What’s in Your Dance Bag?

Posted on July 12, 2015
By Shannon Thomas
In Dance Life

Every dancer has their go to items they keep in their dance bag. With hectic school schedules, crazy dance class and rehearsal schedules, being prepared is the best way to set yourself up for success. Items in a dance bag can range from shoes to bobby pins to band-aids. Below is a brief list of the common things you find in any dancers bag at anytime.

1. Shoes: Most seasoned dancers have almost every pair of shoes you could think of in their bag. You never know at an audition or rehearsal what shoes the choreographer could want you to wear. Shoes could range from ballet slippers, pointe shoes, character shoes, character tap shoes, flat tap shoes, tan jazz shoes, black jazz shoes, footundeez and hip hop boots/sneakers.

2. Hair Supplies: Having your hair secure in the proper bun for ballet class is key. In order to guarantee your bun is perfect every time, the following items should be in your hair kit in your dance bag. Water bottle, gel, bobby pins, hair brush, hair spray, hair nets and of coarse, a barrette or flower to make your bun stand out.

3. Extra Dance Clothes: You never know when your tights could rip or your leotard strap break. It is very important to have extra dance clothing with you at all times. An extra leotard, tights, shorts, warm up shirts and pants should be kept with you. You never know if you may need that clothing to protect your body during floor work and slides when working in the classroom. Knee pads are also a plus when working on floor work as well.

4. Water and a Healthy Snack: As a dancer you always want plenty of water and a nutrient rich snack with you. You will be expending a lot of energy and fluids while dancing. In order to make sure you have sufficient energy, healthy snacks to have in your bag could be carrots, apples, crackers, goldfish, grapes, raisins or other food that is easy to nibble if needed. Running out of water is not a good option in dance class. Fortunately, there is usually a water fountain close by or extra water in your studio.

What Else Do You Keep In Your Dance Bag? Add to the comments below!

Shannon Thomas

Shannon Thomas grew up dancing since she was four years old. Performing and competing is where Shannon shined, winning top honors throughout the state of Florida for her solo and group performances. Shannon continued her dance education at the prestigious, Oklahoma City University for four years where she studied under Jo Rowan, Robert Reed, Tiffany Van Der Merwe, Kelli Rhodes Stevens, Kay Sandal, Patricia Oplotnik and more. She studied all forms of dance, acting and voice, performed with the American Spirit Dance Company and took classes in business, dance pedagogy and choreography.
She began working professionally while still at OCU as a dance captain and performer, dancing in trade shows, theme park reviews and other various productions. After moving back to Florida in 2008, Shannon performed as a guest dancer with Surfscape Contemporary Dance Theatre and other local arts events as a dancer.
Shannon has been teaching and choreographing for the past 15 years and has had immense success in the studio training dancers in an array of styles from ballet, jazz, contemporary to hip hop and tap. Her students have gone on to study dance, musical theater, acting, and entertainment business at schools such as University of Florida, University of Central Florida, Florida Southern College and Ball State to name a few. Her unique experience as an educated performer, instructor and choreographer is what makes Legacy dance training stand out.
Shannon is passionate about teaching the art of dance and encouraging her students to work toward being their personal best on and off the dance floor. Our dance classes are structured around discipline, integrity, respect and professionalism to maintain a high standard in technique, style and performance.
Shannon’s Choreography has been honored at numerous prestigious dance competitions around the state of Florida. Her Choreography can be seen on the competition stage, at the Civic Ballet’s Nutcracker and Embry Riddle Dancing Eagles to name a few. She takes pride in providing the most up to date and modern choreography to give her students an edge, without over doing trends and keeping the dances she creates age appropriate and unique.
Shannon is the director and award-winning choreographer of The Legacy Stars Competition Team. The Stars are a National Award-Winning Dance Team and Performance Company featuring invited Legacy Dancers that have been training toward team placement. The Stars are proud to perform at various events around the Port Orange and the Daytona Beach Community, including Relay for Life, Port Orange Family Days, Volusia County Dances, Junior League of Daytona, The Domestic Abuse Council, Cannon balls for Kayne and more.