Competition day packing: the things first-timers forget

What to do

1. Extension cord plus a surge-protected power strip. Why: the warm-up area at most comp venues has 4 outlets for 40 dancers. You need power for the steamer, the curling iron, her phone charger, the team's playback iPod, and the makeup mirror if you brought a lighted one. A 12-foot extension cord plus a 6-outlet surge strip ($25 total at any hardware store) means you control the power instead of waiting in line at someone else's outlet. Pack one of each in the bottom of the rolling rack.
2. A handheld steamer plus a small bottle of distilled water. Why: costumes get wrinkled in the rack on the drive over; some venues have steamers, most do not, and you do not want to wait in line for the one in the lobby at 7:15am. The $30 Conair handheld steamer is the most common dance-mom version and heats in 60 seconds. Distilled water keeps it from clogging. The 'but the costume was steamed at home' defense does not survive the 2-hour drive plus the costume bag's compression.
3. Costume tape plus a small sewing kit with thread in 4 colors. Why: a strap snaps. A hook-and-eye pops. A sequin falls off mid-warmup. Hollywood Fashion Tape ($8) is the dance-mom-versed quick fix for straps and gaps; a sewing kit with the four most common costume thread colors (white, black, nude, red) at $10 total handles the rest. Both live in the makeup caddy on top of the rack, not in the dance bag at the foot of it.
4. Pre-cut moleskin in a Ziploc. Why: shoes blister mid-day. Mid-routine you cannot tape; pre-routine you have 8 minutes. Pre-cut 10 quarter-sized moleskin circles at home, store in a Ziploc, label 'moleskin' with a Sharpie. Tossing the uncut roll in the bag means she will be cutting moleskin at 9:42am with kitchen scissors. The pre-cut version means apply-and-go.
5. Spare hairnets (specifically: the second one). Why: the first hairnet rips when she pulls her hair tight at 6:55am. She panics. The studio's hair kit has one. You need two more in your bag. Brand: Goody nylon mesh hairnet, $6 per 3-pack at Target. Pack in a small zip pouch in the makeup caddy, labeled 'hairnets,' not loose at the bottom of the bag.
6. Snacks that will not stain a costume. Why: she will eat between routines. Anything red (strawberries, watermelon, salsa, ketchup), anything yellow-orange (mustard, Doritos, Cheetos, orange juice), anything brown that smears (chocolate, peanut butter) will end up on the costume. Safe options: rice cakes, plain crackers, apple slices, banana, white-cheddar popcorn, cucumber sticks, plain bagel. Pack in pre-portioned ziploc bags labeled with routine name plus time, so she does not eat the post-jazz snack before the lyrical routine.
7. A printed copy of the comp schedule plus the studio's emergency contact list. Why: phone batteries die. Comp venue WiFi is unreliable. The studio's app crashes. A printed copy of the day's schedule (one for you, one for her bag in case you get separated) and the team's emergency contact list (director's cell, assistant director's cell, costume designer's cell if applicable) means you can function when the tech does not. Print Friday night, fold into quarters, put in the makeup caddy.
8. What goes on top of all of this: the studio's official packing checklist covers costumes, shoes, tights, makeup base. This article covers the unwritten layer the studio assumes you already know. Run both lists; the official one is the spine, the weird-stuff list is the connective tissue. When in doubt, pack it; the empty space in the bag costs nothing, the missing item costs the routine.