What To Pack For Dance Classes
When you go to your algebra math class, you make sure you have a notebook, calculator, and pencil. When you go on a trip, you do some research to see that you’ll be bringing the right clothes and other traveling gear. Even when you get ready to drive your car, you check for your license, keys, and wallet. Being prepared for a certain event or situation means having all the necessary items ready to go, and the same holds true for dance class.
By having everything prepared before you get to our dance studio, you’ll have a better class experience without any interruptions or distractions (such as the classic “where did I put my _____?”). This won’t only help you, but will make class easier for your dance instructors and friends in the class. See what you should always have in your dance bag.
What to Pack in Your Dance Bag
For starters, make sure you have a dance bag — it will make transporting all your belongings so much easier! We offer adorable DBT personalized swag dance bags which you can purchase.
If you have each of these items in your bag, you should be ready to go for each and every class at our dance studio:
All Your Shoes
No matter what class you’re going to, make sure you have all of your dance shoes in one bag — you never know when you might need them, and it makes it easier to keep them all in one place. Plus, if you end up taking on another class, or forgetting that you had one planned, you won’t have to run back home (or miss the class entirely) to get your shoes. If you’re worried about the smell, you can purchase gym bag deodorizers for only a couple of bucks to keep things fresh.
A Snack
Keep it simple — the last thing you want is insects or other creatures making their way into your dance bag — but having a snack on hand is really important for every dancer to have. Dancing burns a ton of calories, and you need to fuel your body to keep up with the pace, as well as just to feel good. Anyone who’s danced or exercised without enough food knows how exhausting and draining and sometimes, even impossible, it can be. Try to avoid super sugary foods — a protein bar or fruit should do the trick. Nothing super crumby or messy please! Also please note that eating isn’t allowed in the actual studio.
Water Bottle
Getting dehydrated isn’t only tiring and can make you feel sick, it can be dangerous. As you’re dancing up a storm, it’s important to stay consistently hydrated. Take quick water breaks when needed or whenever the instructor says it’s a good time to rehydrate. Don’t forget to consistently clean out your water bottle!
Extra Layers
The dance studio might be cold, it might be hot, but if you have an extra layer packed, it won’t be an issue. Before warming up when dancing, there’s a good chance you might be a little chilly. Extra layers like a cardigan or sweatshirt mean extra comfort, and are easy to toss to the side once you’ve been dancing for a little bit.
Hair Supplies
Hair ties and bobby pins are essentials for many dancers to have. DBT offers adorable swag scrunchies too! Having extra hair supplies on hand is helpful for dance class, just so that you can be fully prepared to dance your best without having your hair flying around in your face. But on those bigger performance days, having all your necessary hair materials in your bag (spray, elastics, bun nets) ensures you can be more prepared for when you hit the stage, instead of having to run around finding hair accessories from other dancers.
Dance Booklet
Many of our classes have a dance prize sticker booklet with a chart inside. Each week you come to class, show you have practiced what we learned the previous week, try hard, and believe in yourself, you earn a sticker. Once you fill up one page of the book you can get a great prize! or , you can opt to wait it out and fill out two pages and get a huge mega prize from our prize shelf!
Bonus Tip: Pack the Night Before
Knowing where your dance bag is and that it has everything you need makes getting to the dance studio on time and in the right frame of mind much easier. Even though you might be exhausted or busy after leaving the dance studio, take the necessary 10 minutes to clean out and unpack your dance bag, and then prepare it for the next dance day. It will save you tons of time when getting ready for upcoming classes, and your future self will thank you for thinking ahead.
Having the right things in your dance bag might seem like a small thing, but they’re little things that add up quickly. Nothing is more disorienting than showing up to an event and not having everything you need — instead of feeling ready for your dance class, you’re scrambling to get organized. Even though these tips are specific to your dance bag, they’re also relevant to life as a whole, because preparedness makes a huge difference in your time and how you spend it.
Whether for your first time or your fiftieth, we hope you pack your bag and come down to our dance studio! We look forward to working with you.