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| Charlton Heston in the 1956 version of The Ten Commandments |
1. Dance Is The Lord Your God, The Dressing
Room Your Temple
We worship at the altar of dance;
we live and breathe for it. Seriously, to a dancer, dance is spiritual; it’s a religion.
That means preparing for a show is an act
of devotion. The places we usually “worship” in aren’t made of alabaster
pillars and draped in brocade, filled with priceless relics. They’re often up
or down steep flights of well-worn stairs, the walls covered in graffiti, full of lamps with
missing light bulbs. They’re stuffy and musty or too drafty, and no matter how
spacious they are, they’re always too
small. But just like an ancient temple, what happens inside a dressing room is
pure magic.
2. Thou Shalt Not Hog Mirror and Counter Space
It’s always a good idea to get into the dressing room
early so you can claim a prime spot for getting ready. But just cause you
arrived at the venue on time doesn’t mean that you’re allowed spread out over
half the backstage territory. Hang your costumes up if there’s a rack and stow your
gig bag- with your street clothes in it -under your make up station or in a
corner, not on a couch or chair that
someone might want to sit on. Keep your
cosmetics contained to an area that’s roughly the width of your shoulders- the room’s
going to get crowded soon and mirror space will be at a premium. If you’re done
with your stage make up and there’s somewhere else you can go, it’s courteous
and professional to offer your mirror space to another performer, especially one who came in from out of town and didn't have the leisure of getting ready at home. If you’ll need
your spot back later- like to put on a wig, do a make up change, or costume
change, just say so.
3. Thou Shalt Cleanse Thine Dressing Area
Continuously
If you’ve blown through five make up wipes and
half a package of Q-Tips while getting you’re Stage Face on, if you've just
wolfed down a power bar, used a bunch of double-sided tape, opened a new package
of hose, unwrapped a gift, or finished a bottle of water, throw that stuff away
pronto! There’s limited space in any dressing room- no
matter how large it is – and that’s before
a bunch of dancers start cramming into it. Quarters are always tight and space
is at a premium, so it’s seriously doubtful that other cast members would be
super-enthused about preparing for the stage amidst your trash.
4. Thou Shalt Not Run Thine Number Within
The Sacred Inner Sanctum Of The Dressing Room
Some dancers pop in their ear buds and quietly
listen to their music while they’re getting ready. Others practice in the
hallway, on the stage after tech rehearsal is over, or go
outside the venue to run their numbers a few last times. However, many
soloists, and even troupes somehow think it’s ok to crank up their music and rehearse
right there in the dressing room, amidst the suitcases, cosmetic bags, garment
racks, and all the other dancers, many of whom are trying valiantly to get
dressed while dodging somebody else’s elbow during a quick turn sequence. We’ve
all seen this, cause it happens
constantly!
Dancing in the dressing room is a really big
no-no. It’s extremely discourteous to
other cast members, on many levels. Consider the following ideas and you’ll get
the picture. Many dancers don’t want to
hear your music, they’d rather hear
their own…and that’s precisely why they brought their ear buds. Others desire a peaceful environment so they
can get in character, or into The Zone for their performance. Several performers
of all levels of experience have serious stage fright, and a boisterous
rehearsal in a tiny space will work their last nerves. And nobody wants to have
his or her costumes knocked off the rack or get a black eye cause you wanted to
rehearse!
There’s a reason it’s called
a dressing room, not a rehearsal hall
or dance studio. Please respect that.
If you truly need to run your
number and the only place to do it is inside the dressing room, at least give everyone
fair warning before you start, and limit running the number to one time, ok?
5. Thou Shalt Only Use Thine Inside Voice
Within Thine Dressing Room
It’s always terrific to have some serious
backstage bonding. The dressing room is
often the single place many of us get to catch up with close friends we only see
a few times a year. We joke, we crack each other up until we’re crying, and we
gossip and swap dancer war stories. We compare costumes and trade make up
hints, some of us enjoy a glass (or more
likely, a plastic cup) of wine together before or after the show. A lively group of dancers who’re stoked to
see each other and all amped up on performance adrenalin can make for a really fun ‘n’ rowdy
time. Although we dancers know that the “real” show often takes place backstage,
it’s important to remember that there’s an actual show going on, and the performers onstage –as well as the audience-
really don't need to hear us shrieking about the latest rumors or the adorable
pair of boots someone just got on sale.
Also, many backstage areas
have notoriously bad cell reception, so please remember not to scream into your
phone, and that it needs to be put on vibrate or shut off just before the
curtain goes up. Oh yeah, and if there’s a toilet in your dressing room, don't flush
it until intermission!
6. Thou Shalt Switch Off Or Unplug All
Appliances When Not In Use
Do this for safety’s sake! How many times have
you seen a red hot curling iron left plugged in on a dressing room counter top,
when the owner is nowhere in sight… and there are highly flammable costumes
nearby? Can you count that high? I can’t.
Once I was in a green room where some idiot had left a flat iron plugged into a wall socket, sitting in a puddle of water in the sink!
Turn off or better yet unplug everything with a cord after you
use it, including but not limited to hot rollers, electric kettles, flat irons,
electric shavers, blow dryers and curling irons. And don’t forget the vanity
lights on the mirrors when you’re done with your make up- if no one else is
using them, they don’t need to be on, because they’re so damn hot they can turn
a crowded dressing room into a sauna in no time at all!
7. Thou Shalt Not Leave Food Or Drink In Close
Proximity Near Thy Neighbor’s Personal Belongings
Sure, you need that miso soup, latte, burrito or sports drink to keep your energy up before you
go on… and there are many dancers who simply can’t live without chocolate or
red wine backstage- but please do not leave any
of this sustenance sitting out next to someone else’s make up and costumes!
8. Thou Shalt Respect Thy Neighbor’s
Costumes, Make Up And Props
While it goes without saying that you’ll
probably covet thy neighbor’s costumes
(who doesn’t?) please don’t touch anyone else’s stuff without their permission.
Period. End of Story. And do not move someone else’s things- no
matter what it us-for any reason,
unless you ask first. Somebody could
need a specific prop, accessory, wig or cosmetic product for a quick change;
your dressing roommate might’ve placed it there specifically so they could
access it immediately. If you absolutely must move something when the owner isn’t
there, let them know about it the second you see them. If you’re about to go
onstage and have just moved an item, ask someone else to inform its owner that
it’s been moved.
9. Thou Shalt Issue Forth A Spritz Alert
Before Spraying Thine Products
Before you douse yourself in hair spray or
your favorite fragrance, please announce to everyone that you’re about to use
self-tanner, perfume or Aquanet, or whatever, and make sure it’s ok… someone
might be severely allergic to the product(s) you’re about to use.
10. Thou Shalt Leave Thine Dressing Room In
Better Condition Than Though Hath Found It
Some productions have a volunteer crew to tidy
up the dressing rooms, or assign small backstage cleaning tasks to each dancer,
but many do not. Also, many venues actually charge show producers cleaning fees for dressing rooms that were
left looking like a tornado hit them. No matter what condition the dressing
room was in when you first entered, it’s just plain old good karma to leave it
spotless!
#
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