Wind Down After a Performance | Pro Tip from Jessica Lohr

Our current Featured Guest, Jessica Lohr, is a Solo Artist with Ballet 5:8. Follow along each week as Jessica shares tips on how to care for your body, ballet life hacks, and more. In this post, receive advice from Jessica on how to wind down after a performance.

Jessica Says:

It can be really difficult to let yourself wind down both physically and mentally after a busy performance weekend, especially at the end of a late night! This is so important, however, as it allows you to stay healthy as a dancer and as a person and can help prevent burnout in the busy seasons.

I am a person who really likes routine, so something that has aided me with this is having a “post-performance ritual” that I go through at the end of the night. This helps me to step out of whatever character I am playing and become me again! It also helps me let down from the adrenaline of performing and let my body relax.

For me, this looks like taking a hot shower, rolling my muscles out on a foam roller, and writing a short journal entry on that evening’s performance. After this, I am able to release that day’s show and let myself fully relax. For you, a post-performance ritual might look slightly different, find something that works for you!