Some Tips for Being a Great Stage-Mate
Whether you’re performing at a hafla, a restaurant show, or a big theater production, backstage spaces tend to be small, shared, and a little chaotic. Picture a clown car, but with more sequins and significantly more bobby pins! A few simple habits can make the experience smoother, safer, and more pleasant for everyone, and will help keep the magic of the show intact for the audience.
Here’s a rundown of some backstage etiquette every performer should know.
Show Up On Time
This one comes before you even set foot backstage: show up on time. It shows respect for the show organizer, who has a schedule to keep and enough to worry about already. It matters even more if you’re part of a group number, since your fellow dancers will be counting on you for sound checks and run-throughs, and a missing castmate tends to send everyone’s stress levels through the roof. If you know you’re going to be late, a quick text message ahead of time goes a long way toward putting everyone’s mind at ease.
Share the Sound Check Time
Sound check is not the time for a full run-through, let alone two or more. Realistically, your time on stage is for quickly adjusting your positions, getting a feel for the space, and making sure your music is working. That’s it.
If your group wants to squeeze in a bit of practice, make sure everyone is ready to go before you step on stage, run it, and clear out promptly so the next group can have their turn. Ideally a show organizer will schedule out sound check timing for everyone, but in practice this rarely happens, so it falls on performers to be considerate of each other’s time.
Be Mindful of Shared Space
Backstage areas are almost always tighter than you’d like, and somehow there’s never quite enough mirror to go around. Try to keep your belongings compact and contained rather than spreading props, costumes, and bags across every available surface like you’re staking a territorial claim. Everyone needs a little elbow room.
If you regularly share a dressing space with other performers, consider labeling items that others might have an identical version of. Things like eyeliner, foundation, hairspray, and similar products have a way of looking suspiciously alike. A small label saves everyone from an awkward “wait, is this mine?” moment (and saves you from unknowingly borrowing someone else’s mascara, ew!).
Keep It Out of the Traffic Zone
If you’ve brought a suitcase, a costume rack, or any larger props, find a spot off to the side to store them rather than parking them in the middle of the floor. Remember that some performers will be moving through that space quickly, especially during costume changes between numbers, and the last thing anyone needs is to trip over your luggage while racing to make their entrance. A clear path through the backstage area keeps everyone moving safely, even when things get hectic.
Don’t Be a Mirror Hog
Mirror space backstage is basically a precious resource, right up there with electrical outlets and floor space. Yes, you want to look your best, but so does everyone else, and there’s rarely enough mirror to go around. Do your touch-ups, then make room for the next person rather than camping out for a full beauty routine. If you know you’ll need extra mirror time (false lashes, elaborate eye makeup, you name it), consider bringing a small personal mirror you can use at your own station. It’s a small thing that can save a lot of backstage shuffling.
Hot Tools, Handle With Care
Hot tools deserve their own little safety moment. A curling iron or straightener left face-down on a counter (or worse, on top of a costume bag) is a recipe for scorch marks, melted fabric, or a nasty burn for whoever brushes past it. Always set hot appliances on a heatproof stand or mat, point the hot end away from the edge of the table, and keep them away from anything flammable, including veils, fringe, and your neighbor’s favorite hip scarf. Unplug as soon as you’re done, and give them a few minutes to cool before tossing them in a bag. A “cool” curling iron can still be hot enough to leave a mark.
Have a prop or costume piece that needs ironing? Consider if this can be done at home instead of backstage; if it must be done right before you dance, find a safe space to set up, warn people about a hot iron in the space, and unplug as soon as you are done.
For any hot appliances, watch out for those cords. A dangling cord can easily get caught on something and pull the hot appliance somewhere it shouldn’t be, whether that is someone’s skin or their precious costume.
Toxic Fumes
Backstage areas can get hot, and when we perform vigorously, we do get sweaty. That’s just reality of dancing. But resist the temptation to over-perfume to cover it up. As long as your hygiene game is on point, you don’t need to smell like you fell into a vat at the perfume counter. Plenty of people are quite sensitive to strong fragrance, so if you can’t skip it entirely, keep it light.
It’s also a reality that hairspray or static guard might make an appearance (silk veils, we’re looking at you). That’s not totally forbidden, but be mindful when you pull out the spray can. Try to aim away from others as much as possible. Nobody wants to accidentally trigger a fellow performer’s asthma right before they go on.
And in this day and age, it should go without saying: no smoking or vaping backstage. If you must puff, take it outside, and try not to bring the smell back to the shared space on your clothes.
Watch Your Liquids
Open makeup, perfume, drinks, or any other liquid products only when you’re actively using them, and seal them back up right after. A knocked-over bottle can ruin a costume, a prop, or someone’s belongings in seconds. “I’m so sorry, I think this is permanent” is not a sentence anyone wants to hear five minutes before showtime.
Food Safety Is Different Backstage
If food and drink are allowed backstage, keep them in a designated eating area away from costumes and makeup stations. If you need water nearby while doing your makeup, use a spill-proof bottle. And if you bring snacks, make them finger-friendly. Save the sticky, gooey goodies for after the show. Nobody needs jam fingerprints on their chiffon skirt.
Know the Lineup
Keep an eye on the running order and be ready to go on at least two numbers before yours. Technical glitches, last-minute cancellations, or a skipped number can all shift the schedule unexpectedly, and you don’t want to be the person frantically zipping up a costume while your music is already playing.
Keep Noise Down
If you’re anywhere near the wings or backstage, keep your voice low. Sound travels more than you’d think, and the audience can often hear chatter, laughter, or even rustling costumes from just offstage. This applies even if you’re in an adjacent green room that has a door leading to the wings. Sound has a sneaky way of finding the gaps.
Especially for newer performers, there’s a natural urge to immediately squeal with excitement and congratulate each other the second you come off stage. That adrenaline rush is real! But save the celebratory shrieking for a few extra steps away, so it doesn’t crash the party for whoever’s currently trying to enchant the audience.
Don’t Crowd the Wings
It’s tempting to watch the show from the wings. Yes, the lighting looks amazing from back here, and you don’t want to miss any of the show while you are waiting for your turn, but try to avoid crowding this space. A packed wing makes it harder for performers to exit cleanly during the finale or for the next act to make their entrance, and it increases the risk of the audience spotting people who are very much not supposed to be visible.
This ties into a broader rule: if you’re offstage, be all the way offstage. If you can see the audience, the audience can see you. Being visible when you’re not performing breaks the illusion, looks unprofessional, and pulls focus from whoever currently has the stage, which really isn’t fair to them.
Respect Privacy in the Changing Area
Avoid taking photos or videos in the changing room. Even if you’re only trying to snap a quick selfie or a group pic, an unnoticed mirror angle can accidentally catch someone mid-costume-change in the background, and nobody wants to discover that later. When in doubt, leave the camera in your bag until everyone’s dressed. Save the photo ops for spaces where there’s zero chance of an accidental disrobed cameo. Similarly, never take photos or videos in the wings while another performer is on stage. It’s distracting, and honestly, it’s their moment, not yours.
Respecting privacy also means being aware of who might be changing if you are opening a door that leads onto a public space. No need to expose your fellow performers who are mid-change to the waiting public by flinging the door open without warning.
Handle Costumes With Care
When you take off a costume, avoid just dropping it in a common area, on the floor, or somewhere it might get tangled up with someone else’s pieces. A few extra seconds to set it aside properly saves a lot of frustration later, for both you and for whoever’s costume ends up buried underneath yours. It might feel faster to just drop and run, but the time spent untangling fringe from someone else’s fringe later is never worth it. Something on the floor could be a tripping hazard for someone else, and no one wants to be responsible for that hip scarf on the floor that caused someone else to slip and slide to an injury.
Look Out for Each Other
Share your safety pins, bobby pins, and other small notions if a fellow performer needs them. These little emergencies happen to literally everyone at some point. Consider it backstage karma.
Offer to help with zippers, hooks, and tricky costume pieces when someone needs an extra hand. And when you need help with your own costume, be considerate about who you ask: if someone is about to go on or just came off and is mid quick-change, find someone who actually has a moment to spare instead.
Read the Room
Some performers love the backstage camaraderie and thrive on pre-show banter, while others are deep in their nerves or mentally running through their routine one more time. Try to tune in to what your fellow performers need when you’re all crammed in together: an encouraging chat, or some quiet space to gather their thoughts. If someone seems to be in their own world, don’t take it personally. It’s almost never about you, it just means they’re focusing so they can bring their best to the stage.
Shows are a great chance to catch up with people you don’t see often, but try not to let that catching-up come at the expense of everyone actually getting ready on time.
One More Thing (Not Backstage, But Related) – Be a Good Audience Member
If your event allows performers to sit in the audience between sets, don’t do it in costume. Instead bring a cover-up and keep the mystery alive. I might be a little controversial here, but just wrapping a veil around you is not a sufficient cover-up; it’s lazy. A simple gallabiyah will do the trick nicely.
Only move in or out of the audience between numbers, never while someone else is performing. Walking in front of the stage or through sightlines mid-performance is distracting for the audience and the dancer alike. Even a door opening and closing can be enough to break the spell.
Final thought
Backstage etiquette isn’t about strict rules for their own sake, it’s about respect. Respect for the audience’s experience, respect for your fellow performers’ space and time, and respect for the show as a whole. A little awareness goes a long way toward making backstage a space where everyone can focus, prep, and shine.