Setting Up a Dance Space At Home – Part 4 – Mirror, Mirror

Update (4/26/22): I realize with shame and horror that I never updated this, and we’ve had the mirror going on two years! Yes, we did buy another mirror from The Mirror Company (see below), and my girls use it all the time.

Update (6/23/20): I just ordered a 6′ x 8′ mirror to put in our basement dance space (see Completely Floored) from The Mirror Company and will keep everyone posted once it’s up!

Quite honestly, I’m on the fence about getting a mirror for my at-home dance space.  When this whole global pandemic thing started, I figured it was a temporary situation that we could endure without having to get one.  As I’ve mentioned before, my girls dance in our dining room at home; I’m really not keen on having an entire wall mirrored, and having to explain that to people when they come over once social distancing meets its end.  But I can’t help wondering whether the technique they’ve worked so hard to develop is slowly diminishing because they aren’t checking their forms themselves.  

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Do we really need one?

There is really no denying that mirrors can offer a tremendous benefit to dancers; there are solid reasons why every dance school has them.  To check their placement and alignment, dancers can quickly glimpse in the mirror. If an instructor gives a correction, dancers can check themselves to gauge whether or not they have properly executed it.  If your child is choreographing, he/she can get an idea of what a combo actually looks like before finalizing decisions about incorporating it into a routine. While having a mirror in a home dance space isn’t an absolute necessity, it can make a significant difference in how much your dancers can “get out” of their practice and rehearsal efforts.

What to LOOK for (SEE what I did there?)

There are countless considerations involved when selecting a mirror.  How permanent is this going to be? What are you looking to spend? What dimensions do you need?  These and other questions will need to factor into your decision-making process.  

There are large mirrors that can stand up against a wall without mounting them (like this one).  I personally won’t do that; if there is just one person on the planet whose mirror would fall and crack into eight million pieces, it’s this lady right here (me, and I don’t need any more bad luck, thank you).  But if you’re comfortable with it, there are many options out there. Many families prefer frameless, wall-mounted mirrors (something like this); you’ll want to check the installation instructions and hardware requirements ahead of time. 

Unless you have a dedicated room for your dancers’ at-home practice, you’re probably looking at something in the 2’ x 3’ or 3’ x 4’ range.  If you’re mounting it against the wall, be sure to measure carefully before you throw down the cash. Think about where you want to position it as well; it may not be necessary to align the bottom of the mirror directly on where the wall meets the floor, unless your dancers are going to be really close to the mirror due to space constraints (and even then, you can still probably raise it up a few inches).  It would be a good idea to have your dancers around when you decide on the mirror’s placement, so you can base it on where they’re likely to be during their lesson (and how much of their body will be captured in the reflection). Having a solid mirror, rather than a handful of smaller mirrors pieced together like a puzzle, allows the students to more clearly see their bodies without being distracted by the brokenness created by the lines between the pieces.  

There are mylar stickers and sheets on the market that are designed to give a mirror effect (like this).  Personally, I don’t know anyone who has used something like this, and the ratings on those products on Amazon are mostly negative.  Before you decide to go that route, see if you can have a conversation with someone you trust that has actually used this option.

Years ago, I hired The Mirror Company to install a 6’ x 8’ mirror in the annex next to my bedroom in my former house.  They were wonderful – it didn’t take long at all, and it was exactly what I was looking for. As of this post, they are offering 4’ x 6’ do-it-yourself mirror kits for $249.  I have not bought one of these myself, so I can’t personally vouch for it (by the way, I have no affiliation with The Mirror Company. I was just impressed with their service and product a few years back).  

There are also quite a few options available at Lowe’s and Home Depot; you can check what products are in stock by using the site’s zip code feature.  Paying for it online and picking it up at the store is the most contactless method, although you might (understandably) want to see it before you buy it.  Getting a door mirror (which can often be hung rather than mounted) can be a fairly inexpensive solution – Target has them for $16.99, and I have seen them in other discount stores like Walmart and Big Lots.  They are narrow, but are cheap, movable, and practical. Amazon is a good place to get some ideas as well (like this), even if you end up ordering your mirror elsewhere.

After some REFLECTION…

If you don’t have a mirror and decide that you won’t be getting one, don’t fret; many instructors would have even their recreational dancers turn away from the mirror at some point in the year anyway (so the students become less reliant on watching themselves as they prepare for recital).  For dancers that really need to see themselves, they can set up a Smartphone to record their movements (getting a tripod to steady the shot is highly recommended) and play it back later. This won’t provide the immediate feedback that many dancers crave, but they can play their videos repeatedly, and pause them to really look at individual frames critically.  

Whatever you decide, let’s all hope that our dancers will soon be back in front of the mirrors in their studios!

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PS – If you do purchase a mirror, be sure to use ammonia-free cleaner to avoid those dreaded black patches from forming. These cans of Sprayway fit the bill, and the ratings are fantastic!

Work hard, have fun! – Danielle

What type of mirror do you have in your home dance space? Help our readers out by sharing your experience below!

Just like everything else, you’ll need some additional equipment to get the most out of your at-home dance space (see Tools of the Trade for details).