10 Weird Things You Will Find In A Dancer’s Room

The delicate-looking dancers have surprisingly weird things in their room and bag that you never expected.

When I tell people that I am a dance teacher, they imagine that I must have a contortionist’s flexibility, or that I am immature for not getting a real job, or that I love pink.

Now, here’s the real, real truth. 

Of course, all professionally trained dancers are flexible but also strong enough to do a dance lift with a boy or a girl. Teaching dance is a noble and fun profession. And yes, when I was young, I loved everything pink.

But over the years, I have noticed other things that dancers of different dance styles have. And the things dancers like to carry in their bags or love to collect in their rooms.

So, I have come up with a list of things that other people might never expect to find in a dancer’s room, but if you try to look at it from a dancer’s perspective, then these things will seem absolutely normal for a dancer to cherish. 

Disclaimer: All content in this post is for general health information only. Please consult a specialist physician before trying any new exercise, diet, or health advice. There are no affiliate links attached to this post. 

A tennis ball 

You might think that perhaps this dancer also loves playing tennis. But a tennis ball can also be used as a great foot massager, as can golf balls. Yes, it’s an absolute truth.

Dancers love to lose themselves in the music and rhythm. We can go on dancing for so long that we forget or ignore the foot pain and blisters. The moment we get to our room and take off our shoes and socks, the realization of a searing pain brings us back to reality.

Apart from medicines, balms, and bandages, dancers just put a tennis ball on the floor, press one foot gently on it, and roll it around the foot for pain relief. Ideally, golf balls are better foot massagers because of their design, which goes deeper into the tissues. But golf balls are costlier than tennis balls. Tennis and golf balls gently stimulate the muscles of the foot, which stretch and massage the foot for maximum relief. They also improve blood circulation across the foot. They are also easy to carry anywhere.

Ice Pack 

Another not-so-surprising thing that you will find in a dancer’s refrigerator is an ice pack. My mom asked me once why I don’t use the super-frozen yogurt kept in the freezer. I showed her that it was an ice pack and that please never mistakenly use it for cooking. 

Keeping an ice pack at home or in a dance studio is a good idea. It should be used after a workout to reduce swelling and inflammation. Some dancers also like to dunk their feet in a bucket full of ice-cold water at home after a grilling dance practice. 

You might have heard about the RICE treatment from a sports coach or physiotherapist. RICE stands for Rest, Ice, Compression, and Elevation. These are the important steps to take after a sprain or an injury. After a few days of reduced pain and swelling, you can apply heating pads. 

Tea bags 

Health enthusiasts love drinking green tea. It is great for weight loss, curbs addictive habits of unhealthy drinks, and improves metabolism. There are many more benefits of tea, specifically tea bags. 

You can use tea bags as a deodorizer or air freshener to remove the sweaty smell from shoes and bags. Cleaning sports shoes and bags after 15-20 days is necessary. But when you spend too much time on the dance floor and are in the habit of not keeping your sweaty socks in a separate pouch, then the smell seeps into everything else kept in the bag. 

Tea bags are also used over the eyelids to reduce eye strain. After drinking tea, you can tear off the tea bag, take out the tea residue, and reuse it as fertilizer for plants

Rosin 

Rosin is a shiny, crystallized substance created from hardened tree sap. Dancers crush the crystals of Rosin with their dance shoes to avoid slipping on stage. Some dancers also use powdered or sprayed forms of Rosin. It’s always better to ask your dance teacher before using Rosin because it can also damage some dance floors. 

Lots of hair pins and hair rubber bands

You might think that hair pins and hair rubber bands can fall under the category of make-up boxes. But the busy training and practice schedule of a dancer can also lead to a messy bag. Losing a scrunchie or a hairpin is devastating news for a dancer. Not being able to fix their hair is a mark of indiscipline for ballet dancers. In other dance styles, losing hairpins is very irritating. Some dancers have a favorite colored scrunchie or rubber band. Dancers don’t keep a make-up kit in their dance bag all the time, but they always carry a hair clip, pin, or scrunchie. You will find their hair rubber bands in their bag, on the dressing table, and inside the pocket of their track pants, to name a few places. 

Collection of dance shoes 

Whatever dance style a dancer chooses, shoes play an important role. Heels, jazz shoes, colorful sneakers, tap shoes, ballet pointe shoes, etc. I started my training with the jazz dance style, and I still have my first jazz shoe. They are torn and in bad condition now. But just like a mother preserves the first tiny socks or dress of a child, likewise, dancers love the memory of their favorite dance shoes. A jazz shoe comes in black color. And I am unable to throw all the 12 pairs of black jazz shoes that I have. 

For one of my contemporary dance performances, my teacher asked me to get a ballet slipper that matches my skin tone. Since I have a beautiful coffee brown skin tone and the ballet slipper I had was black, I didn’t know what to do or where to find an appropriate ballet slipper. Since my ballet slipper was made of thick fabric, I painted my ballet slippers with dark brown fabric color and let them dry in the sun for more than 24 hours. The outcome was pretty impressive, and it totally matched my skin tone. I showed it to my teacher and the costume designer, and they were very happy with my practical efforts. 

Do you think that with such a memory I will ever throw that ballet slipper away? No way, never. 

All things black or pink 

Continuing the topic of colors, dancers love black and pink. These two colors dominate for dance boys and girls. Pink is not just for ballet dancers; there are other shades of pink that street dancers often include in their wardrobes. You can check any dancewear website, and you will definitely find black and pink colored apparel. 

Black is generally preferred by all dancers, especially beginners. With so much time spent in dance practice, sweat, and sweat stains leave their traces on the fabric. Even the stain of deodorant or a strong perfume can damage the attire. Black is a rescue color for dancers. Black is a traditional, classic, and forever color. It also brings out the contrast of other colors easily. At one point during my dance training, I had fewer dresses for casual outings and 80 percent of my dance attire was black. Black jazz pants, black jazz shoes, black ballet slippers, a black top, a black leotard, a black sports bra, black hair rubber bands, and a black dance bag. 

First Aid Kit

Next to a dancer’s make-up bag, you will always find a first-aid kit. Every scar or wound of a dancer has a memorable story. If you really want to know how much a dancer practices in a day, then you don’t need to see their resume; just look at the condition of their feet. Some of the wounds that a dancer’s feet go through are blisters, broken toenails, bunions, etc. Besides that, there will definitely be marks of injuries on the knees, and sometimes also on the elbows. 

After my ACL surgery, I went to a physiotherapist who literally helped me get back on my feet. She educated me about the importance of combining strength training with flexibility exercises. She also told me about medicines and other things that I should keep in my first aid kit while traveling for dance performances. es and other things that I should keep in my first aid kit while traveling for dance performances. 

An empty wall

It’s not a crazy idea to find an empty wall in a dancer’s bedroom. An empty wall is used by dancers to practice flexibility stretches. There should be no decorative stuff like photo frames or dream catchers or hanging showpieces. Here are some ways dancers use an empty wall to exercise. 

Glitter everywhere 

Glitter in make-up, glitter on shoes, glitter on dance costumes, and glitter on hair These are just a few places where you will definitely find glitter during and after a few days of the performance. You might also find some leftover glitter on the inside of the dance shoes and dance bag. Sometimes there’s some glitter that rubs off our cap or crown as well (wink). Sometimes we might deliberately forget to remove glitter from our eye shadow. 

I never thought that I would write so much on a fun dance topic. It was a wonderful dive down memory lane. I hope you enjoyed this post as well. Don’t forget to leave a comment and maybe share some of your experience if you are a dancer or have a friend who is an artist.