When you’re participating in a dance competition, you’re focused on winning, not where you’ll keep all your stuff. This one-track focus can sometimes cause you to forget some essentials. How can you organize everything you need so you can keep your eyes on the prize?
Here are some tips for staying organized at dance competitions:
- A place for everything and everything in its place
- Prepare early
- Use a planner
- Set alerts and reminders
This post will elaborate on the above tips so you’re ready to ace your next dance competition and wow your dance instructors to boot. Make sure you keep reading, as there’s lots of great information to come!
A Place for Everything and Everything In Its Place:
You’ve probably heard of this old saying, right? It was likely your mother or father who uttered it, and probably many times at that.
If the phrase “a place for everything and everything in its place” isn’t drilled into your head by now, then allow me to help.
The best way to stay organized during dance competitions is to have all your gear in its own place and ready to go. If you don’t already own garment bags for your costumes you need them. You should also invest in makeup cases and makeup bags.
I recommend clear plastic makeup bags and garment bags so you can see exactly what’s in there. This will prevent you from having to rifle through everything in a panic.
Rather than lug one small bag after another onto the subway and slow yourself down, treat yourself to a rolling dance bag. These large, stylish bags can keep all your essentials in one convenient, portable place.
Prepare Early:
Listen, I know you’re going to be practicing for hours on end ahead of the competition. What time you don’t spend with your instructor, you’re either practicing on your own or spending it exercising so you can stay in the best condition.
Maybe you get a few hours of downtime between all that, but not much.
As busy as you are, waiting until the night before your dance competition to start getting everything ready will end in disaster. You’ll inevitably forget something, usually something important like your dance shoes or your lucky costume.
You know when the competition is coming up, so give yourself as much time to prepare in advance as you can. Plan the outfit you’ll wear. The night before your competition, put it in a garment bag and then tuck it neatly into your rolling dance bag.
Try on a few makeup looks a month before the competition so you’re not scrambling to find one you like two days before you dance.
These might be little things, but they make such a big difference. When you feel relaxed the night before the competition (or as relaxed as your nerves will allow you to be, anyway), you can sleep better and wake up the next day raring to go!
Use a Planner:
I’ve already established that dancers are busy people. Between your professional commitments, you try to maintain some semblance of a personal life as well, although that usually goes out the window around competition time.
You’ll have lots going on, from appointments for costume fittings to hair appointments, scheduled time at the gym, nail appointments, grocery store trips, rehearsals, and then the competition itself.
Trying to keep track of all that in your head is difficult in even the best of times. When all you’re thinking is competition, competition, competition, it’s even harder to remember if you’re supposed to pick up your costume at the dry cleaner’s today at 4 p.m. or tomorrow at 5:30.
In times like these, I can’t recommend a planner enough. Yes, that’s right, a paper planner that you write in with a pen or pencil.
I know we’re a very technologically-minded society, but you can’t always have your phone on during dance rehearsals and practice. When you get a break, you can quickly consult your planner and update it or see what’s on the agenda for today.
Plus, there’s something so satisfying about physically crossing something off the list. You don’t get that same satisfaction when you use your phone for everything.
Set Alerts and Reminders:
That said, you can use your phone for plenty else as you prep for a dance competition, such as reminders and alerts. Whether yours is an Android or an Apple (or another type of smartphone entirely), it should have a feature where you can jot down quick notes.
You can use this section to express all those fleeting thoughts you have throughout the day, like buy milk at the grocery store or clean your dance shoes when you get home. Then, put your thoughts into action by setting reminders.
Conclusion:
Around the time of a dance competition, you can begin running around like a chicken without a head. This just leaves you frazzled and exhausted, not to mention unproductive.
The organization tips I shared with you today will help you look like your life is in order ahead of a competition even if behind the scenes it really isn’t.
Don’t stop at competitions, either! These tips are useful for your dance schedule during the rest of the year too.
After all, life is already stressful enough. There’s no need to overcomplicate it if you don’t have to!