WHY YOUR STAGE MAKEUP IS ESSENTIAL TO YOUR PERFORMANCE
As a performer, there are many, many aspects that come together before you hit the stage; endless hours of training, memorizing choreography, costumes, hair and makeup. All of these are equally important to the final product before it makes its public debut. One piece is not complete without the next, and this includes your makeup. But have you ever wondered why makeup plays an integral role in the performance world? We promise you it’s intentional and worth all of the effort (and we know there’s a lot of effort perfecting a winged liner!).
3 reasons why you need to wear performance makeup:
ONE.
Performance makeup is a necessity to be seen on stage — that’s right, without it, the audience cannot see your face and all of your lovely facial expressions! We want to see your big smiles, your winks, your raw emotion, and all that you bring with your performance. The bright stage lights washes out your face and it is extremely hard to see any detail without proper performance makeup.
TWO.
Performances tell a story; whether it’s an elaborate narrative, a theme or evoking feelings, every routine tells a story. The choreography, costumes, hair and makeup, all work together to tell this story to the audience. Makeup is an amazing tool to extend your creativity further and to allow your makeup and costumes to work together to tell the story your routine was created to tell.
In many cases, you have created this story for a panel of judges! We need them to be able to be able to see our expressions in order to understand the story. We’ve heard this time and time again, that judges will dock marks if they cannot see the expressions and eyes from on stage. Marks will be docked if a team looks unprofessional and mismatched. Simultaneously, you will receive a higher score when a story is brought to life on stage. Remember, when at competition, the competition is always fierce., so why not always bring your A game? Your makeup should be used as a tool to enhance what you are already bringing to the table, not take away from it.
We heard from Sarah Chapman, Entertainment Manager for Disney Performers and seasoned competitive dance judge, about her take on performance makeup —
THREE.
You are a team. You have matching team jackets, matching costumes, stockings, dance shoes, hair. A team makeup look UNIFIES your team and is absolutely imperative when heading to competition. We’ve all seen that team – you know… the one that wears a deep purple lipstick and zig zag centre part. I’ve seen them, you’ve seen them — and better yet, we all remember them. Your team makeup look impacts your team identity and how you are viewed. To learn more about team identity click here.
It is important to note that performance makeup is used to unify and not to clone. We aren’t trying to clone our teammates and make everyone look identical; everyone is unique and has so many individual characteristics, and we definitely do not want to hide this. Makeup is used to unify not clone, and even across skin tones and facial differences, the look of a polished group wearing the same makeup will provide a unified team identity.
Makeup will look slightly different on everyone, but the makeup itself still matches across performers. The same goes for costumes, dance tights, hairstyles. We don’t want to create clones, we want a team!
We know how much work goes into a season of training and performing and your performance makeup is the final touch that pulls it all together. Wearing performance makeup will ensure that all facial expressions will be seen on stage, that the story of your routine will be brought to life and that your team will be unified when stepping foot in competition. You’ve all worked way too hard practicing and perfecting your art, to ignore such a crucial piece to the performance, that will really improve the overall experience and look. Make your team makeup a priority this season, and don’t forget to have fun with it!