What To Take?

[ShyDancer]

Im almost 100% sure this is already posted somewhere but I have spent the last 10 minutes searching and cant find it...

So Ill ask again.....what should you take to a competition? Aside from your clothing changes , shoes , brushes and make up?

I really dont want ti show up at a first comp missing anything I may well need!


And also another quick one....does anyone know of a surefire way to make your shoes stick to the floor without the use of wax? I heard that apparently you cant use wax on this floor :shock:

[Joe]

I assume you're a Latin girl. Some of the Latin people use oil on the soles of their shoes. But if you do, you'll be slain by we Ballroom people, or at least you'll get tons of dirty looks and rude comments.

[mamboqueen]

What do you do, go check the bottom of everyone's shoes??? *LOL*

Bring along some safety pins, extra hose/fishnets if you wear them, your make-up for touch-ups, hair spray, extra shoes and dress if you have them, some sort of protein food (I bring trail mix and power bars), water, camera/film, directions to where you're going (if needed), video tape (if you're having it done).

That's all I can think of, as I packed my bag last night!

[sunderi]

I can PM you my entire comp packing list, if you're interested in what *I* bring to comps. ;)

[Angelo]

And also another quick one....does anyone know of a surefire way to make your shoes stick to the floor without the use of wax? I heard that apparently you cant use wax on this floor :shock:

There are some small rubber sole pads that are sold in the shoelace and shoe polish section of most pharmacies. These are sold to prevent or reduce slipping on slick surfaces. They use an adhesive to stick onto the bottom of the soles of your shoes. I have never had to resort to using them but if you try them let us know how they perform.

[Another Elizabeth]

On a phenomenally slick (and dirty) floor, I have used hairspray on the soles of my shoes to make them stick better. I think it transfers to the floor less than oil, plus I always have it on hand at a comp, anyway.

[ShyDancer]

Joe, I dance both Latin and Standard :D Still havent decide which one I prefer yet :lol:

Sunderi..thanks! Id love that, would be very helpful.

Thanks mamboqueen , I never would have thought about food! Or directions but I have been there a few times before for "undance" related things so i know the way, but ill keep that in mind for the next one.

Angelo..those pads sound a little scary to me..I dont know if I want to stick that much!

Another Elizabeth..I like the hairspray idea, I can clean it off afterwards too, I might give it a go next week while Im at the studio.

[Redtango]

If you have good foot pressure and control you shouldn't have to worry about putting something on your shoes :wink:
It really isn't a good habit and as many people have already said may transfer to the floor and be harmful to other dancers.

other than that it is always good to have:
shoe brush (brush across the sole)
sweat towel
safety pins
clear nail polish for stocking runs
water
sewing kit
hairspray

[Laura]

Bring a pen so you can take notes in the program, and a pair of flat shoes or slippers to wear when you're between heats and need to take your shoes off. I also bring a shawl to wrap around me when I get too cold in the ballroom.

[standardgirl]

I assume you're a Latin girl. Some of the Latin people use oil on the soles of their shoes. But if you do, you'll be slain by we Ballroom people, or at least you'll get tons of dirty looks and rude comments.

What does the oil do? How does one apply it? Can someone tell me? I have my first comp coming up. Is this something I should try to do before the comp?

[Redtango]

Just stick to good technique and shoe brushing, one of the reasons for a slick floor is too many foolish people trying various tricks on the soles of their shoes.
try not to be nervous and just dance ^_^

[Chris Stratton]

There where times when I really had my act together when I made a habit of practicing the day before the comp in a space with a very dusty floor, then putting the shoes I was going to wear away without brushing them.

Then when I got to the comp, I'd test the floor - if it was sticky, the dust offered some compensation. If it was slick, I dug in with the shoebrush.

Slick floors require very precise technique, but I prefer them to sticky ones.

[mamboqueen]

Oddly, we had the opposite problem last night on an auditorium floor. It was sticky. Standard dancers had a host of problems moving about. Rythym people had no problem staying on the floor, but had trouble doing some spins and other "tricks." It was very interesting!

[mamboqueen]

Add vaseline to your list. I was 4/5 of the way through my 5-dance scholarship, with jive to go, and I developed a wicked case of cotton mouth. I was trying like heck to smile and show some emotion, but my mouth was too dry to do anything!

[CC]

- Highlighter or two to highlight my heats in the program as well as others I'm interested in watching. I tend to loose that heat sheet list. :?
- Camera
- Non-perishable type food (breakfast bars, bagels, etc) - sometimes you don't have time to eat or want to eat a sit down meal depending on what time you dance.
- Glue (to keep heavier earrings on) - I used to use eyelash glue but that didn't work with the last pair of hoops I used. My ear lobes are on the thicker side so it might be just me. Someone recommend Gemtack (the glue sometimes used to glue rhinestones on dresses) so I'm going to try that next time.
- Extra pair fishnets (BTW - you can cut the top waist band off of fishnets like those made by Capezio - the waist bands are tight and tend to make a roll on even the very slim. After cutting, they won't run - I've also seen dancers cut out the toes of fishnets because they tend to bind.)
- Top Stick - double sided tape strips to attach clothing to skin when necessary. :wink:
- Small sewing kit
- Extra eyelashes and eyelash glue

[Laura]

I've had very good success using double-sided nail tabs (like the kind used for press-on nails) to keep earrings on.

[Larinda McRaven]

Castor Oil is used by rhythm, latin, and smooth dancers, when the floor is fast or slick. It is pretty gummy and gooey. I only use it on floors that are so bad that everyone is practically crying over it. If the floor is just a little slick, I suck it up and work harder to get my balance right as I make lines.

But considering that all dance styles, except standard, use shapes that are off balance, or are at least shared balance, you don't always have an opportunity to place your center of gravity over your foot. A fast floor spells disaster, sometimes castor oil is necessary.

[CC]

Laura, that's a neat idea - did you try it with both clip-ons and regular posts for pierced ears (mine are pierced)?

[Laura]

CC, have you ever tried French Clip earrings? They are pierced earrings with a clapse, so they really stay on but because of the clapse you can wear bigger earrings than just plain pierced. French Clips are my favorite for ballroom.

I use the tape with clip on earrings or older French Clips where the clapse isn't tight anymore. I rarely wear plain pierced earrings for competition, so I haven't actually thought about using the tape with pierced earrings.

[CC]

Thanks for the information Laura. I think I have tried French clip earring (but didn't realize that's what they were called). I thought it was a clever idea - I borrowed them from a friend awhile back.

In general, I have a hard time with clips because my ears end up aching and uncomfortable to the point when I open them I'm "ooo ooo oooing" - I can wear them for a little while and it's ok but not long enough for what you'd need for competition. I use backings on pierced earring that have a flat plastic disc so there's more area to apply adhesive.

[Joe]

Castor Oil is used by rhythm, latin, and smooth dancers, when the floor is fast or slick. It is pretty gummy and gooey. I only use it on floors that are so bad that everyone is practically crying over it. If the floor is just a little slick, I suck it up and work harder to get my balance right as I make lines.

But considering that all dance styles, except standard, use shapes that are off balance, or are at least shared balance, you don't always have an opportunity to place your center of gravity over your foot. A fast floor spells disaster, sometimes castor oil is necessary.
Grr!

I'd like to seed the floor with baby powder...

[Larinda McRaven]

Actually a lot of standard dancers I know hate fast floors too and complain just as violently. But I think women have a larger problem with it than men. As we swing sideways into things and our shoes are tilted to the inside edge of the toe, sometimes it is only our satin that is in contact with the floor. There is nothing to gripe the floor with and the foot can just continue to slide out before we can ever get over it. This can happen even on a perfectly balanced floor, so a fast floor is a nightmare even in closed. I guess guys don't have this problem, since your patents are not slippery like satin.

[Chris Stratton]

Let's just give those who need them shoes with patent leather SOLES and leave the floor alone...