What’s in your ballroom survival kit?
What’s in your ballroom survival kit… What?! You don’t have a ballroom competition survival kit?! You should! Have you ever found yourself at a ballroom dance competition with an emergency and realize you don’t have what you need to handle it? Maybe it’s a blister, or a headache, messy hair or an errant eyelash. Hopefully, if you’ve been in a ballroom pickle, someone’s been there to lend a hand, but in order to avoid those stressful moments, in the words of the Boy Scouts of America, “Be prepared.” Enter competition survival kits.
What to expect at a ballroom dance competition.
The first step in building your competition survival kit is to identify the “essentials.” These are the items you’ll need to manage situations that commonly arise at a dance competition and probably vary from person to person. Chances are you already carry fixes for these things in your dance bag, but it’s a good idea to assemble them all into one place for easy retrieval when competing or performing (survival kits are great for showcases too). My list includes:
- tissues (my nose always runs)
- blister pads and bandages
- lip balm
- Advil/Tylenol
- Tums/Gas-X/Beano (yes…everybody needs this once in a while, some more often than others…)
- energy bars/snack
- deodorant (Lume is my favorite for comp days)
- personal hygiene wipes
- hand sanitizer
- shoe brush
- heel protectors
- back-of-heel-cushions (for inside shoes to prevent blisters and to tighten up shoe fit)
- hairspray
- lipstick
- compact mirror
- reading glasses
- highlighter to help keep track of heats as you dance them
What not to expect at a ballroom dance completion, but you should prepare for anyway.
Next consider the potential emergencies that could crop up and could send you into a tailspin, and make a list of the fix for each one. Here’s what’s in my competition survival kit:
- mini sewing kit
- Gorilla Glue (for shoe repair and major loose stones/embellishments)
- eyelash glue/extra pair of eyelashes
- body glue
- Tide Stick
- waterproof eyeliner (pencil)
- tweezers
- nail clippers
- Immodium (for diarrhea… think of me if you ever need this and have it in your survival kit…you’re welcome)
- Sting Stick or other typical antihistamine for bug bites and rashes
- Afrin (for bloody noses)
- clear nail polish (for manicure emergencies and to stop fraying)
- Static Guard
- eyedrops
- cough drops
- individual Celsius energy drink powders (add it t your to water for an energy boost during long or late-at-night sessions)
- shoe laces (for my partner)
- extra pair of AB hoops
Competition survival kit storage containers.
Remember, you’re assembling a survival kit for a single competition not a lunar mission so think small. Packing mini or travel sized versions of what you need reduces not only the size of the container you’ll need, but also the overall weight of your dance bag. Container selection will depend on the volume of the contents of your survival kit, but whatever size you use, select something made of clear plastic because it’s 1) waterproof and 2) allows you to find what you need at a glance. Check out this one which is available on Amazon. You might also consider this one, which is a two pack, so you can build a back up competition survival kit to grab in a pinch, one for your practice bag or you can build one for a partner or a dance buddy. You may also want to group first aid items, make-up, or other same-use items together in small ziplock bags within your larger container so they’re easy to find and grab when you need a quick fix between heats.
Miscellaneous competition survival kit ideas.
You know yourself better than anyone, so only you can decide what will best serve your unique competition survival kit needs, but to help you get thinking, here’s an additional list of items I don’t carry with me, but you might want to.
- bobby pins
- dance bun hair net
- hair brush/comb
- hot/cold patches
- Tiger Balm or some other topical muscle pain reliever
- toothbrush/toothpaste/mouthwash
- feminine hygiene products
- Claritin or another non-drowsy antihistamine
- golf ball or lacrosse ball for deep tissue massage
- chewing gum
- extra fishnets (ladies)/socks (gentlemen)
- tanning makeup
- rescue inhaler if you have chronic or exercise induced RAD/asthma
- vaseline
- Lysol Wipes
- lint roller
- KT tape/anke brace/knee brace
- phone charger
Conclusion
Once you’ve assembled your ballroom competition survival kit, store it in a safe place so it’s easy to find when you’re rushing to pack. Be sure to restock anything you’ve used after every competition so you’re not scrambling to replace things at the last minute. You may discover, like I did, carrying a truncated survival kit in your dance bag for practices and lessons also comes in handy. My practice survival kit contains only items from my competition essentials list, minus the hairspray, lipstick, compact mirror and highlighter.
Finally, did I forget something? Leave a comment and share what you carry in your ballroom dance competition survival kit.
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