Three Activities to keep dancers from getting bored while they wait for their cue

Waiting Backstage:3 Activities to Keep Dancers from Getting Bored While They Listen for their
Cue

By:  Skylan Abraham

If you’re a dance mom like Mrs.Hill, then you know the role has its many challenges.
Between Covid-safe precautions for the studio, travel to recitals and its ensuing hotel bookings,
meal-prep (snack-prep), and everything else dance mom management entails, solutions are needed at every corner.
That’s where today’s article comes in. To introduce the context, take a moment to understand the problem that needs solving, as Ms.Hill states, ”[The] girls backstage, all ages, get bored and need something small to do while they wait to go on.”
Here are three simple activities to solve that boredom:

Activity One: Color a Coloring Book!
A de-stressor and an overall fun activity, dancers of all ages can have a go at this easygoing activity; you simply need a coloring book and some crayons or colored pencils! Super
simple solution bound to have great results!
For dancers aged 3-9, perhaps what would work best is a page with cute characters like one from the set of books displayed below:

With a coloring pack like this, there’s bound to be a page for every kid!
For dancers aged 10-18, if the designs of the coloring books above are too simple to
interest them, a more challenging book like the one displayed would be more appropriate.

Mandala coloring books are full of pages with intricate designs and tiny details. If your dancer is up for a fun coloring challenge then Amazing Patterns is the book for you!

Activity Two: Follow a Drawing Tutorial
Dance is a form of creative expression, and so too is drawing! All you need is a sketchpad and some pencils! Your dancer is bound to appreciate the effort it takes to learn to draw, while having fun, after following this simple how-to-draw video:
https://youtu.be/DFLgr6gyOOc
There are tons of tutorials online, for all sorts of things, like animals, fantasy  creatures/beings; whatever your child’s interests are, there’s a tutorial on how to draw it.
If you prefer to keep your child off the phone, however, there are many how-to-draw
books as well.

This book here is a wonderful example for anyone aged 5 and up, meaning that your
teens can use it too! Cute, simple tutorials that anyone would enjoy!

Activity 3: Friendship Bracelets!
Directed more towards older kids and teens, making friendship bracelets is an easy activity that’s not only fun, but results in a precious keepsake. Although you can’t wear it on stage, it’ll be something you can wear anytime outside of a recital. All you need are these two materials and some creativity in pattern and voilà!

Being a dance mom is a lot to balance, but I hope these activities will ease one of your
duties.. Feel free to leave your feedback, any comments are much appreciated!