. There is a balance with making eye contact with the judges. Remember that you are performing for the judges and they love to be acknowledged. Looking them in the eye shows confidence and helps them feel engaged in your performance.