“He’s making a list... He’s checking it twice” That’s right folks, just like Santa in December, there are many things to consider and prepare you for a great competition. With Destination Dance’s first competition of 2019/2020 season approaching, it’s never too late to make some final adjustments before the long competitive weekend. Here are some of our 2-3 week countdown tips that will help you get focused physically and mentally: We’re not joking about the lists! As we sit making our final adjustments, you can bet your bottom dollar that the Destination team are working through lists. Make ..read more

This is a great blog for both competitors and teachers. In our previous blog ‘How to Find Your Personal Best’, we discussed using the judge’s feedback to help set manageable goals. But what many people struggle with is exactly that; Taking ‘negative’ feedback from others and using it to create something positive. Why is this so hard? Well, as creative human beings we are particularly driven by our emotions. Therefore, when people receive negative feedback (or what we at Dance Comp Diaries like to call ‘constructive criticism’) there are a number of ways that different types of personalities r ..read more

Hair can be a tricky one to get right, can’t it? If you’ve got a lot of hair, it can be hard to tame. If you’ve got thin hair, it can be hard to accentuate. You want it to look neat and tidy but not unnaturally tight. Just like bodies and faces, every head of hair is different. We can’t tell you exactly what is right for your performance, but we can give you some tips on how to help you along the way: Before your start your competition hairstyle here are some tips to get the best from you hair. Don’t wash your hair the day of the competition. In fact, try and leave it for at least two days ..read more

Makeup is an essential part of your overall presentation at dance competitions, so it is important to know the basics. With big open spaces and strong stage lights, our skin's tone and texture can quickly appear how we really wish it wouldn't. It is important to know how to apply stage make up that will accentuate the features lost in this environment. So here are some basic tips to make you Dance competition ready: True base- Base makeup is essential for all ages; Even at a young age we may feel like the skin may not need it, however all skin needs protection! This essential step can give yo ..read more

Here are some tips for eating the best foods to keep you healthy and performance ready on competition days. Dance competitions can be strenuous on a young dancer. There are often long journeys to the venue, lots of anxious waiting between performances, warming up and cooling down multiple times for the multiple performances over several hours. This is why here at dance comp diaries we believe in treating your body well. Nutrition for Everyone In an ideal world, chocolate bars would provide all the energy we need with none of the sugar, fat or calories! So, until scientists find a way of makin ..read more

Even professional dancers suffer from bouts of anxiety and stress when it comes to new performances, and so it is no surprise that dancers on an amateur level suffer too. The pressure that comes from the competitive world adds to this already nerve-wrecking feeling and can leave some dancers (particularly novice performers) describing feelings of stage fright. So how do we combat those nerves and make the stage our friend, not our foe? Here’s some tips from the team here at Dance Comp Diaries, aided by some advice given by varying health and fitness practitioners: It may sound obvious, but t ..read more

In the dance competition world, someone has to win. It’s in the very definition of competition- the activity or condition of striving to gain or win something by defeating or establishing superiority over others It shows you are superior. It shows you are important. It shows everyone that you are the best. But here at Dance Comp Diaries, we really believe that winning isn’t everything. There are so many more aspects of the competition world that are important, and if you focus too hard on the winning, you might just miss them: Team work : Whether you have come to the competition as part of a ..read more

As a dance competitor, it is easy to become so focused on winning that nothing else matters. And as many professional competitive athletes will tell you, focus is important to achieve. But with such pressure placed on winning, what happens when you don’t? How do you manage that feeling of disappointment or, even worse, failure? Here at Dance Comp Diaries, we figured it would be best to discuss more important values you can achieve and learn from competing. After all, it isn’t about being the best- in performance, that’s subjective. And with judges having the final say, being the best is out of ..read more

Music Searches & Song Choices Here’s one for our dance teachers and budding choreographers out there; Are you getting ready for competition season? Are you feeling inspired for new solos, duets, groups? Have you found a new theme or costume you just can’t wait to use? Well what’s next? Ah yes... the all-important ‘make or break’ entity... MUSIC. You are now faced with the impossible task of finding music that you like, your dancers like AND hasn’t been heard 6 times in one competition. How do you do that? Here are Dance Comp Diaries top tips on finding your way around the world of music ..read more

Ok... so you read our last music blog and hopefully you found the information helpful. Here at Dance Comp Diaries we decided we should follow it up with some helpful editing tips that will give you more confidence when you get to the dreaded ‘cut the music’ part ;) First we need to understanding some of the basics. Music files- Mp3, M4A and WMA are all “compressed” music file formats. Compressing results in a small file size with a low loss of sound quality. However one Mp3 is not necessarily the same quality as another, even if it is the same song! This is because some music files are MORE c ..read more