Wishing you Good Luck

To Rock that Stage

I saw an idea on Facebook where a mom had something special for her daughter to have as a lucky charm to wear with her costume (hidden of course). It had me instantly wanting to do something for my own daughter who is starting her second year. 🥰

I will say that my oldest daughter doesn’t really get too many nerves before going on stage – at least not yet. As her mom, I am a nervous wreck. 😂 As her choreographer, I’m nervous that her routine needs to be the best for her ability. 👌🏼

There are things I do with her before going on stage to help calm her nerves:

1. Prep chat! I always have a prep chat with my dancer. She was 4 when I gave her first one and I am pretty sure she wasn’t listening to what I was saying. 😂 I say this because in the middle she asked me something about food. 😂

A chat isn’t a lecture nor is it one sided, so get your dancer involved and stay positive. Also keep in mind what kind of chat your dancer can handle. 😉

Some dancers would not do well with any sort of chat, just a hug and “I love watching you on stage!”

For my daughter, I ask her if she is excited then, if she is nervous. I express to her that it is normal/ok to be excited and nervous. (Even though she hasn’t yet been too nervous.) I ask her if she has any other feelings.

After talking about feelings, I tell her my favorite part of her dance. ❤️ This way she knows the part I love the most, so she is extra proud in that part of dancing. My favorite part changes as she gets stronger and performs it, so I hope that new part adds to her confidence each time she takes that stage. 👍🏼 I also ask her HER FAVORITE PART! It’s important for her to recognize which part she feels is her strongest as well, so she believes in herself even if she is nervous.

The last part of our conversation is the hardest one in my opinion. 😬 Maybe because my dancer is still pretty young. It’s important to go over what they want to improve from the last performance. We’ve already gone over this after reviewing judge comments/notes, but this time it’s their decision of the part he/she want to do better on the stage.

As my daughters’s choreographer, I cannot say anything about my thoughts of what should be done better. I should have already done that when reviewing judge comments/notes… I’m not bringing it up on our drive. When I am in MOM Mode, I just want my dancer to know I believe in her. I still believe he/she should recognize what she wants to do better on stage though. 👌🏼

I end our prep chat with telling my dancer how much I love her and am excited to see her on stage. 😍🥰

With my daughter being young, we keep it short. It works for us. ❤️

2. Listen to his/her song on the drive! The first time playing the song, I tell my dancer to dance while sitting there. She can move her arms and think through her dance. ❤️ Then I tell my daughter to imagine herself dancing on stage the next time the song plays. If she can see herself, I am hoping that gives her a little boost of confidence. 👍🏼

3. Give a big hug and a kiss. I hope my dancer is never too old for a kiss on her cheek, but a hug will always be required. ❤️

4. Other Ideas: maybe your dancer has a motivational song or poem to go to.

One dance mom was not a dancer growing up, but instead an athlete and had a go to song to get pumped up with. Now it’s the daughter’s pump up song before heading on stage.

There is a poem I really like to read before any dancers (even my teams) compete that reminds them it comes down to apples or oranges. 😉 Check this out on a separate post.

If you’re religious or like meditation, a trio of dancers would always pray and do a little mediation together before. They swear their timing was always fantastic!

Here are several ideas so you can decide which is the best fit for you, your dancer and your building his/her dancer up.

Luck Charm

A good luck charm can be anything and used whatever way fits your dancer!

One dance mom has a religious cross sewn secretly into her solo costume every year. Such a sweet charm.

Another dance mom got her daughter a good luck charm for a necklace. Awe!

Solo Keychain

This idea is also a keepsake! This dance mom bought her dancer this keychain with her solo title on it. 😍 Her dancer hung it on her dance bag and took it with her to competitions. Check out my Solo Keepsake Blog Post with more ideas for solo keepsakes!

Good Luck Charm/Pin

There are a couple ways to do this!

One idea is to get a charm and put it on a charm bracelet, necklace, or key ring. Place this charm wherever you see fit and it can even be wore away from dance activities.

One dance mom got a good luck pin and discreetly pins it into her costume even on the stage! Any type of pin will work but I the classic four leaf clover pin is perfect! hide this pin on the costume as her good luck charm on stage!

Even if she wasn’t too nervous her first year, she may as she gets older and has those times when she looses. To help counter that and to remind her that I believe in her and wishing her the best, I wanted to give her something for her to always have to remind her. 🥰

Solo Ornament

One dance mom starts her season off by giving her an ornament that represents her solo. This is a sweet keepsake gift and her good luck the competition season!

Attire

There are so many fantastic shirt options out there for mom, grandma and even dad to show your dancer your support!

This family makes a shirt for everyone in their family as they go to watch on stage! The shirt has some connection to her solo. For the themed dances their shirts reflect the theme! Or uses a phrase from the song!

Here is a big brother wearing his Team Kenzie Lou shirt! Cutest support right there! 😍