Recipe For Your Dance Filled Summer

Nicole Decsey on ensuring your summer is full-proof for long days of dancing.

Spice up your summer with ingredients that will make you wish the summer would last forever.

1. Sunny Bevies

Let’s start off right with the smoothies. This is not only a great snack/meal for the summer because of its cold refreshing nature, but it is also perfect to fuel you for an entire day of classes, rehearsals, shows and any dance jams you plan on having with your friends. I have an easy-to-follow recipe for my smoothies that you can play with and make your own.

Nicole's Signature Smoothie

- 2 cups of fruit (your choice)

- 3 tablespoons of vanilla yogurt

- ½ cup of milk, dairy or any substitute of your choosing, my personal favourite is oat milk with vanilla flavouring

- Finally blend it all together and enjoy with a reusable metal straw.

Next would be the iced coffee. Now those of you who know me know I don’t drink coffee and I don’t make it either. But I know that many of my dance friends live off the stuff including my co-writer and editor Rachel Levitt. So, here’s what you do

Emergency Dance Fuel Recipe

- Make your own coffee – instant or the real percolated stuff

- Put it in the fridge overnight

- In the morning pour it into a glass with ice

- Add any sweetener you like i.e., sugar or cream

- And voila you’ve got iced coffee

Finally, we get to the sangria. Not only the perfect summer drink, but also the perfect way to wind down after a long day of dancing in the hot sun. Here is a recipe that will keep you happy and laughing until sunrise.

Post-Dance Sangria

- Fruit: 1 apple, 1 orange, a handful of strawberries, a handful blueberries

- 1/3 cup orange juice

- 1/2 cup brandy

- 750ml bottle of wine (red or white your choice)

- Optional: 3-4 tablespoons of brown sugar

2. Summer Dance Fashion

When it starts to get this hot, it’s time to change our dance gear from black leggings and big baggy shirts to some more suitable options. Plus, lots of water!

My go to dance wear options for the summer months are basketball shorts and loose pants. Both these options have in common the benefit of the loose fitting, light material that allows for breathability. Plus, you never have to worry about trying to squeeze into tight clothes when you are already sweating. Which we all can agree to is the most annoying thing.

I covered my dance wear options, but what about in between rehearsals? What should we wear on our days off? My suggestion is put on your favourite bathing suit and head to the nearest beach for some much-needed R&R. Currently my personal favourite places to get new bathing suits are Shein and Zaful. Both these options allow you to get your bathing suits online, so no worrying about long lineups or waits to go in store. And they are extremely affordable. What are you waiting for?

This summer, find the clothes that allow you to enjoy your days off as well as your days back in the studio – be it indoors or an outdoors.

3. Tune Time

What music makes you want to get up and dance? What music reminds you of summer days spent on the patio and summer nights spent under the stars at the cottage? These are the songs we want to share with each other and get the party started.

My summer playlist includes mainly 80s music because you can never go wrong with 80s. Especially when you have these songs:

- Girls Just Want to Have Fun by Cyndi Lauper

- We Will Rock You by Queen

- Karma Chameleon by Culture Club

- I’m Gonna Be by The Proclaimers

- Footloose by Kenny Loggins

- Summer of 69 by Bryan Adams

All my ingredients to set you on the path to a dance filled summer are complete, now it’s time to put them into action.

What are the songs on your summer playlist? Get in touch with A Dance Way Of Life through our Instagram @adancewayoflife and I will share a video of myself dancing to each song you submit!