Costumes

Recital Costume Information

Performance Make-Up Guide

Remember we are performing on stage and lights have a tendency to wash out the faces. Please be sure to wear bright make-up – All dancers need to have on Blush, Lipstick, Eye shadow and Mascara. Older dancers need liner on their upper lid. Make-up is very important. We have very bright stage lights and in order for the dancers’ features (eyes, lips/smile, etc) to be seen and for the dancers not to look washed out it is crucial that every dancer has make-up on. Please no Lip Gloss! Hair will stick to it and it looks too shinny on stage. Lipstick suggestion – Maybelline Color Sensation “Plum Perfect” #453 (this lip color is wonderful – it goes with all skin tones and most costume colors).

If dancers have light eyebrows, you can lightly fill them in using a brow power or pencil. It really helps the eyes stand out on stage.

1. Properly cleanse face. Apply light coating of moisturizer to dancer’s face.

2. Apply foundation smoothly and evenly on dancer’s face and eyelids. Be sure to blend foundation over jawbones and feather onto the top of throat. This will prevent a line at the jawbone. Blend thoroughly into the hairline. You may want to use a make-up sponge for easier application.

3. Dab on concealer where necessary. Blend into foundation.

4. Apply light coating of powder to set base make-up.

5. Cover entire lid, up to brow, with your light-colored eye shadow. This will add brightness to the eye and set off the darker shadow.

6. Apply dark eyeliner to outer half of both upper and lower lids. To make eyes appear bigger, don’t connect the lines at the corners. You can also extend the lines at corner of eye to extend its length.

7. Contour with dark colored eye shadow half way across lid and up to crease. Highlight inner portion of lid with gold, white or light pink shadow. Blend into the dark shadow. Q-tips work nicely for blending the two shades.

8. Dust off any shadow under eyes with a cotton ball.

9. Define eyebrows with eyebrow pencil.

10. Apply at least three coats of waterproof mascara on both upper and lower lashes.

11. Contour cheeks with blush by applying near the center of ear and blending toward base of nose. Finish with strokes on the apples of the cheeks. (If your dancer looks too stark, you can lightly stroke forehead, temples and chin to remove harshness). Blonde dancers should lightly dust one inch into hairline. This avoids an abrupt, harsh look on stage.

12. Line lips with appropriate colored lip liner. Softly shade in rest of lip.

13. After costume is on, apply lipstick and blot.

Performance Hair Guide

1. Heavily apply gel or lightly dampen dancer’s hair.

2. Brush hair and bangs straight back away from face.

3. Heavily gel bangs, wispy hairs and hair at base of neck. Brush hair into a smooth ponytail at a 45- degree angle from chin, applying additional gel as necessary.

4. If your dancer’s hair will be going from snood to ponytail or vice versa, please complete step 6.

5. If your dancer will only be wearing a bun or snood, then proceed to step 7.

6. Using curling iron, curl ponytail into soft curls. If you dancer’s hair will not hold a curl, you may want to try Biolage Thermal Active Setting Spray.

7. If you have a snood headpiece, firmly clip it in at the base of the ponytail. Gently push the hair into the snood. Try not to loosen curls if applicable. If snood is loose, add nylon or netting the color of your dancer’s hair to fill vacant space. If you are forming a bun, there are many different methods that are equally feasible. You can choose from bun formers to braiding. I will explain braiding method: Braid the ponytail and wrap it around base of tail. Place hair net over bun by crisscrossing it back and forth to add stability. Bobby pin hair securely into place. Ask dancer to shake head. Ask if anything feels loose. Pin in that area.

8. Heavily spray entire hairdo. Bring supplies to performance for touchups.

9. It is important to have hair out of face to provide the dancer with a clean look on stage. This may look harsh up close, but from the audience, it will look great!

1. Follow steps 1 & 2 from above.

2. Heavily gel bangs and wispy hairs back away from face. If your dancer will be leaving bangs down, curl them up and out of their eyes.

3. Part hair across the crown of head. Brush front part into smooth ponytail high on the back of the head, applying additional gel as needed.

4. Follow steps #5 and #7.

5. When transferring to a snood, leave original ponytail in. Add a second ponytail catching all of the additional hair that was left down. Attach snood at base of second ponytail. Gently push that hair into the snood. Try not to loosen curls. If snood is loose, add nylon or netting the same color as dancer’s hair to fill the vacant space.

6. It is important to have hair out of face to provide the dancer with a clean look on stage. This may look harsh up close, but from the audience, it will look great!

Recital Supply List

Q-tips
Cotton balls
Moisturizer
Foundation or pancake base (same shade or slightly darker than dancer’s skin tone)
Make-up powder (same shade as foundation)
Make-up sponge (optional)
Rouge (judge color according to dancer’s skin tone, costume and class)
Brighter is not always best. Rose tones go well with most costumes.
Light eye shadow
Dark eye shadow
White or Gold highlighting eye shadow
Dark eyeliner (liquid goes on a & off easiest)
Eyebrow pencil
Matte lipstick (color depends on color of costume)
Lip liner (same tone as lipstick color)
Concealer
Waterproof mascara
Make-up remover

Hair Brush
Comb
Water bottle with spray nozzle
Gel
Maximum hold hairspray
Hair net (only if dancer’s hair will be in a bun; be sure it is color of dancer’s hair)
Bobby pins (color of dancer’s hair)
Hair ties – Bring extras in case they break. (color of dancer’s hair)
Curling Iron

Safety pins
Needle and thread
Extra pair of tights
Scissors
Clear deodorant (if applicable)
Extra pair of black shoelaces for jazz shoes
Clear nail polish (for runs in tights)
Fabric or craft glue
Static Guard
Camera