So here’s the situation: a special somebody in your life has recently fallen down the wondrous rabbit hole that is ballroom dancing. They’re tired all the time, and you think you can hear them muttering ‘slooooow, quick-quick’ under their breath at odd moments. They’ve begun talking about some sort of whisk that isn’t used for mixing, and hockey sticks apparently do something entirely different in their world…
What’s worse, the holidays are now upon you! When they were obsessed with fidget spinners at least you knew what to get them, but a dancer? How are you supposed to get a gift for someone who’s main dopamine hits come from moving with another person to the music?
Well, never fear, I’ve got you covered. Here’s a handy-dandy gift guide for all of your ballroom dancing friends, partners, children, dogs, lovers… you get the picture(line).
T-Shirts
Who doesn’t want an awesome tee to rock while they’re going about their everyday lives? A clever shirt is both a self-esteem boost and a conversation starter. There are many to choose from, but we recommend starting at Feather Three’s clever collections to find a fun shirt for your dancer! To be perfectly transparent I happen to own this brand. I also wouldn’t create or recommend something I don’t believe in, so please give it a look!
Dance Lessons
(But be careful!) This one can be pretty tricky, so approach with extreme caution! Does your dancer take lessons with someone on a regular basis? That’s a pretty safe bet! That said, if you’re not acquainted with the pricing structure of dance lessons, you may find that this option is out of reach for all but the closest of friends and relatives. In any case, we’d suggest checking with the dancer first, to make sure that the lesson and instructor align with their goals! Then you can pull the trigger on this wonderful gift.
Portable Music
Dancers generally like moving to music! Finding good ways to bring your music with you can be difficult though. Bluetooth speakers and headphones are wonderful tools for dancers, as they let us jam out to our favorite jive wherever and whenever we want! There are tons of brands in the market, with plenty of quality options and price points to peruse. We personally love Bose SoundSport Headphones and our UE Boom2 Speaker, but shop around, you can find something for nearly any budget.
Shoes
This one, like the dance lessons, can be quite tricky. You’ll likely find that your special someone has a particular brand, style, and color that they prefer. In addition, dance shoes can be quite expensive, so this one is best to talk over with the person before pulling the trigger!
Dance Notebooks
Every dancer should have a special place to record their practices, choreography, goals, and frustrations. Some prefer to do this digitally, but most of the dancers we know are very physical, tactile people, and they, therefore, tend to prefer something they can lovingly run their fingers over. Our favorite is this classic blank Moleskine, but feel free to branch out and find something with a fun, unique cover!
Massages!
If your dancer is anything like the dancers I know, their body has been through some serious stress. Part of the joy of dancing is pushing ourselves to the limit! Though we might not be great about treating ourselves to it, massages go a long way towards relaxing and relieving a body that has been pushed for the sake of art. Check out local places for your dancer, or possibly look into a gift card on a service like Soothe or similar.
Warm-Ups
At some point in our dance careers, we all begin to understand the importance of bringing the body up to operating temperature before putting it through lots of stress. A great way to help your dancer achieve this is to grab them some warmups! My friends and I love leg warmers, jackets, beanies, and pretty much anything else that will help them get their body into optimal condition before the real work starts! I’m going to go ahead and shamelessly plug for Feather Three again here. Sweatshirts and Hoodies work really well for this!
Ask them to tell you about dance. Okay, this one may seem a little soft, but every dancer I’ve met does it because they love it for some reason. Just talking about how dance makes them feel and why they have the desire and drive to continue doing it month after month can be a wonderful gift in and of itself! And, what’s more, after talking to them for a little while you’ll probably have a good idea about which of the aforementioned gifts might suit them best! Double win!
I hope that gives you a few thoughts on what your dancer might like! Whatever you end up choosing, it’s always the thought that counts, so let that dancer how much you care about them!
I’ll see you on the floor!
Author: Joel Torgeson
Exclusively for Dance Comp Review