Check out our list of suggestions for Christmas presents and gifts specifically for your dancer friends.
It is that time of the year again. The months before Christmas, when we start wondering about the presents, we can gift our friends or kids. I’ll refer to friends for the rest of this page. Dancers tend to care a lot more about their skills and motivation to practise instead of material things, so it’s often hard to find the perfect thing. But no worries, I got you covered in case you are lacking inspiration yourself.
1. Workshops and classes
Did I mention that dancers often care about their skills? They really do. Most dancers will be delighted to take an additional class with their favourite teacher or a workshop with a pioneer or expert in their specific dance style. You might need to do a little bit of research to find out which class or teacher is the right one. If there is a name popping up regularly, you know who to pick.
A gift certificate or voucher is the easiest way to package a workshop or class. If you are design-savvy, you will have an easy time making it happen. Otherwise, you can pick up a voucher template and customize it.
2. Workout gear or tools
An essential part of being prepared to dance as good as possible is to keep the body in shape. Some dancers rely on dancing only, but the majority work out in addition.
Tools that almost all dancers can apply in their training are Resistance Bands or a Deuserband. Both are made from elastic rubber-like fabric, and both can be applied in stretching or strength training.
In case your dancer friend is specifically into strength training, you could also pick up a kettlebell, which is simply a big weight with a handle. There are tons of exercises you can do with them, and there are hundreds of tutorials on Youtube to get started.
Got a friend who suffers from unnecessary body tension? Grab a Blackroll or another tool for fascia relief.
3. Books
There is a plethora of books that would make a good gift for your dancer friends. This can be books about the dance itself and how to improve your skills, but it could also be about the history of the dance, the scene the dance originates from or a photography collection.
Here are some recommendations:
- Dance Smart (I wrote this one, by picking it up, you have a gift for your friends and me. Win-Win)
- The Tao of Wu
- Hip Hop Raised Me
- Can’t Stop, Won’t Stop
- Black Noise: Rap Music and Black Culture in Contemporary America
- Hip Hop Navigator
- Performance Skills
- Dancers among us and Dancers after Dark
4. Event tickets or travel expenses
Dancers love travelling to dance events all around the globe. Often these travels have to happen on a budget. If you can provide the event tickets or pay for some of the travel expenses, your friends will surely be happy.
If the event tickets are not yet available, you can, once again, go for a voucher.
5. Fresh gear or apparel
The term style usually means the individual interpretation of the dance, but there is also style in fashion and gear. Looking fresh is an essential part of most freestyle dances, and many dancers elevate the curation of their outfits into an art form.
The number one spot in the gear section is the sneaker. The variety of available shoes and personal taste makes it difficult to shoot from the hip, but you will get an idea of their preferred model if you take a look at their existing sneaker collection. The best-case scenario is probably taking the trip to the sneaker store together.
In my opinion, the second best guess is either headgear or accessories. Watch how your friend dresses at events, and you will know which one it is. Not going to dance events with your friend? A swipe through their social media might help as well.
6. Wall art
If nothing else seems to fit, you might want to consider some kind of poster. It can be a fantastic dance image, a motivational quote or a combination of both. Maybe it is a really big print of their favourite dance photo of themselves.
Many options are available for the seeker of presents. Depending on your budget, you can go for a digital download to print at home, for a framed museum-quality print or anything in between.
If you have additional ideas, meaning more Christmas presents for dancers, let us know in the comments.
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