The end of the school year is upon us, and that means it’s graduation and recital season! Time to celebrate and commemorate all the hard work that dancers and students from pre-k to college (and beyond!) have been putting in all year long with the perfect gift.
There are plenty of ways to show support to the dancer and recent grad in your life, and if they’re a dancer, they are sure to love some of the gift ideas we’ve listed below.
Tickets to the Theatre or Ballet
There’s nothing better than sitting in a theatre and enjoying the magic of a live performance. Especially for dancers who have been working hard all year, or who may have just performed in a show themselves! The opportunity to simply sit and watch a professional dancer or Broadway Star perform is such a special occasion and a great gift idea for most dancers!
If you’re heading to New York City soon, make sure to keep an eye out for CLI Instructors and professional dancers Tiler Peck and Al Blackstone who are often performing all over The Big Apple!
Reusable Water Bottle
Everywhere you look, someone is touting a new benefit of proper hydration. Whether it’s clear skin, better rest, or a stronger immune system, staying hydrated is key. That’s what makes reusable water bottles such great gifts for dancers! Reusable water bottles not only have positive ecological benefits but using them over plastic is also great for the health of your dancer. Plus the cost of a nice water bottle will pay for itself within a few uses. We’re big fans of the Mobot water bottles because they double as a foam roller, so be sure to check them out. Other noteworthy brands include Swell and Hydroflask!
Electronics
Dancers are always listening to new music, choreographing, and rehearsing their own dances. For this reason, earbuds are a great gift. In-ear earbuds (like AirPods) are an especially great gift that dancers love because they won’t fly off during intense sessions both at home and in the dance studio!
Many dancers like to choreograph their own dances as well. For the dancer that likes to create on the go, a phone tripod or a ring light are both unique gift ideas to create steady, well-lit recordings that they can use for their social media, for sending in auditions, or for summer intensive applications.
Dance Apparel
It is a fact that you can never go wrong with gifting a dancer more dance apparel! Tights get used quickly, leotards get tight in the wrong places or go out of style, and there’s always new audition apparel to try out including dance warm-up boots, dance shoes, etc. If you don’t know what size or style to get, gift cards to trendy dance brands are a great idea. CLI Studios instructors Chloe + Maud Arnold have their own line of tap shoes and tap apparel, and the aforementioned Tiler Peck has her own line of BodyWrappers as well!
At Home Training Accessories
If you’ve seen inside a dance studio recently, you must have seen a dancer at some point with a foam roller or a massage gun, or a ballet barre, or a lacrosse ball, or a Bosu Ball, or an exercise band, or… you get the point. As such specialized athletes, dancers have a wide range of equipment and accessories they use to keep their bodies in top shape. Our resident physical therapists at Sugarfoot Therapy have tons of recommendations not only for what equipment, but what exercises you can use with that equipment. With an exercise ball alone you can strengthen your core, your ankles, your legs, you name it!
An Online Dance Class Subscription
And the best gift for a dancer serious about their training is an online dance subscription such as CLI Studios. Dancers that are looking to level up their skills or their dance career (say, to one day be able to audition for a pre-professional program like the CLI Conservatory) will want to diversify their training as much as possible. CLI Studios offers virtual live and on-demand dance classes in every style and level from over 300 of the world’s best choreographers.
Is the dancer in your life more interested in recreational dancing, looking to train with a specific choreographer? Or just diving into different styles of dance? A CLI Studios membership can offer them more than you could even imagine, from classes and courses in every major style and skill level from musical theatre to ballroom, ballet to contemporary, and everything in between!
Give the Gift of Dance with a CLI Studios Membership Today!
Bonus: many of the CLI Conservatory instructors have classes that dancers can take on CLI Studios to train at the same level as the dancers in the conservatory.
However, if you choose to celebrate this graduation season, be sure to celebrate with some dancing!
