First Year Dance Moms – 7 Practical Tips

Being a new (or new-ish) dance mom is a tough job, so don’t let anyone tell you differently!  Making sure that you’re as on-point as your dancer requires a ton of time and effort.  Over the years, these veteran dance moms (credited in parentheses) have developed a few tricks of the trade, and have generously shared these helpful tips with us (and a huge THANK YOU to each of them!).

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Stay organized!  (Lisa, Gina, and Tara)

It seems like such a simple thing to do, but staying on top of all correspondence (emails, calendar updates, text messages, etc.) is absolutely essential if you’re aiming to stay organized (hopefully, you are!).  We all falter from time to time, and a deadline might slip past the goalie on occasion, but do everything you can to prevent it from being the norm.  Personally, I use Google Calendar as our main hub so the girls’ father is also aware of all of the upcoming events.  Adding your kids to the electronic calendar also works for many families, as does having a good ol’ physical dry erase calendar in a central location in the house.

Make checklists (Kimm, Charla, Sarah, and Tara)

While it may seem time-consuming, making electronic checklists can actually be a time-saving strategy.  Checklists can be saved and updated each year for conventions, competitions, community performances, etc.  When we return from a dance event, I (try to) update my list with anything that I might have forgotten so that it’s ready to go for next year.  You can either laminate these, or cover them with plastic sleeves.  Personally, I like encasing the lists in sheet protectors and hanging them from the rolling rack with a binder ring.  

Label everything (Danielle)

In the hustle-bustle of trying to get everything accounted for and packed, you might be tempted to forgo labeling each costume top/bottom, pair of tights, tap shoes, etc.  My advice:  DON’T NEGLECT LABELING!  Seriously, it has saved my skin more times than I can count.  With eleven other girls on the team having the exact same hairpiece, costume, tights, etc. things can get…well…hairy when a fight over whose-is-whose breaks out. 

I always keep a black Sharpie on me, as well as a metallic Sharpie (either gold, silver, or copper) to write on dark surfaces (like the insides of those tap shoes).  If it’s something that you absolutely cannot write on with permanent ink, affix a piece of clear Scotch tape onto it and write the name on the tape.

Pack extra supplies (Jill, Sarah, Rebeccah, Danielle, Katherine)

There are some things you really can’t have enough of; even if you don’t need all of those bobby pins, chances are there’s another dancer that forgot hers and will REALLY appreciate it if you would throw some her way.  Other things we need in large quantities:  safety pins, E6000, highlighters, hair ties/elastics, lashes, medication (in a separate bag), etc.

Bring a robe or other garment to cover younger kids when they’re wearing their costumes (Patti)

When you’re touching up your daughter’s makeup, you don’t want a shower of eyeshadow or a spilled snack ruining her costume (there will be enough chaos on a performance day without adding to it).  Have her don a robe or loose button-down shirt over her costume to protect it from mishaps (smeared lipstick is the worst). For boys or girls, having a button-down jersey in a larger size works well.

Always be early (Charla)

In B. C. (before children) times, I was notorious for being early to basically every place I went.  Once, there was a miscommunication between my daughters’ dance teacher and me about a solo rehearsal start time; she called me once ten minutes had passed because she thought to herself, “Danielle is NEVER late.”  Not entirely true, but flattering nonetheless.

 I hate being late – it makes the vein in my forehead throb, and raises my anxiety levels to new heights.  And who needs more anxiety when they’ve got a dance event to get through?  Uh, absolutely no one!  I tend to over-budget the amount of time it will take to get somewhere, but I’d rather be early than late.  If you’re headed to an unfamiliar venue, use an app (like Google Maps) to get an idea of how long it will take, and then add an extra five or ten minutes for every half hour.  

Take lots of pictures (Amanda, Stephanie)

Since virtually everyone has a cell phone with camera capabilities, there is no excuse for not taking enough pictures (unless you have a moody teenager that doesn’t want to be photographed.  If that’s the case, I feel you).  If you’re too busy to take as many as you would like, enlist a family member to take over the duties for you.  And as much as you might not want to, you should try to get some pictures with you in them.  Personally, I hate the way I look in photos, but want some for my girls to remember the good times with.  So I suck it up and deal, and smile for the camera!

Hopefully, you’re able to adopt and adapt these strategies to help your family navigate the choppy waters of competitive dance!

For more in the First Year Dance Moms series, check out Perspective – Part 1, Perspective, Part 2, and Sharing the Load.

Do you have any other tips you’d like to share?  Please comment below!

Work hard, have fun! – Danielle