The List Dance Festival Survival Kit
Before you head out to your next belly dance festival, take
a moment to pull together a few items to make your festival a
more enjoyable experience. Each dancer has her own unique and
individual needs. This month's list includes the items I like
to pack up to help me get through an entire day of shopping,
eating and watching.
Two Bags
I like to carry two bags; one to hold everything in the Survival
Kit and a second rolled up, ready to fill with purchases.
Bottle of Water
Keep Dehydration at bay with your own bottle. This is especially
important if you are taking a workshop or performing.
Snacks
Fruit, crackers, trail mix, energy bars, bagels, or whatever
helps you take the edge off of your hunger. Many festivals have
wonderful offerings of Middle Eastern or Mediterranean foods
available. However, you want to have a few snacks handy for those
between meal snacks. For dancers on a budget, snacks will allow
you to save your cash to spend on more wonderful costume pieces,
music and videos.
Hand Sanitizer
Money is dirty and if you have been handling cash, you may want
to consider using a hand sanitizer gel before you dine.
Ear Plugs
Some festivals get quite loud, especially where there is live
music or when performances are happening in the same room as
the vending. Soft earplugs are available at most pharmacies and
home improvement stores.
First Aid Kit
Things happen. Nothing can be as uncomfortable as trying on a
costume and being stabbed by a misplaced pin. Someone can step
on your toe in the crowded shuffle and heat of the shopping frenzy.
Here are some items I like to carry in a plastic case in my Festival
Survival Kit:
Bandages Keep a few handy incase of minor injury.
Cleansing wipes These are good for cleaning scrapes before
bandaging.
Pain Killers To avoid an ill timed headache, be prepared!
Antacids While the food might be tasty, you might need
a little help.
Allergy Tablets If you suffer from allergies, incense and
perfume might irritate.
Tooth Brush and Paste These need no explanation.
Safety Pins
An assortment of safety pins will make trying on costumes that
may be a little too large or small. Large pins will come in handy
when trying on belts, smaller pins for bra straps and accessories.
Having your own supply of pins could make you the hero when someone
is in need.
Highlighter Pen
Especially handy at large multi-day events, a highlighter pen
will allow you to easily mark the performers you have to see.
However, at ever festival, I'm frequently surprised by new dancers
who catch my attention and hold me riveted.
Note Book and Pen
Come with a notebook in hand. This is a place to keep notes,
to write down titles of CD's and videos, and to make doodles
of costumes you happen to see. This is almost essential when
building contact lists, writing down comments on steps you've
seen or learned in workshops. I find I am constantly jotting
down notes at events about what I've seen.
Kleenex or other Tissue
Well, a sad fact of life is that there just aren't enough bathrooms
in the world. And at major festivals, having your own supply
of tissue can be a very handy thing to have.
Remember to wear comfortable clothes, dress in layers for
rooms that might have too powerful air-conditioning or
worse yet none. Shoes are very important. They should be comfortable
for long periods of standing and walking.
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