Show and Tell: Inside Karina González’s Dance Bag

Nearly everything in Karina González’s dance bag is splashed with pattern and color. First there’s her “uniform,” a floral Spanish shawl from fellow company member Ana Calderon. “I’m not into skirts, but I have to tie this around me every day,” González says. Then there are her green-and-white-striped Christmas socks. “Everybody laughs at me because it’ll be June and I’ll still be wearing them,” she says, “but they’re my favorite!” Even the duct tape she uses on the shanks of her shoes is printed with penguins.

The exterior of her Lululemon tote (“my Christmas and birthday presents to myself combined”) may be black—but the lining is a cheery blue-and-white paisley. Adding even more flair to the bag is a charm from her boyfriend, company dancer Rupert Edwards. “It’s a little angel that says, ‘Love endures forever.’ ”

The Goods

Red “emergency kit” bag (“It has all the essentials—tape, toe pads, Anbesol, toe spacers, a tennis ball, Emergen-C”), flat shoes, pink lace-up pointe shoes (for Stanton Welch’s Play), pointe shoes, Eiffel Tower notebook (“a present from dancer Sara Webb—she gave it to me right before the company toured to Paris”), tissues, iPhone, Halls mints, leg spray makeup (“But not for my legs! I use it to paint my shoes”), Jet Glue, tube of rosin, Yamuna exercise ball (“It’s like a self-rolling massage, and it’s a miracle, especially for my hips”), Spanish shawl, Thera-Band, Christmas socks, warm-up pants, Lululemon bag.