Gift Ideas for Healthy Strong Dancers

Dr. Chelsea Moehlenbrock Author

It’s that time of year! Holiday and Nutcracker season are in full swing. Have you figured out what to give your dancer this year yet? If you’re looking for a gift that supports their training and overall wellness, strength and conditioning tools are perfect for enhancing their performance and preventing injury. Here’s a list of gift ideas to help dancers stay strong, flexible, and resilient (and a few other fun ideas):

Gifts Under $25

• Wobble Board or Disc
  These are great for working on balance, ankle stability, and even core stability.
• Foam Roller
  These come in various lengths, so you can get a short one that can fit in a dance bag or a longer one that can extend along the length of your spine. Foam rollers are helpful for spinal mobility, recovery and self-care for muscles, and can be used in numerous strengthening exercises.
• Half Foam Roller
  This is great as a small alternative to the full foam roller. These can also be used for balance exercises if you turn them so the flat side is up. This is another multi-purpose tool for dancers.
• Myofascial Release Balls
  These are great for self-care and recovery for muscles after long days at the studio. This particular set comes with three different sized balls too. The small one is helpful for decompressing the metatarsals in the feet, while the larger ones are effective on larger muscle groups.
• Looped Resistance Bands
  These are great for strength and conditioning. There are endless exercises for the hips using these. They don’t take up much space, so they are easy to throw in the dance bag and use them to warm-up before classes.
  
• Resistance Bands
  These are another great tool for strength and conditioning. They do need to be anchored to something, whether it’s a door handle, railing, or sturdy post.
• Magnetic Bobby Pin Bracelet
  It’s always annoying losing bobby pins on the floor when you’re trying to put your hair up. This bracelet is a great idea for keeping those bobby pins in one reachable place.
• Dance Shoe Bags
  If you have trouble keeping track of your dance shoes, why not put each pair of shoes in a different mesh bag so you never have that panic moment again when you thought you only had one pointe shoe at rehearsal.
• Dance Journal
  Keeping track of your corrections and feedback from teachers can be helpful in your growth as a dancer. Depending on the personality of your dancer, there are numerous options for this. There are journals specifically designed for dancers to log corrections and keep track of goals, but some dancers prefer a blank journal so they can be creative and build their own structure.
• Tackle Box for Organizing First Aid
  Dancers commonly get toe and foot injuries and it’s helpful being prepared with a first aid kit for these kinds of things. As a young dancer, I always had a small tackle box that was nicely organized with various first aid needs including, cloth medical tape, band aids, blister band aids, New Skin, corn pads, kinesiotape, needle and thread, toe spacers, and ibuprofen.

Gifts Under $40:

• Suspension Straps
  Whenever I introduce these to the dancers that I teach strength and conditioning classes to, they develop a love-hate relationship with these suspension straps. There are numerous exercises that can be done with these that target lower body, upper body, and core.
• Water Bottle
  Hydration is important as a dancer. This particular water bottle I love because you can get water either by either sipping it through the straw or by chugging through the nozzle. Super cool design! Plus, there’s an insulated option if you prefer to have your water kept cold.
• Kettlebells 
  Kettlebells are a great tool for building strength. I use them for some active stretches too which can help flexibility. I typically keep a 10lb and 15lb kettlebell on hand, but there are many sizes depending on what your dancer wants to work on.

Gifts Under $60:

• Half Ball Balance Trainer
  If you’re looking for a larger gift that is very versatile. These half ball balance trainers are really fun! They are great for building strength and balance. 

Variable Prices:

• Gift Card to Work With Me: As a dance physical therapist, I offer much more than just rehabilitation guidance after an injury. I can assess a dancer's strengths and weaknesses so that they have a better understanding of what strengthening, stretching, or balance exercises to do to reach their goals. I also offer pre-pointe assessments to make sure dancers are safe to transition to pointe. If you’re not sure exactly what your dancer might want, I offer gift cards so that the dancer can use those funds towards whatever services suit them best.
• Foldable Pilates Reformer: If you are looking for a larger present. There are multiple brands of pilates reformers that can be useful at home since they are smaller and some are foldable. These types of reformers are not nearly as nice as the traditional reformers (those are typically thousands of dollars), but these simpler reformers still offer a lot of options for dancers to strengthen and stretch at home. Different reformers will come with different accessories too (box, jump board, wand, ball, etc).

Bonus Idea: A Strength and Conditioning Gift Bundle

Combine a few of these items into a personalized gift set! For example, pair resistance bands, a foam roller, and a stretch strap in a sleek gym bag. It’s a thoughtful way to support their goals and show how much you care.

Whether they’re twirling in pointe shoes or breaking it down on stage, these gifts will help your favorite dancer stay strong, flexible, and ready to shine.

Disclaimer: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Money from these purchases goes into creating online educational courses and strength training programs for dancers.