How to make ribbons for ribbon dancing

How to Make Dancing Ribbon Rings

February 20, 2014 By Chelsey

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These DIY dancing ribbon rings are super simple to make and so fun for kids to play with. Ribbon rings are such a fun homemade toy for music and movement and also make great party favors for a birthday party.

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After watching my two year old’s fascination with dancing ribbon rings at our local music class, I knew I had to make some for him to use at home!

If you’re not familiar with ribbon rings, they’re basically rings (large enough for small hands to hold) with ribbons streaming from them. Ribbon rings are wonderful toys for both outdoor and indoor play and inspire all kinds of dancing, twirling, and imaginative play! And the best part- they are super easy to make! (This post contains affiliate links. )

Safety Warning: Any string from toys or window blinds longer than 12 inches is considered a strangulation hazard for all children. The finished length of our ribbon ring streamers is 18 inches. DO NOT leave your child unattended with these toys.

Materials for Dancing Ribbon Rings

Ring (We used 3 inch wooden rings, but you can also use these smaller wooden rings or even shower curtain rings.)

Ribbon in variety of colors (We decided to make rainbow ribbon rings so we used all the colors of the rainbow! Our ribbon was 1/4 inch wide and purchased at our local craft store. If you are unable to purchase your ribbon locally, there are some variety packs of ribbon online like this one.)

Scissors
Lighter or candle (optional)

Directions for Making Dancing Ribbon Rings

1. Cut your ribbon into 36 inch strips. (We used 7 different colors of ribbon, each 36 inches long, but you could use whichever colors you’d like.)

2. Tie ribbons onto the ring: Pull one 36 inch ribbon through the ring and stop when it’s halfway through.

Knot it twice onto the ring. You now have two 18 inch ribbons hanging from your ring. Do this for the remaining ribbons.

3. To keep your ribbon from fraying, quickly run the ends of the ribbons through a flame from a lighter or candle. This will melt the ends and seal them.

These dancing ribbon rings would make great handmade gifts for loved ones and wonderful stocking stuffers or goodies for an Easter basket!

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How to Make Dancing Ribbons

Make dancing ribbons on a budget with a few simple supplies…. an easy craft for kids. This is a cute party activity and the ribbons can be used for dancing, math, and literacy activities.

Here is an easy craft idea for preschoolers. Kids enjoy using these simple dance ribbons for music and movement activities and even literacy activities. Let me show you how to make these cute, budget-friendly dancing ribbons.

Craft Supplies for your Dancing Ribbons

Ribbon

Please note that these ribbon rings are intended to be created and used with adult supervision. If real ribbon fits into your budget….go for it. I like to use rectangular plastic table cloths to make inexpensive ribbons. You can find inexpensive table cloths in a wide variety of colors at the Dollar Store, discount store, or party store.

Rings

You will also need some type of ring to complete this craft. Here are some ideas for items that you can use for rings:

jelly bracelets (looks for them in party favor section of stores)
plastic lids (cut out a circle in the center)
small paper plates (cut out a circle in the center)
chenille stems (tie them into a circle)
rubber slingshot frogs, bunnies, or other animals

How To Assemble the Dancing Ribbons

First, you will need to cut the tablecloths into strips or ribbons. To make the task of cutting the tablecloths easy, DO NOT unfold them all the way. If you happen to have a rotary cutter, you can cut strips just as you would cut strips of fabric for quilts. I couldn’t find my quilt cutting supplies, so I just used a ruler to measure the strips equally, marked them with a pen, and cut them with my scissors.

When I unfolded the strips, I had a bunch of nice, colorful ribbons to add to the rings. Now it’s time, to attach the ribbons to a ring.

Before attaching the ribbons to a bracelet, I folded them in half. I stuck the folded edge through the bracelet.

Then, I opened the fold to make a loop. I stuck my hand through the loop, grabbed the other end of the ribbon, pulled it through the loop, and pulled it tight around the bracelet.

Young kids will need some assistance with this. I like to add 3-5 ribbons to each ring. If you have enough supplies and kids enjoy the craft, they can add more. If you want to make the ends even, you can give them a little haircut.

Additional Elements

In addition to the tablecloth ribbons, you can add curling ribbon (I think the addition of silver curling ribbon would look great on mine) to your rings. Jingle bells might be a fun addition as well.

Paper Plate Dancing Ribbons

If your kids aren’t quite ready to tie the ribbons onto rings as I showed above, they can use a stapler instead. We used two paper plates to make the ring a little sturdier. Kids can staple ribbons around the paper plate. They can then complete their craft by decorating or coloring the paper plate ring. In the picture below, we used Valentine’s Day stickers, but this craft can be used for any holiday or theme.

Ideas for Using Dancing Ribbons

The thing that I love about these ribbon rings is there are so many fun ways to use them. Here are a few ideas.

Use them for a special birthday song during classroom circle time
Create shapes, letters, or numbers in the air with the dancing ribbons
Use dancing ribbons to count and emphasize syllables in words or names
Make them as a party activity and use them as part of the celebration
Have a parade featuring dancing ribbons
And you can always use them for a dance party.

There you have it….an easy craft for kids. I’m sure that you can think of more ways to use dancing ribbons with your kids. I would love to hear your ideas.

Here are some resources from my store that can be used with the ribbon rings

Do-it-yourself gymnastic ribbon

Ribbon exercises are the most spectacular part of rhythmic gymnasts' performances. After all, if you know how to control the wand, then a simple tape can do very beautiful tricks. If you are going to perform at competitions, it is better to choose a professional ribbon with a special stick, but if the projectile is needed for training, sports demonstrations, children's choreography, then a home-made gymnastic ribbon that you can make yourself is also suitable.

How to choose a ribbon

Contents

1 How to choose a ribbon
2 Complex design
3 Simple design

Training tapes are three to four meters long and are used not only in gymnastic sports, but also in various demonstration, choreographic performances where a special dance idea is needed.

Professional tape mainly used in competitions and training. The length depends on the age of the gymnast, technical skill and ranges from four to six meters, it is attached to a stick (which has a conical or cylindrical shape) with a nylon pigtail or carabiner. The length of the stick is also different - a six-meter ribbon should be attached to a stick 55 to 60 centimeters long, ribbons from three to four meters long use sticks up to 50 centimeters long. Accordingly, tapes from 4 to 6 meters are attached to a stick 55 - 60 centimeters. But the length of the stick is for professionals. For children, you can take shorter blanks - 25 - 35 centimeters.

The ribbons must match the color of the dance costume, so they are colored with acrylic paints or permanent markers and then ironed to fix the color. Such a tape can be washed in gentle mode, having previously separated it with a stick.

Complex design

If you try, you can make a gymnastic ribbon that will rotate freely relative to the stick. Such a wand is more difficult to use, but the tricks will be more beautiful.

A plastic tube is taken or the tube is made of tin.
A plug is placed on one end, a cap with a hole in the middle is placed on the other. The cap can be made from tin.
A wire about eight centimeters long is inserted into the hole, bent in half - barbs are made on one side to hold it in the cap, on the other - a ring. Barbs should not interfere with the free rotation of the ring.
At the edge of the tape, make a tube into which a 14 cm long rope is inserted. The ends of the rope are sewn together.
Now the rope ring is connected to the wire ring using a carabiner, you can use a fishing carabiner (they are intended for attaching a lure to a fishing line).

Simple design

This tape will not have such free movement around the axis as the previous one, but this is the simplest scheme for making this gymnastic apparatus. Such a wand will be easier to manage, it is suitable for beginners.

Requires stick, tape and glue to make.
Take a satin ribbon four to six centimeters wide. The length for preschool children should be no more than five meters, adults can be given a ribbon even 7 meters long. The color should match the color of the suit, you can sew ribbons of different colors if necessary, but due to the seams, the strip of material may lose its initial elasticity.
The stick should be about one and a half centimeters in diameter and fit well in the palm of your hand. Children can choose a diameter of 1 cm so that it is convenient to use such a stick. The stick should be light, so you can take a plastic tube or a wooden blank, but you can also use iron or aluminum.
The edge of the tape can be hemmed to prevent it from unraveling, but it is better to burn it with a lighter, for example.
Bend the tape a centimeter and sew this edge, a small linen tube forms at the end. Pass the key ring through this tube, drill a hole in the stick and put the ring with the ribbon into this hole. No carabiners are needed, this is the simplest fastening design.
The stick can be decorated with a pattern, appliqué. Cover the pattern with varnish so that it does not rub off. It is much more pleasant for children to perform with a hand-made and decorated stick.

If you don't need to rotate the ribbon - just glue any stick and wrap the ribbon around, it's the easiest way to make this gymnastic apparatus. If you are engaged in rhythmic gymnastics professionally, the tape must meet all standards and it is better to buy it in a specialized store.

The Art of Chinese Ribbon Dance

The art of Chinese Ribbon Dance is appreciated not only in China, but throughout the world, as students and other dancers enjoy its beautiful style and ability to captivate audiences all over the world.

What is Chinese Ribbon Dance?

Chinese ribbon dance is a traditional art form originating in ancient China. The dancers, who use sharp rhythmic movements and long colorful ribbons, are usually women and perform traditional Chinese music. The ribbons and choreography are precisely synchronized, so the ribbons form patterns and patterns in the air that captivate all who watch the performance.

Photos of ballet dancers
Photos of ballerinas
Flamenco dancing

Achieving the Art of Chinese Ribbon Dance

Anyone can go out on a public stage and spin a ribbon, but it takes practice, precision and perfection to achieve the true art of Chinese ribbon dance. By performing such a dance, you represent the whole culture and history of dancers, and this is a big responsibility.

First, make sure you are using the correct type of ribbon for your dance. You can purchase ribbons if you wish, but making them is very simple. First, buy a wood dowel from your local craft store. You can get any length, but about 2 feet is recommended. Then you need a satin ribbon. Unlike a dowel, which can be wood, plastic, or fiberglass and you won't notice much of a difference, the ribbon should be satin for proper aerodynamics while dancing. You can cut the tape to any length. Some of them are short - about 5 feet, and they are ideal for young dancers. Others are up to 12 feet long and adults can use them just fine. As a general rule, your ribbon should be about 3 inches wide, regardless of length.

Once your ribbon is attached to the dowel, you are ready to learn the dance. Listening to the rhythm of the music is the most important part of the art of ribbon dancing. All turns and tosses must be in sync with the main rhythm of the song, and in traditional Chinese music you will usually find a very clear melody to follow.

The pace of your movements will also add artistic touch to your routine. In general, big and smooth movements are ideal for slow music, so the tape will "float" over your body. However, when the music speeds up, the choreography must also increase. Sharp and quick movements of the hand will give your dance the appearance of fluttering and waving of the hands. Again, let the music dictate your movements and expressions.

Quality Tips

To stay authentic and professional, always keep your feed in mind. Keep it off the floor and watch the knots as you dance. You will want to practice many times before a performance as it requires more strength and hand coordination than you think. This is especially true if you are performing in a large group.

While the upper body does most of the dancing, the dancers must still be aware of the lower half of the body; it is the lower body that performs most of the physical dance (jumps, steps and turns) while the upper body controls the movements of the tape. Jumps, spins, and even simple acrobatic moves such as cartwheels or somersaults can be used in Chinese ribbon dance.