Inside Oklahoma City Ballet Principal DaYoung Jung’s Dance Bag

Oklahoma City Ballet principal DaYoung Jung is always in motion—and her dance bag reflects her busy lifestyle. She recently branched out into choreography, presenting her work Dissipation on the company’s March program and again at the Five Moons Dance Festival in August. “Now that I’m focusing on being a choreographer, as well, I have a laptop and tripod in my bag,” she says.

What items can’t she live without? Chocolate and coffee, for energy. “Coffee is my morning thing,” she says. “But chocolate is for when I have to perform at night. I keep all kinds of it in my bag. One time, I brought a huge bar of Hershey’s with toffee and almonds, and I was going to have a bite. [The other company members] were like, ‘Don’t you want to share with us?’ So I have to share with whoever’s next to me!”

The Goods

Box of hair ties: “We had a Secret Santa gift exchange during The Nutcracker. At the barre, I asked another dancer for a hair tie, and she happened to be my Secret Santa. She got me, like, 50 of them. I carry them all the time.” Jung also swears by her bobby pins.

Good-luck charms: “My M·A·C Please Me pink lipstick and Moschino I Love Love Cheap and Chic perfume. They make me feel pretty and give me extra confidence.”

Freed custom pointe shoes: “I keep it really simple, with regular ribbon and elastic.”

Safety in style: “I carry multiple colors of masks and match them to my mood. If I have to dance like a princess, I’ll wear pink. When it’s contemporary, I’ll wear black, because I want to look strong.”

Trader Joe’s lavender hand sanitizer spray: “I love anything with a lavender scent.”

Tennis shoes, a hat and sunscreen: “At our company, there’s a walking trail outside. When I have a lunch break for 30 minutes or an hour, I always take a walk.”

Water bottle: “A must-have, every day.”