The Art of the Quick Change
This meme was first published to my Facebook page on March 7, 2019.
Even before the days of block scheduling, veteran dance moms were well acquainted with the term “quick change.” If you are among the uninitiated, quick changes happen when a dancer needs to change out of a costume and into another one with just a routine or two in between. Some are easier to manage than others, depending on countless factors. One thing is certain though: We dance moms DO NOT enjoy them!
You Never Forget Your First
My first real experience with a quick change was during our recital some years ago. My girls had gotten their first solos, and there were just three numbers between Thing 1’s performance and one of her group routines. In this particular theater, the dressing rooms were quite a distance from the stage. Realistically, my girl could not have made it all the way to the dressing room, changed, and gotten back in time for the next number.
So the master plan was for her to change backstage behind the curtain, which sounded perfect at the time. Having never done a quick change before, I decided to sneak a peek at the area where she would need to go before the show started. Right away, I became fairly concerned because of how poorly lit the area was. How I was surprised by that (it was backstage, duh), I’m a little embarrassed by. I worried about how cramped and crowded it was back there as well, and wondered how it would all play out once the big moment came.
Thankfully, everything went off without a hitch. Other, more experienced dance moms were back there to help out, thank goodness. Since Thing 1 was the only dancer with a quick change during that period of time, many helpful hands pitched in to make it work without a snag. As I went back to my normal post (the dressing room), I breathed a sigh of relief.
Hectic in the Hallway
The following year, I got my first taste of quick changes during competitions. For this one, I knew there would be more pressure because our studio wasn’t running the show. With just two numbers in between a group routine and my girls’ duo, I knew I had to create a foolproof plan that took all possible scenarios into account.
Thankfully, I already knew the layout of the venue (so I was fully aware that making it back to the dressing room would be an impossibility). Instead, we found an alcove in the hallway outside the back of the auditorium. As soon as my girls came off the stage, two other women and I made a human curtain around my girls as they ripped one costume off and tugged another one on. I ran into the audience, my hands and arms full of costumes, hairpieces, and other accessories. But at least they got onstage on time!
Save the Tears Until After the Quick Change
My most memorable quick change experience was when we competed against the ALDC at Fierce in March of 2019 (for more on that, go to Abby Lee Miller – Friend or Foe to the Dance World?). Only a handful of other teams competed that time, so there were a few quick changes that needed to be executed throughout the day. For one, I unknowingly dropped one of the girls’ costume pieces in the audience seats when I rushed into the nearby bathroom to help my girls (they had exactly one number to change). When I got to the bathroom and realized I was missing Thing 2’s briefs, I nearly started hyperventilating.
While another mother attended to my girls, I raced back into the auditorium to rip through the seats. Luckily, I found it in fairly short order, but some damage had been done. Thing 2 was really upset, thinking she wouldn’t be able to go on, so I definitely cost her some points off her mental game. Even two years later, I still feel terribly about it (I’m seriously tearing up about it as I’m writing this).
In any event, make sure you wear extra deodorant when you’ve got to help your dancer pull off a quick change. Like Ted Stryker here in the classic comedy Airplane!, buckets of sweat might be in your future.
Work hard, have fun! – Danielle
For more on block scheduling, check out The Pros and Cons of Block Scheduling, Part 1 and Part 2.
We had quite a few quick changes during our at-home recital during 2020! Check out Live From Our House, Part 1 here!
Theater Etiquette
16 Comments
Suz | TravelsWithSuz.com
Sounds so stressful! But your writeup is so entertaining. Reminds me of backstage theater work – each actor had their own dresser for quick changes, which made life easier.
Alicia
Wear extra deoderant sounds like some great advice! Definitely stressful!
Terra Booth
My daughter is in ballet and jazz so we know this well! It can definitely be quite the challenge.
Jessica
Wow!! Sounds hectic and stressful, but it always works out when many come together and use team work make it happen!
Misskorang
Isn’t it amazing the magic moms accomplish at all cost? Add the yuck change to that list now.
Alice
How stressful but you handled things wonderfully.
Tiffany
I can’t imagine how stressful quick changes must be!
Cecile
Your post brought back memories when I was in my high school plays. I remembers changing back stage how dark and cramped it was. But I had so much fun. Great post. Thanks for sharing.
Tricia Snow
Sounds stressful! But a good teacher for kids who need to stay on schedule.
Keirsten
Oh man I can only imagine and picture it in my head. Kids can be so hard to do anything quick with especially when it’s dressing them. It can kind of get like that for me changing actor’s makeup in between scenes but somehow you just get it done. 😹
Allison Peteet
The hectic experience of changing between performances was part of the fun when I was younger. After all was said and done, it was a satisying feeling knowing we pulled it all off.
Stephanie
Great story! It’s always amazing how crazy things can get behind the scenes.
Sabrina DeWalt
Dance sounds more stressful than football was.
Elizabeth Preble
My daughter is in ballet but her performance only had one costume so I haven’t had the pleasure of outfit changes, but I’m going to take your tips and keep them handy because I’m sure I’ll use them in the future!
Marianne
Sounds soooo stressful! I would be l;ike a fish out of water with something like this! Neither of my girls were interested in dance.
Cindy Moore
I understand this! My daughter used to have to change clothes during horse shows. There was always a costume competition too. Once she took off back into the arena after a hasty change and realized she didn’t have her shirt on!