Backstage at Dance Competitions: What Really Goes On?

What is seen by the audience of a dance competition or recital is grace, beauty, finesse, and skill. However, what goes on behind the curtain is chaotic and stressful for dancers. As a dancer myself, I have experienced the backstage craziness at recitals, competitions, and showcases. I have spent most of my life dancing and can confirm that this is the reality of performing for dancers of all ages. Any member of the audience would never guess that there are frantic girls, missing costume pieces, and clouds of hairspray everywhere you look backstage. So I am here to expose the truth about what really happens behind the scenes of a dance production.

At any dance function, the dancers arrive early so that they can get ready, and they usually spend the entire day there. This means that girls are showing up with duffel bags of clothes and accessories, makeup bags, costumes, and lots of snacks to eat in between numbers. Immediately, the backstage area becomes a jumble of bags with everyone’s items mixing with each other. Then, the preparations begin with hair and makeup. Stage makeup takes time and requires a lot of blush and lipstick, which are essential to the look. The hairstyles that are frequently used are buns, french braids, ponytails, and other variations or combinations of them. Once the hair styling commences, the backstage area is sure to be infested with bobby pins and the air is contaminated with hairspray. However, as soon as one look is completed, it may need to be switched up for another dance. If you are lucky, you will only have one look for the whole day, but this is unlikely as many dancers are involved in multiple dances.

The next step of preparing to dance is the costume. This seems simple, but there are often missing parts, hair pieces that will not stay in place, and ripped tights among other catastrophes. Because many dancers have multiple costume changes, they often wear a standard leotard and tights that can be worn with most costumes. This allows for faster changes because some dancers only have a few minutes to completely switch from one dance to another. Not to mention after a performance, you are completely exhausted from dancing your heart out. Then, you have to run offstage and peel off one costume to put on another while struggling to catch your breath. It is especially difficult at competitions because there are dancers from different studios mixed in and crowding in the same space. While getting ready to perform, there are also dancers practicing their routine, which adds to the movement and action happening.

So now you know the truth about the glamorous life of dancers. It is a whirlwind on days of performances, but the feeling of accomplishment at the end of the day is worth the chaos. People might think we just sit backstage taking selfies all day, but there is so much work that goes into making us look our best in front of the audience. What appears to the public is a captivating three minute dance, but you would not imagine how much effort goes into that short time span. While dancers might seem picture perfect onstage, there is so much going on behind the curtains that goes unseen.

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