Dance competition season is exhilarating but often accompanied by the stress of limited preparation time. Fear not! Here's a guide to help you manage time efficiently, ensuring your dancer is fully prepared to shine on the stage.
1. Create a Comprehensive Checklist:
- Develop a detailed checklist well in advance of the competition day. Include everything from costumes and accessories to makeup and hair essentials. Having a clear list reduces the chances of overlooking crucial items. Make sure to include extra items in case a hair clip stops clipping, an earring back rolls behind a cabinet, or a zipper won’t zip. Pack the dance bag and costumes prior to the day of the competition. Restock needed items often and before it’s an emergency. Keep a journal with you at each competition and add items to the list while you are thinking about it. You can find printable Dance Competition Pages at https://www.etsy.com/listing/1643827338/dance-competition-printable-pages-for?ref=listings_manager_grid. A handy competition journal for the 2023-2024 season can be found at https://amzn.to/3OeSJeM.
2. Prioritize and Delegate Tasks:
- Identify the most time-sensitive tasks and prioritize them. Delegate responsibilities to fellow parents, ensuring a collaborative effort. This approach lightens the load and ensures that each aspect of preparation receives the attention it deserves. These tasks can range from getting the dancers fed, transporting them, to getting them in a complicated costume, or moving a large prop onto stage. Generally, every parent isn’t busy at the exact same moment and will help out. Sometimes it takes two or three people to pull off a costume, re-do a hairstyle, or assemble a prop, in order for a dancer to get on stage.
3. Rehearse Quick Change Scenarios:
- Practice quick changes in costumes and hairstyles. Set up a mock backstage area at home to simulate the competition environment. This not only reduces the time spent on costume changes but also familiarizes your dancer with the quickness of the process. Set a timer and see what challenges might arise when costumes, hair, shoes, and jewelry are changed at a fast pace, such as a part of a costume getting tangled up or tights that get snagged on beads or jewelry. Remember to include time required to get from the dressing room to the stage and back (have them run around the house a few times so they are slightly winded.) During the actual competition have each costume with shoes and accessories lined up in the order they will be dancing that day.
4. Utilize Efficient Hair and Makeup Techniques:
- Opt for time-efficient hair and makeup styles that still maintain a polished look. Consider hairstyles that are easy to manage, and use makeup techniques that enhance features without consuming excessive time. Efficiency in grooming contributes significantly to timely preparations. If a group requires a certain style, such as a low bun then consider keeping the low bun for the solo and duos. Another tip would be to take the bun out after the group dance but keep in the low ponytail, which changes the look with minimal effort. If you are directed to do a certain hairstyle that you aren’t familiar with, then practice it at home. If you need to do a style like French braids and don’t know how, then find a person that can do them prior to the competition so you both know who is braiding the hair. Just remember to touch up fly-aways with a toothbrush, gel and hairspray between each costume change. Makeup is matching colors and application styles for group dances. However, changing simple things such as lip stick or eye shadow colors will bring a new look while keeping the foundational elements of the makeup the same. This saves a lot of time between routines. Make sure to have makeup wipes in the dance bag! My favorite brand can be found at this link, Cetaphil Body and Face Wipes, https://amzn.to/3OeK1Nw. Also adding a few gems to the face with eyelash glue sparkles up the look.
5. Strategically Plan Arrival and Departure:
- Plan your arrival and departure times strategically. Factor in potential traffic, parking, check-in processes, and finding the dressing room. Arriving a bit earlier allows for unexpected delays, giving you a buffer and a more relaxed start to the competition day. As a general rule, being at the competition venue a minimum of two hours prior to the expected dance time is needed. Dancers need time to stretch, prepare for the dances, calm their nerves, finish their look, drink water, and have a snack, before they hit the stage.
Mastering limited preparation time is about adopting a proactive and organized approach. By implementing these time-management strategies, you can ensure that your dancer steps onto the stage with confidence, ready to showcase their talent without the unnecessary stress of rushed preparations.
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