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If you own a dancing bag, recently purchased one, or have seen your partner with these giant bags whenever they come to the studio, you might wonder what's usually inside.
While it’s fun to think that they’re home to hidden treasures, it’s only partly true– these bags carry the most essential items for dancers to be at their best and prepared for any kind of performance.
But for many, ballet isn’t an isolated sport - ensuring that you’re well equipped for partner work is an important aspect of good etiquette, and can make leaps and bounds of difference in your experience, both pleasurable and performance-wise.
In this article, the Mino Dance team has compiled a list of useful things to carry in one's dancing bag. We have chosen these items as we find them helpful in a lot of situations– be it auditions, performances, or coming to a new studio – but we feel like it resonates best when used for partner work.
If you’re someone who sweats a lot, it’s always nice to have a towel on hand to wipe the sweat off your brow. However, that’s not the only thing to get a towel in your dancing bag. If you’re planning to partner up, sweat can be a slippery and uncomfortable inconvenience, which can affect you and/or your partner’s performance.
This may even become a hazard during lifts, since sweaty skin can make it difficult to sustain trustworthy contact. With this in mind, we highly recommend packing a clean towel or two in your dancing bag for good measure.
If you're doing partner work and you're not familiar with how your opposite moves, accidents become much more prone to happen. Having a backup pair of clean leotards or tights can save you from any rips, snags, tears, or stains while you perform – you never know when these things will happen, so it’s better to have a ‘just-in-case’ option than none at all!
Additionally, dancing can make you sweat a lot, and there’s nothing worse to dance with someone performing in an unhygienic leotard. Sure, having a towel may help with some of the sweat on your brow or forehead, but nothing beats performing in a fresh outfit.
It’s also the case that some studios can have tight dress codes, and packing an extra pair of tights or two may help circumvent this issue.
If you’re going to a dance audition, we highly recommend packing several shoes for this occasion as you never know what style you’ll be asked to perform with your partner.
Dance shoes you typically want to include would be ballet slippers, tap shoes, and jazz sneakers to cover both basic and speciality dances.
We’ve also noticed that some dancers like to store their shoes in their bags and forget about them until the next performance. While this is a convenient habit, our dance shoes often contain a lot of sweat – the perfect breeding ground for mould and fungus.
With this in mind, we highly recommend storing them in practical mesh bags or specialised dancing bags that allow for air.
If you have tried partner work before, you’re familiar with the fact that nobody wants to work with someone who has an unpleasant odour. Having deodorant in your bag can help you work around this issue, keeping you fresh for longer.
Another way to circumvent this issue is to pack a cologne or perfume to help freshen up after your performance.
However, watch out for becoming ‘nose blind’ and overspraying, as according to a general discussion from Fragrantica, you can usually use any perfume you have in your collection – just as long as you don't overspray.
Partner work leaves you with little to no personal space, and while it's great for your partner to catch whiffs of your favourite perfume as it projects, overspraying may affect their performance as they rush to cover their noses.
Therefore, we highly recommend getting a light fragrance that has the scent you want but is manageable for the people around you.
Just as we may run into snags, tears, or snaps with our thighs or leotards, we may also get a cut, break, or blister during our dance performances. Having antiseptic wipes or ointments in your dancing bags may help clean these minor injuries until you can properly attend to them.
Additionally, while most studios have a first-aid kit somewhere on the premises, we highly recommend bringing your own if you are allergic to certain types of adhesives that band-aids contain. Most studios typically carry only one brand of medical supplies in their first aid kits, so carrying a pack of bandages will be a life-saver.
Dancers are whipping and flinging their hair during performances, and nothing is more distracting for your partner than to see your hair going all over the place (and theirs).
Headbands, scrunchies, and bow clips are the perfect and practical solution for this issue. Just make sure to get a hair accessory that fits your look and dance style.
You can also keep a few of these hair accessories on hand and offer them to other dancers who might have forgotten to bring their own. We find that these are a great way to strike up a conversation and maybe even gain a friend or two along the way!
Apart from all the items we mentioned above, we also recommend packing a reusable water bottle in your dancing bag, as well as a healthy snack such as nuts, fruits, or even a protein bar.
This way, you can both stay hydrated and satiated during long rehearsals - or if you’re in a situation where you have limited access to nutritionally full meals.
As always, if you have any questions or need some help finding the right dancing bag for you, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us for assistance!