Inside Marijana Dominis' Dance Bag: A Career in Three Countries

Marijana Dominis keeps a manicure kit from her native Croatia, a pointe shoe scraper from her student years in Munich, and a Swiss muscle gel discovered in Finland — all in one dance bag. The Sarasota Ballet principal's daily kit maps an international career across three countries before she ever reached Florida.

Dominis trained at the Munich Ballet Academy and later danced with the Finnish National Ballet, where she found Perskindol Active Gel. "This has saved my life a couple of times," she says of the Swiss-made cream, which she orders regularly from Europe. "It's for muscle pain and has all natural ingredients."

During the company's recent tour to The Joyce Theater in New York City, Dominis carried a smaller travel bag, bought at a dancewear store in Tampa. "The one I usually carry [in Sarasota] is much sturdier and heavier to carry," she says.

What are the principal's essentials?

Shoes. Dominis wears Sansha Pro ballet slippers and Freed Classic pointe shoes. Her favorite pointe maker is Butterfly. "The box is a little wider, so I like them for slower movements." Her other preferred maker, Clef, offers the opposite: "They're a little narrower, so they keep me more lifted up in my shoe."

Massage tools. "I love my travel-friendly 'peanut' roller, because it's small and I can roll out anything with it," says Dominis. "I use the massage ball for my feet."

Sewing kit and manicure kit. "I keep my manicure kit inside, which is special to me because my mom has the exact same one, so it reminds me of her."

Exercise bands. A Schmidt Sports Deuserband, "from Germany and really hard to find," serves for stretching big poses like arabesque or the splits. A Fit Simplify band is "extra-heavy and great for glute, hip, and ankle exercises. I use it every day, multiple times a day."

Shoe scraper. "This little guy is from Germany," says Dominis, who uses it to create traction on the bottoms of her shoes. "A lot of people in the company borrow it."

Foot care. Ouch Pouch pads, athletic tape and toe caps protect her toes. "My big toe takes all the weight, so it needs a lot of extra coverage."

Does a fragrance belong in a role?

Dominis normally wears Chanel Coco Mademoiselle Intense as her signature scent. For the role of Caroline in Antony Tudor's Lilac Garden, performed at The Joyce in October, she switched to Calvin Klein Eternity Intense. "It's so right for this role, so I wear it for every rehearsal and show," she says.

Her bag also holds a wooden hairbrush with fine metal bristles, toe tape, a small amber perfume bottle and a light pink water bottle.

What does this change for readers? It shows how a principal's craft travels: each object carries a place, a mentor or a role, and the bag functions as a portable record of a career still in motion.