The Ultimate Dance Recital Survival Guide
Here’s Your Checklist To Make Recital Day Easy Peasy
I see it every year. The chaos of it all. The nervousness that surrounds the day.
The hectic nature of pinning up hair into buns. Making sure you have the right color tights. The right shoes. All the shoes.
Your mind goes in every direction all at once.
The anxiety of making sure the headpiece goes on the correct side of the bun in her hair is taking over. Your fingers shake.
You don’t know where the bobby pins went. Then they fall out of your mouth onto the floor.
Then you start to spiral. A conversation with yourself may go like this:
Oh, no! A costume seam popped.
She needs Ballet shoes for her Ballet Dance. Which costume is that?
Does anyone have any safety pins?
Do I have everything? Am I missing anything?
Where are my tickets?
How long is a dance recital, anyway?
It is that time, my friends. Dance recital time.
And this is new territory for you. Or if it isn’t, there is always something you forget year after year.
I’m here to tell you everything you need. This is your dance recital checklist. Your dance recital survival guide. The ultimate dance recital guide.
1. Breathe.
I mean it. Take a breath. Then take another one. And another one.
A child’s first dance recital is a lot of stress for parents. But it doesn’t have to be.
You already have everything you need to make this special day go smoothly.
You’ve already made your child’s dance dreams come true.
You’ve got this.
2. Gather Your Costumes & Pieces.
Your little dancer is about to step out onto the dance recital stage for the first time. How exciting!
You can't wait to have that proud parent moment.
You can’t wait to see the big smile on her face as she stands on stage in that beautiful costume. She is adorable, and she is happy. She will be the cutest one out there, no doubt about it.
The night before the big day, gather your costumes and pieces.
If your child only has one dance, lay out the costume. If your child is in 2 or more dances, lay those costumes out.
When I say "lay them out," I mean take out every single thing that came in the costume bag. Everything that the studio instructed your dancer to wear.
Costume contents may look a little like this:
The costume itself.
The headpiece.
The accessories, if they came with any.
The shoe ribbon if the studio gave you some.
Don't forget the tights. Make sure you have the correct ones in the correct color.
Then, take another breath. You’re doing great.
3. Add the Shoes.
Get your child’s dance bag. Take out the shoes. Make sure they are clean. If not, clean them up.
Some studios instruct parents to spray paint dance shoes. This usually happens with Tap shoes, but other shoes can be painted as well.
If your studio had you paint any shoes, touch them up.
In my experience, shoes are usually painted in time for dance pictures. Dance pictures usually happen a while before the actual dance recital. So time is on your side for this one.
If your studio does not do dance pictures, spray paint your shoes a few days before.
The spray painting process goes like this:
Stuff them with newspaper or paper towel. And I mean really stuff them.
Place the shoes over newspaper or a towel on a flat surface.
Paint them outside. Let those fumes from the can let loose in the open air. Otherwise, your house will be smelling for days. And your head will be pounding right along with it.
Shoe spray paint is very convenient now. One coat usually does the trick and they dry pretty quickly.
If they don’t seem covered enough, spray a second coat.
Here’s a tip: Do not spray any paint on the underside of the shoe. Spray until you hit the bottom. If paint gets on any of the fabric (or metal on tap shoes) on the sole, it messes with the way your dancer will dance on stage.
Now, back to our dance recital checklist.
Bring all dance shoes separately to the dance recital in a bag, as your child does for class.
Dance shoes are specifically made for studios and stages. Avoid wearing them outside at all costs. They will get ruined.
The pavement really knows how to botch a shoe’s complexion. Keep them undamaged by bringing them with you.
Take another breath. Another check off the list is complete.
4. Garment Bag Hack - Hang Costumes in Order.
Let's say your dancer takes more than one class. This means they most likely have more than one routine in the dance recital.
Now let's say your dancer happens to be on a competition team. They might have even more routines sprinkled in with all the dance recital music.
Which means, here you are. The night before getting ready and suddenly you have a plethora of costumes laying on your bed.
Here’s a big dance recital tip:
After you have gathered all the above, put the costumes in a garment bag. But not in any old order.
If your studio was kind enough to give you the recital program ahead of time, use that to your advantage.
Put the costumes in a garment bag in the order of your child’s dance routines.
Leave the first one out, and hang it up in the closet. Or set it on a chair. Anywhere you think would be a good spot.
Don’t forget to give it a hanger for easy packing.
Chances are your child will need to arrive at the recital in their first costume ready to dance.
That has been my experience as a dancer for almost 30 years and a teacher in many studios. It saves time and makes the students feel special on the way to the recital venue.
She’ll be smiling in the car before she even steps onto the stage.
If the costume has any sort of tutu or tulle skirt here's a hack for you. I know this might sound a bit weird, but hang it upside down from the crotch.
As soon as you get the costume, do this! Why?
One: it gets the wrinkles out. Two: when it’s worn for the first time after the hanging, the skirt will be as poofy as the dance gods intended.
You can also steam it with a hand-held steamer or hang it in the bathroom. Steam does wonders. Do this with the costume upside down as well.
Dance garment bags usually have pockets or compartments on the bottom. Use these for accessories and headpieces that came with the costume.
If your dancer needs more than one pair of tights, put them in the garment bag compartments as well.
If you received a shoe ribbon for tap shoes, put them in the tap shoes. Get them ready to be laced up.
Get the shoe bag and put it with the garment bag full of dance costume energy. All your things should be in one place.
5. Pack Extras.
My advice on this subject is especially useful. Get a makeup or small bag similar in size.
Your extras to put in there should be:
Bobby Pins
Safety Pins
Rasin (only if needed)
Makeup (this can be a separate bag)
Packing your extras the night before will ease any extra stress you may have on the way to the dance recital.
Keep all the things in one place.
Oh, yes. And don’t forget to pack a bottle of water.
Remember the question you had in the beginning? How long is a dance recital?
Well, they vary. It depends on the scope and preference of the studio.
My guess is to plan to be there for at least 1 to 3 hours.
So if you’re worried about your dancer being thirsty backstage, water is the way to go.
This next tip might answer a buried question you may have.
The question I’ve gotten countless times from parents comes up again every year.
it is: How do you clean dance costumes?
To be honest, you don’t. Chances are your child will wear it only a handful of times.
So back to the water…
I highly suggest staying away from juice and Gatorade. These costumes have to look brand new and shiny every time your child is supposed to wear them.
That means no dress-up parties until the recital is over.
The costumes are a part of the show.
Once the dance recital is over, the costumes are yours to keep. Lots of children wear them as Halloween costumes and play dress up in them with their friends.
6. Do Hair & Makeup Before You Leave The House.
This one is a biggie. It's a huge time saver and makes things so much easier.
Do your child’s hair and makeup before you leave for the dance recital.
If your dance studio leaves makeup optional, then it’s up to you. But if the studio requires it, make sure you’re following the studio’s guidelines.
Some specifics may be the color of the eyeshadow, the way the eye should look, eyeliner, and mascara. The lipstick and blush colors are also some big ones.
Doing your child’s hair at home will give you the space you need in a comfortable environment.
Instead of other moms running around trying to get their child’s hair done, it’ll be smooth sailing for you.
Here are some hair tips:
Get a bun donut if your dancer needs a bun hairstyle. You can get these almost anywhere.
Use hairspray or any other product that keeps your dancer’s hair in place and out of their face. We want to see their beautiful smiles.
Use bobby pins. Hair clips can stand out and the goal is to have the dancers look uniform.
Your dancer’s hair and makeup should be done before you leave the house. It will ease the craziness of navigating your first recital.
I can’t tell you how many Moms I’ve seen get stuck and feel rushed backstage because they are busy doing their child’s hair.
Doing this step will truly save the day.
7. Breathe again.
Do it. Breathe again.
You did it. You did the bulk of the dance recital survival guide.
After all your prepping has come to a close, there’s only one thing left to do.
Go. Gather your dancer, your things, and your tickets, and go.
You’re on your way to seeing your dancer shine for the first time on stage. This is a big moment! Enjoy it. Cry out happy tears.
8. Get Your Dancer a Gift
You make it to the venue. You check-in. You drop off your dancer backstage. You give them everything they need.
Now what do you do?
There’s nothing like seeing your child on stage in a gorgeous costume for the first time.
There’s nothing like seeing your child smile.
You are the one making their dance dreams come true. You signed them up for class. You are their biggest supporter.
Why not give them a little extra happiness?
Chances are there will be booths or little tables available for you to buy a gift for your child at the recital.
I’ve seen little dance keychains for sale. Bracelets, bags, little stuffed ballerina bears. Flowers are always a great go-to.
And back in the day as a dance student, it was one of my favorite things about Recital Day.
I looked forward to getting flowers and little ballerina bears every year from my Grandma. It is a special memory I think back on today.
But one thing I’ve noticed that seems to get little dancers excited is a dance book.
They love flipping through the pages and seeing the illustrations in ballet positions and postures.
If you’re looking for a book that encourages your child to learn and grow as a dancer, I've got it.
My book Bella the Buck-Toothed Ballerina is the perfect gift for your little one.
It teaches little dancers the basics of ballet. It shines a light on inner beauty while encouraging them to follow their dreams.
Did I mention there is a glossary of ballet terms in the back?
Click on the link here to learn more about Bella!
If your child has expressed interest in ballet, check out my blog here.
The linked blog post above is for you, Mom.
If your child has never taken ballet lessons before, this blog post is full of first-time ballet tips.
You did it!
Now, take a cleansing breath.
You made your child’s dance dreams come true.
All the recital craziness has come to a close.
It's time for you to go home and have a glass of wine. You deserve it, Mom.
