The Dancing Bag
April 23rd 2009 06:43
In the Dressing Room with my Make up Box
Ok, so I am performing tomorrow at the Sydney Bachata Festival. All I can think is what I need to pack for the show. I'm creating this checklist...
I’ll be an Angel at Last. That is because the choreo is homage to Lee, the dancer from the UK we lost to an accident recently. And we are angels. To the ones that don’t know, I was supposed to perform at the Sydney Salsa Congress but fractured my arm and couldn’t do it. So now, at last, I’ll an angel on the stage tomorrow night.
I’m very exited with the weekend because it will be the first time where I’m in an event dedicated to Bachata, last year I was in Brazil at the time the festival was on.
So I’m packing my performance bag. I thought interesting to share this with you as it is an interesting checklist that years of performance made into my mind.
First I go through all that I’m going to need for the performance itself, top to bottom:
1. Hair and Head props, hats, halos, horns, tiaras, etc.
a. I have a little carry bag always ready with:
i. Hair gel, mousse, etc.
ii. Hair pins (bobby pins) different sizes and of my hair colour.
iii. Hair thin dancer net.
iv. Hair brush.
v. Hair elastics, different sizes and colours.
vi. Thin comb with the metal pointy thingy.
vii. Shower Cap
2. Jewellery if it is the case:
a. Earrings.
b. Necklace.
c. Rings.
d. Bracelets.
3. Face & Make-up:
a. My Make-up box is a beauty. All organised with all that I could need.
b. Foundations, pancakes, base, powder, corrective pastes, etc.
c. Eye shadows, eye liner black, white, brown, mascara, etc.
d. Shinny stuff: glitters of different kind, shinny powders, lightening stuff, tiny make up diamonds, etc.
e. Lipsticks of different colours.
f. Fake eye lashes.
g. Sponges, cotton balls, cotton pads, cotton sticks, special softy thing to apply make up.
h. Make up remover and moisturiser to fix make-up mess.
i. All kinds of make up applicators, brushes, pads, etc.
j. Transparent nail polish.
k. Mini sewing kit – thread with the colour of the costume you are using and the clothes you are wearing for the after party.
l. Security Pins of different sizes. We use it every time.
m. Scissors, box-cutter, Swiss-army knife – little addictions to your box that can make it all easier.
n. Panty liner and tampons for an emergency.
o. Fashion tape – that double sided tape to keep your straps and things on the right place.
p. Remember to pack any special make-up and props for specific choreographies, like fake teeth, special glitter, scar tissue
funny etceteras.q. Wipes
r. Tissues
s. Cotton sticks
t. Good sized Mirror protected in case it breaks during the travel
4. Up close and Personal – VIL (very important list):
a. DEODORANT!!! For dancers there is no religion, allergy, personal beliefs that can be put above this simple thing: YOU DO NEED DEODORANT or ANTIPERSPIRANT of some kind. Especially for couple dancers this could mean the success or total debacle of your dancing night. If you are not getting too many dances or more refusals than you should think normal, change your deodorant or perfume. Or check your breath.
b. Perfume only if you are used to them.
c. BREATH STRIPS!!! Another essential, carry toothbrush, toothpaste, but for any time and place that you need to be safe in a hurry carry breath strips, mints, chewing gum any kind of breath freshener.
d. Carry the emergency extras with you: nail polish for a retouch, a brand new razor, shaving gel, etc. Don’t put shabby stuff in your bag, if you need to use it you will stress.
e. Girls – remember to arrange to be waxed, shaved, manicured and pedicured as necessity beforehand.
f. Shower kit if there is a place for you to refresh in between rehearsals, performances, etc. Shampoo, conditioner, soap, towel.
g. A sweat towel is good for everyone.
h. Extra underwear
i. A few plastic bags
5. First aid bag:
a. Band-aids – get the good ones, water resistant, for sportists, the ones that will save your life or your feet.
b. Special pads for blisters – you can get some awesome skin colours healing gel pads for blisters nowadays that would have made my ballet dancer life a lot easier 15 years ago... with these the pain is very bearable if you get any blister and you can dance your night away with very little pain! Yuuuhuuuu!
c. Bandages.
d. Medicine and headaches – carry medicine that you usually take, always something if you have headaches. Never give anyone any medicine they are not used to and never use something you have never used before on a performance night.
6. Clothes and costumes:
a. Dresses.
b. Shirts.
c. Pants.
d. Over things.
e. I just imagine myself dressing it on and see if I remembered it all
7. Leg stuff:
a. Socks for the guys – the right colour please and to have both feet with the same colour is essential!
b. Stockings – sheer to waist, it is horrible, ladies, to have those stockings with a mark in your thighs showing through your fishnets. Yes you can see holes and those marks on stage. Yes you can see them on pictures too.
c. Panties for under the stockings (usually G-string or something that doesn’t leave a mark on the body) and for over if necessary, like the undies or shorts from the costume.
d. Piece of stocking to tie your undies if you are doing the Brazilian bikini tie.
e. Underwear (panties & bras) adequate to the costume
f. Fishnets special for performances
8. Shoes:
a. Official choreo shoes.
b. Extra pair of shoes, doesn’t matter if it is old or the wrong colour, choose the closer one to the official shoes and bring it with you for an emergency.
c. Pads – nowadays no-one has to suffer with shoes anymore, in the supermarkets, convenience stores and pharmacies you can find those pads and stuff that are designed to make any pair of shoes at the very least bearable for its purpose. Discovering the heel gel pads and ball of the feet protection was a big deal for me. Carry your favourite in extra pairs in your bag.
d. Shoe brush – for Latin dancers it is essential to have suede soles brushed so you don’t have yourself falling on stage.
e. Shoe shine – for the boys a little shine on the shoes do look good, both before hand or just carrying those special cloths to give it a final touch.
9. Other props:
a. Gloves.
b. Belts.
c. Ties.
d. Pieces of cloths for generic purposes.
e. Shield, spear, tray, sword and any of those strange details we end up using one day or another.
f. Wings, capes, horns, etc.
10. Anything you are responsible to bring:
a. Chairs.
b. Tables.
c. Mirrors.
d. Tools for fixing props, etc.
e. Etc.
11. Food & drink:
a. One minute on stage is a heavy effort, the adrenaline and energy around you will affect how you feel so you have to be well fed and well hydrated. Always carry some bars and drinks that you have had before. Never try anything new on the day!
b. Carry coins and change money with you. It is common to be left with the only option of buying stuff from vending machines, some only accept coins. Also you may need anything and it is hard to run to ATMs at the last minute. Have money in your wallet and coins in your pocket.
12. Equipment:
a. Charge your mobile.
b. Charge batteries of your camera(s) – photo & video.
c. Bring extra batteries and memories.
d. Empty SD cards leave plenty of room for new pictures and films.
e. Music, CDs, anything that you have to bring to your performance if it is your responsibility to do so.
f. Carry any chargers you may need (cameras, iPods, mobiles, etc.).
Then I think in general terms of the night:
1. Performance stuff as above.
2. Rehearsal stuff: gym wear, sweat towel, shower gear, food and drinks, etc.
3. After party – I go through it all thinking of the after party, clothes, shoes, jewellery, etc.
4. After the party – If you are bunking up not at home, with a friend, at a hotel, etc, what will you need? Sleeping bag, sleeping wear, etc.
5. Shoes for relaxing, walking, not dancing. Usually havaianas or flat shoes, don’t forget after you dance all night you will need something to actually walk on.
6. Padlock for the big bag and an identification tag with your information may save you a lot of trouble.
7. Cover for any costume and clothes that need to be carried in a hanger.
8. Pen, paper and a permanent marker is always useful.
Put your name on all your stuff, write it inside costumes, label your boxes, etc.
My general recommendation for all this is to put it all in one big bag. If it needs to be a huge one, so be it. But try to reduce the number of items you have to carry, if you need a hanger with your stuff, tie it to your bag. The less volumes you have to remember to carry the safer it is to remember them all. Get a padlock for the big bag. You can leave it at a corner and relax. Then use one small bag with the essentials that can be always near you:
1. Wallet.
2. ID – don’t forget a lot of places require a photo ID so remember to carry yours.
3. Business cards – you always make contacts in a dance night, carry your cards to give to your friends, new and old.
4. Money.
5. Mobile.
6. Camera (always carry your camera).
7. Lipstick.
8. Bandaid.
9. Home keys.
10. Car Keys.
11. Keys to your big bag padlock.
12. Extra key to the padlock in a place you are not likely to put inside the bag.
13. USB drive or Pen drive.
Last I’m going to give you my checklist for a bag that I carry every time I go out dancing. It saves me a lot of pain and trouble. It is a small carry bag that I leave with my dance shoes and it has:
- Mini pocket size Deodorant.
- Mints.
- Elastic for Hair.
- $2 coins – a few.
- Band-aid - tough.
- Gel bandages for blisters.
- Mini sewing kit.
- One lipstick.
- Security pins.
- Natural colour stockings.
- Panty liner and tampons for an emergency.
- Fashion tape – that double sided tape to keep your straps and things on the right place.
Enjoy! See you tomorrow!
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