Inside my Dance Dressing Room

by Maximo Califano Principal Ballet Dancer

My dance dressing room is my little sanctuary where I prepare to perform before the show. Inside my camerino, I have all the necessary elements that will help me to prepare for a dance performance. I have a large suitcase where I storage all I need for ballet shows and stage rehearsals. Make-up, rehearsal clothes, performance costumes, floor mats, food, and drinks are all important items that you will find inside of my suitcase in my dressing room.

My make-up case is a giant tool box full of make-up products. A large variety of different colors and shades are necessary to portrait different characters or roles on stage. Different costumes, wigs or hair pieces might require different shade colors. Normally your eyebrows should match your hair color or hair piece. Theatrical brand names that I like to use and recommend are Kryolan and Mac. Inside my case, you also will find all kind of make-up brushes, hair products and make-up remover. In addition, I have yoga matt that I use to stretch and to exercise.

Inside of my Ballet San Jose suitcase, I storage legs warmers, ballet shoes, towels, shower products, power and protein bars, and more hair products. I normally get to the theater one hour before the show and start my make-up right away. I wear comfortable and warm clothes and I also have a bathroom robe in case I need to have some special dance make-up applied, a wig or facial hair. After I am done applying the make-up, I put my costume on and head to the stage. I fix my dancing shoes, apply rosin and warm-up to begin the show. Finally, when the show is over, I take a shower, take my make-up off and drink some sport beverage.

Maximo Califano
Ballet San Jose
Principal Dancer.