If this is your first summer away, you may find this list helpful!
*BATHROOM THINGS*
*DANCE ITEMS*
*EXTRA ITEMS*
*CLOTHING ITEMS*
rainwear
beach towel, bathing suit
sneakers/walking shoes
sandals
t-shirts
tank tops
shorts
2-3 sweaters
2-3 pairs of pants
summer dress (for going out)
quarters for laundry
shower sandals
bras, underwear, socks
pyjamas
clothes hangers
shampoo/conditioner
hairspray and gel
toothpaste, toothbrush
blow dryer, curling iron
any medication
clear nailpolish
make-up
plastic bucket (carrying stuff to and from the bathroom)
shower gel
toiletry things
hair pins
soap
contact lens cleaners/glasses cleaner
deoderant
hairnets
nail clippers
nailpolish remover
make up remover
bug spray
razor
Q-tips
hair elastics (make sure you have plenty!)
leotards
black and pink tights
jazz pants
pointe, ballet, jazz shoes, etc
warm-ups
sports creme for sore muscles
nude or pale liner for under costumes
stage makeup if participating in a workshop
extra ribbons and elastics
ace bandage
ballet journal
sewing kit
sunscreen
flashlight
extension cords
pictures of family and friends
camera, film
stationary and stamps
journal
games
books and magazines
address book
videos
blankets and/or sheets
ATM card and phone card
water jug
CD's and radio, or discman
ice pack (if you have a refridgerator in your room, or on dorm floor)
snacks (I recommend Easy Mac, microwave popcorn if you have access to a microwave)
fan (if there is no AC)
If you want to decorate your room, I would suggest not using tape or tacks, because they can leave marks. I would suggest mounting puty. Some things you may want to bring to decorate may include the following:
posters
pictures of family and friends
windchimes
corkboard (maybe for messages)
streamers (if you're into major decorating)
glow in the dark stars
dance quotes (typed and hung up)
calendar
stuffed animals
Christmas lights (may need extension cords as well)
door way beads
Christmas garland
Be creative, there is a lot you can do. Make sure that before you hang anything up, you know the rules about decorating the room. Some schools, like Jillana and SAB, they will not allow you to hang anything on the walls. Some schools will allow you to hang things up, but they may have rules on how things can be hung up (wall puty stuff, double sided poster tape, scotch tape...it depends on where you are). You don't want to get charged with damage fees!
Another thing to keep in mind, too, is that you can't pack up your whole house and bring it with you for a few weeks. Try and be selective, and bring what you can. If you're flying, you can't quite bring a radio, or a television. Even if you're driving, you will still have a lot to unload, then re-load, 3 or maybe 6 weeks later.
If you have the tendency to become homesick, I would suggest either going to a shorter summer program, or if you go to a longer one, make sure that you have plenty of phone cards. Call your parents a few times a week, just to talk for a few minutes. Bring pictures of your family. Bring some things to make your dorm space more like home (with your own sheets and blankets, pillow, etc). Maybe your friends and/or parents could send you a care package while you are away. When I go away, my mom has put notes in my suitcase, and they are labeled for a day, and I open the note on each day. That has always helped, and I appreciate them, too.
I found this at Danceart, and I liked it so much, I want to put it here.
When you start to get homesick, just realize that it is a good thing you have a good home to miss, some don't. Something about understanding that seems to make it easier. Also, when you look back at your summer intensive, it will have all seemed to fly by. Realize you are there:
-with a wonderful opportunity
-that parents miss you and are proud of you
-you will be home before you are ready!
Write a lot or keep a parent's journal, one that has things in it that you know parents would like to know, that you WILL be too busy to tell parents on the phone. "Teacher liked my arabesque today" "We all laughed so hard when..." "I was glad you weren't there to see me spill my drink all over my roommate"
Call home often. Tell your mom to write often. Sounds silly, but knowing what is happening at home, even the little things may make you feel more a part of home and less homesick. Suggest to your parents to send you funny cards on how they miss you, and not sad, serious ones, because if you know that they're sad, it will make you sad!
Homesick is not bad unless it prevents you from enjoying your experience!
The question of how many pairs of pointe shoes to bring will always be brought up. And of course, the answer is not always that simple. The first question to ask yourself is, how many weeks are you attending the program? How often will you be on pointe, whether it be class or rehearsal? How long does it take you to go through a pair at home? With these in mind, you should be able to figure out how many pairs you should bring. If you're a starter to pointe, won't be doing that much of it, maybe 1-2 pairs should be fine. It varies from dancer to dancer.
If you are staying at a college dorm, most washer and dryers will only work with quarters. Make sure you have enough of them! Where I stayed last summer, it cost me $.75 to wash, and $.75 to dry my clothes. This price is different everywhere. Find out ahead of time how much it will cost you. I usually did a wash at the end of each week. To cut down costs, combine laundry with a friend. Have one person pay for the wash, another for the dry. Remember to wash towels, and white stuff separately from your dark things! For leotards and tights, I kept a bottle of Woolite in my room, and washed my leotards and tights in my bathroom sink and hung them up to dry right after I wore them.
I would suggest keeping a ballet journal. Take notes from each class. When you come home, you will have these notes to refer to. You may only have these teachers for one summer, so you're going to want to remember what they say! It will also help you to remember corrections to work on!
