DOWN EAST DANCE ACADEMY

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How to Prepare

for Competition

deda comp team

60-90 minutes on comp day

Get everything you need at least two weeks before competition

1

Hairstyle

Each routine will have a set hairstyle for long hair. This year, it will be a centre part mid pony or bun. Short hair must be slicked back off the face. We will provide an instructional video for those who are unfamiliar with dancers buns.

Check the Footwear and Hairstyles document to find the hairstyle for each of your routines.

2

Make Up and Earrings

All dancers must wear stage makeup, including false eyelashes and competition earrings (pierced or clip on). Females must have make up done before you arrive at the venue. Required items and instructions will be provided. Boys make up will be done by our backstage staff.

3

Undergarments and Tights

Dancers can wear any skin colored undergarments, as long as they do not show under your costumes. Skin toned bodysuits are recommended for younger dancers. For older dancers, visible bra straps will cause us to loose presentation marks, so please be sure to choose carefully. We will also provide pop up change rooms in our dressing room for those that are not wearing bodysuits.

All dancers are required to wear stirrup tights for group routines.

No manicures or pedicures are permitted at competition, please keep your nails cut short, especially if you have partner tricks or lifts in your routine.

4

Costumes and Warm Up

Once you receive your costume, make sure to get all alterations done. Organize costumes in garment bags based on the schedule at competition. Take extra special care of accessories. All dancers also require a team jacket or zip up in order to go onstage for awards.

5

6

Shoes

Each routine has required footwear. Make sure all of your shoes fit properly, are in good condition with no holes or tears, and have your NAME on them. Check the routine list

Arriving on time

We cannot stress this enough. Each routine will have a call time, which must be respected. When dancers are late or not ready, it affects the whole group. At competition, our staff are trained to prepare the dancer as best we can ourselves, it is not the time to discipline anyone or discuss problems. We do everything we can to make sure dancers have a great time onstage. However, if you arrive late or are not prepared (wrong hairstyle, costume not hemmed, etc), a $50 fee will be charged to your account. If it is your second offence of the season, the fee doubles to $100.

Shopping Guide

deda competitive

dancer

Get everything you need at least two weeks before competition

If ordering oline, be sure to check the expected delivery date

1

Hair Products

Hair pins

Smoothing

Brush

Amazon List for Hair Products

2

Make Up and Earrings

Required make up in our DEDA colors:

Sephora Colorful Blush - Color 06 Flirt It Up Intense Strawberry

Sephora Cream Lip Stain - Color 95 Electric Ruby

Sephora Precious Gemstones eyeshadow Palette - Color Pearl

Sephora Products Shopping List

Required make up in any brand that matches your coloring:

Brow Pencil (slightly darker than hair color)

False Lashes and Lash Glue

Make Up brushes and applicators

Foundation and powder to match your skin tone

Make up remover, Qtips, and cotton pads

Amazon List for Make Up Products

Earrings must be purchased on the portal. All female dancers wear the same type/size and they are available in clip on or pierced.

If you have allergies, we recommend getting clip on and covering them with Nexcare foam tape.

3

Undergarments and Tights

All female dancers must wear stirrup tights for all group routines. Tights are available at Demi Pointe Dance Shop in Charlottetown. Please check their hours before going in.

Male dancers wear tight fitting black shorts and a white or black sleeveless shirt under their costumes (depending on the color of their costume).

All female dancers can wear skin toned bodysuits, if they have a two piece costume they should wear a two piece skin toned brief and bra top under their costumes.

Please make sure undergarments fit small so that they do no show.

Elite (Competitive division) dancers should have no bra straps or undergarments showing at all, this level is considered Pre-professional and dancers are adjudicated more stringently on appearance.

Demi Pointe has some options for undergarments, you can also check Inspirations Dancewear or visit a bra store to discuss strapless options.

We have purchased two pop up change “tents” for our dressing room, which will be reserved for older dancers that are not wearing bodysuits.

Shopping Guide

deda competitive

dancer

Get everything you need at least two weeks before competition

If ordering oline, be sure to check the expected delivery date

4

Costumes

When you receive your costume, your dancer has already tried it on, if it was not the right size, we have already exchanged it. If it is still too big, it is now your responsibility to get it altered to fit your dancer.

Contact Julie Wilkie for simple and inexpensive alterations (902) 330-9320 (Georgetown)

Take note of accessories that go with each costume and make sure you don’t lose them. If your dancer doesn’t have their accessory, nobody gets to wear it, so it’s really important to check and make sure you keep the costume parts together.

5

Warm Up

Down East Dance Academy team jackets or zip ups are required to go onstage at awards. Awards can get a little hectic and it’s a very important strategy that we have developed to help us keep track of dancers and keep everyone safe.

If you indicated on the Dancer Measurements form that you required a zip up or jacket, we will place an order for you and bill you on the portal.

6

Garment Bags

Organize costumes in garment bags based on the schedule at competition. Take extra special care of accessories. You should have one garment bag for every two costumes.

We recommend garment bags with clear pouches for accessories, like this one from Amazon.

7

Shoes

Check the Footwear and Hairstyles By Routine document to make sure you have the correct footwear for each dance.

Before competition, clean out your dance bag and check all your shoes to make sure they have your name on them and they are in good condition with no discoloration, rips, or tears.

We recommend purchasing tap shoes, foot undeez, half soles and jazz shoes at Demi Pointe Dance Shop in Charlottetown. Please check their hours before going in.

All black Adidas sneakers for hip hop can be purchased online, like these from Amazon.

Make Up Guide

deda competitive

dancer

20-40 mins on comp day

The more you practice the better you will be at applying make up

Get everything you need at least two weeks before competition

1

Prepare Face

• Clean and moisturize skin and lips
• Apply foundation to entire face and upper neck. Blend well.
  
• Apply powder to set the foundation. Lightly dust all over face in outward
  

sweeping motions. Dab a little extra under the eyes to catch eye shadow

dust. It will be removed later.

2

Eyeshadow

• Use SHADE 1 to highlight brow bone and inner corner of the eye
  
• Use SHADE 4 over entire lid up to crease
  
• Use SHADE 6 in the crease of the eye in a sideways V, focusing color on the outer half of the eye
  
• Use SHADE 7 to lightly blend the colors together. Do not put shimmery shadow
  

on the brow bone.

3

Brows

• Comb through brows with brush end of brow pencil.
• For youthful brows: draw thin lines in the centre of the natural brow to darken it and brush to blend. Do not fill in your dancer’s entire brow.
  
• For mature/defined brows: draw the outline of the brow and fill in with pencil. If you’re not used to drawing brows, use a brow shaping stencil.
  

4

Lashes

• Cut false lash to shorten the lid length (if necessary).
• Apply glue to false lash and allow 15-20 seconds for the glue to get tacky
  

before applying to eye lid.

• Apply just slightly above real lashes
  
• Do not wear mascara
  

5

Cheeks and Lips

• Sweep away the excess face powder you put under the eyes in Step 1
• Apply blush by starting at the hair line, just under the cheekbone and start pulling color forward to the apples of the cheeks with soft brush.
  
• Apply lip stain directly to your lips, starting in the center and smoothing out toward the corners.
  

6

Earrings

Don’t forget to put your earrings on! Use Nextape (foam tape available in the Band-aid isle) if your dancer is allergic to certain metals and/or if they’re wearing clip on earrings.

Eyeliner

We are no longer doing the black and white eyeliner wing. Any older dancers that wish to use the black eyeliner to accentuate the top lash line is fine, but please do not exaggerate it.

Make Up Instructional Photos

deda competitive

dancer

eyeshadow - shade 1

Use SHADE 1 to highlight brow bone and inner corner of the eye

eyeshadow - shade 4

Use SHADE 4 over entire lid up to crease

eyeshadow - shade 6

Use SHADE 6 in the crease of the eye in a sideways V, focusing color on the outer half of the eye

eyeshadow - shade 7

Use SHADE 7 to lightly blend the colors together. Do not put shimmery shadow

on the brow bone.

eyebrows

Darken brow and exaggerate the extension, do not fill in the entire brow.

lashes

Apply lashes slightly above the natural lash line.

blush

Apply blush by starting at the hair line, just under the cheekbone and start pulling color forward to the apples of the cheeks with soft brush.

lips

Apply lip stain directly to your lips, starting in the center and smoothing out toward the corners.

eyeshadow palette - quick reference

We use Shade 1, Shade 4, Shade 6 and Shade 7.

Hair Guide

deda competitive

dancer

20-40 minutes on comp day

The more you practice the better you will be at doing hair

Get everything you need at least two weeks before competition

1

Centre Part

Use a comb to part the hair straight down the centre of the head. Put hair gel on either side of the part and at the hair line.

Ponytail

2

Using a hair elastic that matches your hair color, make a ponytail. Apply gel generously and smooth hair back using smoothing brush. Take out elastic and put it back in making sure all hair is pulled back smoothly. The ponytail should be in line with the top of the ears in the centre of the back of the head.

3

Bun

DO NOT use a donut, or any other bun making gadget. Dancers buns are flat so that they don’t interfere with movement. Twist ponytail into a bun shape, cover it with a hair net that matches hair color, use hair pins (not bobby pins) to secure bun.

4

Straightening Hair

If your hairstyle is a ponytail, please straighten your hair. We will have hair straighteners backstage for dancers that go from bun to pony within the same session. If your hair is naturally tight curls, you do not need to straighten your hair. If your hair is wavy, or has a loose curl, please straighten your hair. This is not necessary if your only hairstyle is a bun.

5

Accessories

At Dress Rehearsal, how we are wearing accessories will be set. We will take pictures and post them so that everyone knows how to wear their costumes and accessories. Typically speaking, bows go over ponytails or buns, sparkly bobby pins go both on the left side, and applique must be sewn into the hair. If you have a bandanna it must be pressed.

6

Instructional Video

Here’s a quick video of how to do a middle part and a dancer’s bun. They call it a high bun, but it’s at the height we are looking for.

I would make the bun more flat before adding the hair pins.

hair Instructional Photos

deda competitive

dancer

centre part

Bun

Use a comb. As dancers, we work hard on our lines, we can’t have crooked ones in our hair!

Use a hairnet and bobby pins that match hair color, I didn’t have any blond ones when I did this dancers hair. You should not be able to see the hairnet.

Ponytail

Well slicked back, no whispy hair or flyaways. Hair should be straightened unless hair is naturally curly. Please make sure curls are well groomed.