Under the bright lights of the stage, facial features wash out and expressions are hard to see, and makeup helps the audience to see the dancer's faces more clearly. Good stage makeup will look very exaggerated, dramatic and bold. We suggest:
1) BASE: (foundation) is not necessary for most very young children, however, if you use it yourself and are comfortable applying a light cover, you may. Just be careful when putting a costume on, as it is easy to soil it with foundation, etc. Use foundation only if you are comfortable with it.
FOR ALL TEENS/ADULTS: Please apply a light toned foundation as a base for your makeup. Use hypo-allergenic if necessary. Base is necessary for mature students to even out the skin tone on the face. Apply only on full face down to but not including the neck area. Let dry thoroughly before proceeding:
2) EYE SHADOW: You will want to use the three-eyeshadow method. You’ll need three colors for this look: a highlighter (white or champagne color), your main color (a light brown) and a dark complementary shade (a darker brown).
To start, sweep a light layer of lid primer over your entire eyelid. Then, liberally apply the highlighter, usually a white or champagne, under your eyebrows and in the corners of your eyes. Lightly blend the highlighter toward the center of your eyelid.
Next, you’ll want to apply the main color to your eyelids. Go ahead and sweep a good amount onto each lid, then blend the color upward into the highlighter. For this application to look its best, keep blending until your lid has an ombre effect. The colors should seamlessly transition from dark to light.
Finally, look straight ahead and dab just a bit of the darkest shade into your crease. This will help your eyes to really pop when you’re up on stage. Be sure to blend this color along your crease for a flawless eyeshadow look.
3) EYELINER: Please use a dark brown/black pencil liner along the upper lid of the eye above the lashes, and along the lower lid of the eye just below where the lashes grow on the lower lid. If the child is too young to handle this application, you may omit it. For all children aged 7 years or older, please be certain to have eyes lined.
4) EYEBROW PENCIL: Please use a medium brown pencil for eyebrows only if the hair color is very light and the eyebrow is not clearly defined when looking directly at the face of the dancer. If eyebrows are dark enough naturally, no pencil is necessary.
5) MASCARA: Please apply a thick layer of heavy black mascara to upper and lower lids.
TEEN/ADULT STUDENTS should apply false eyelashes for maximum effect on stage. Simply buy thick black lashes with adhesive, trim to fit and follow instructions. It is best to practice before the day of the show.
6) BLUSH: Apply rose or coral blush to the hollow of the check only - NOT over the cheekbone itself: Have dancer suck in cheeks and apply blush to the area of the check that concaves. Enough blush should be applied to bring color to the shadowed soft part of the cheek leaving the area over the cheekbone light and not colored at all.
7) LIPSTICK: A maroon color lipstick (not too dark!) should be applied to the lips. Lip liner can be used to line the lips before filling in with lipstick, but lip liner is not required. This is one item of make-up that will likely need to be reapplied before going onstage, so be sure to bring your lipstick with you for touch-ups!
BOY DANCERS:
It is suggested that boys wear a little bit of make-up as well (just enough to define their facial features), or they may look washed out onstage.