Dance Class....how much?

[descovy]

I need your help!

I have a question about picking a dance studio and saw this thread and thought It's a perfect place to ask. Sort of budget related too

There is a pretty established dance place here that had a summer camp. They had 2 sessions this summer for a summer camp of 2 weeks where you went twice a week.

We signed our 5 year old daughter up for the first session for 2 weeks and literally the day of the first lesson about an hour beforehand they called to say it was cancelled since there was not enough interest in the first session and we could roll over to the second summer session. (which we did).

Again the day of the next session an hour before the class was to start we got the call it was cancelled. And would we like to roll over to fall. We said we'd think about it.

Then I went crazy trying to find another dance place for our daughter. I read reviews and most were not good except this one and another one.

So we went today to the other dance studio that is literally only 1 minute away. They are super nice! BUT they are soooo small. I mean you can barely fit in the waiting area which has only 5 or 6 seats. And there are 2 dance gyms but no viewing area, both pretty small. I honestly don't know where the parents would sit during the lessons. The paperwork said once a month the parents can sit in on the classes for the last 10 mins. So do we just drop off and pick up?
Also this one is more expensive per month by around $20. Plus it has a recital fee that the other one doesn't. And the other one gives the parents free tickets as well.

So the plus is the people are super nice, but the con is no viewing area. No area at all really for the parents, literally. oh and she would be in the 3-5 year old class. I thought they was an odd age pairing. I thought maybe 4-5 year olds would be OK but 3 and 5 are totally different in terms of attention span etc.

The one that cancelled twice this summer has 5-8 year old classes. Its a huge studio. It had lots of other things going on there too like music lessons, singing lessons and so on. So I think they wouldn't cancel in the fall for the year, just the summer was low interest.

Its a big studio. Lots of room for parents and viewing area. Its less money per month. They were OK nice. Not as nice and warm as the little place but they were not unfriendly or snobby.

Which do you think would be better for my daughter. The small, more expensive one where they are super friendly but I think we drop her off? and she is in the 3-5 year old class?

Or the big one that cancelled the summer camp twice on us. But have a great big studio. Plenty of room for parents and viewing area. less expensive. No recital fees and 2 free tickets for parents to the recital.

Sorry for the novel, but I have to decide before tomorrow. Registration is this weekend for both but we are going on vacation tomorrow for a week so we need to sign up for one first thing in the am before we leave. I can't sleep trying to figure this out!!!

Thanks
shelly

Just based on one item in your pros/cons. The large school has a 5-8 class, the small school has a 3-5year old class. Hands down I would pick age 5-8.

She'll get more quality instruction in an older class. The 3-5 may be a more "playfull" "creative" dance class.

In my world, my kids can "play" for free. But if I am paying for class (and don't have unlimited discretionary funds) I want them learning technique... not "playing" They are going to teach to the lowest denominator... that is what a 3 year old can handle.

That said, I have an 8 yo and I wouldn't be thrilled to put her in a 5-8 class! (Mind you, little sister is 6!)

As far as feely-goods... I wouldn't worry too much about the administration. As long as they are professional and fair, they don't have to be sweetly nice. I'm not looking to be bff's with them.

Most important, How is the teacher? Big whoopp if the front dest girl is sweet as sugar, if the dance teacher is horrible. And no, I don't expect the teacher to be sweetly-sweet either. Nice to the kids yeah. But teach them... not just let them run around.


Let me tell you our experience. DD10 went to a very good dance school in 1st grade. 2nd grade we moved... and I figured all schools were the same (and would be just as good as 1st grade) so I put her in the class best for me. Cheaper, "prettier building," whatever. It was "o-kay" I found out at recital time that most for her students were preschool-daycare students. The 2nd graders were her oldest class. DD had fun but probably didn't get much out of it.

3rd grade we went to a really good school. She is in 5th grade now. She actually *works* to achieve a move (rather than good enough) The school is larger... teaches all through high school. The high school recital permormances are phenominal! Trust me can even interest my poor uncle who has to sit through in the name of "supportive family" I've brought in DD8 and DD6 into this school too. This is where we will stay.

Staff if "nice" Very professional, and have to be to run such a small school. So they have rules. Certain kind of shoes, certain leotard, hair must be put in a bun. They take dance seriously so the students take dance seriously. The teachers/owners/front desk are all "nice" but not sweety-sweet. My girls are thriving there. I only wish I had more money/time to enroll my girls in more classes!

 

[ceecee]

We are also in Ohio and we pay $500 a year for two one hour classes with the summer off. Costumes at the end of the year for recitals are around $75 each.

 

[mychicks]

Something to remember about viewing your dd's class. At our school we can watch once a month, more often when it gets near recital time. Many of the younger girls (mine included at times) do not pay attention to dancing when their parents are watching. They are too busy looking over at mom. Sometimes the girls just start crying and running over to their parents and won't dance. Our teachers don't allow parents to stay in the classroom after the first couple of weeks to prevent this from happening. It really is easier on everyone (kids, parents, teachers) if we don't stay in the room every week.

 

[DebD4T]

Last year our team did three competitions plus National comps in Wildwood, NJ for Dance Xplosion. Including comp. fees, hotels, food etc. these weekends are an easy $500.00 and Nationals ran more as it was a weeks comp.

We were there also!! Great week!!

DD#1's dance tuition this year (12.5 hours a week) will be ZERO!!! She won Senior scholarship this year so all her classes are free.

DD#2 will be taking 11 hours of dance a week, but I haven't gotten the tuition schedule for her yet. I think the classes start at $10/hour and decrease as you add more classes.

 

[2littleprincesses]

Odd got into competitive dance line this year. We will pay $135 a month for 9 months for unlimited, but she will just take jazz, tap and ballet for 3 hours 15 minutes a week. Once amonth they have an optional gymnastics class for $5 and registration fee is $15. She will have 3 costumes at $75-80 a piece plus competition fees and pay for shoes as well.

Ydd is in one class not competition. We pay $56 a month for that class plus $75-80 for costume.

Our studio gives a discount for more than one child in the family taking classes and a discount if you pay in full before the first class.

With competition, this will be a more expensive year for us!

 

[princessmom29]

Something to remember about viewing your dd's class. At our school we can watch once a month, more often when it gets near recital time. Many of the younger girls (mine included at times) do not pay attention to dancing when their parents are watching. They are too busy looking over at mom. Sometimes the girls just start crying and running over to their parents and won't dance. Our teachers don't allow parents to stay in the classroom after the first couple of weeks to prevent this from happening. It really is easier on everyone (kids, parents, teachers) if we don't stay in the room every week.

Exactly this. Most studios in our area only allow parents in class for "visitors weeks" midyear, nad occasionally as recital nears to provide an audience. The children are more focused and not as selfconscious without mom in the room.

 

[hockeyprincess]

We have Parents Watch week that we get to sit in each class they are in, and watch 1 class only per year. The theroy is the kids are more focused and paying attention to the teacher rather than the parents. I didn't like this at first but now it's ok with me, I understand why they do it. Our studio has ample seating room in the lobby, that being said, most parents do not stay, they drop off and pick up, unless they live quite a ways away. There are a handful of parents in the lobby reading, chatting, etc while classes are going on. The HECTIC times are class change times. THAT being said, we are a fairly small town where "everybody knows your name" so we all watch out for each other's kids.

 

[momof1princess]

DD's dance studio only allows us to watch class twice per year. we have a "tea party" in the late fall, where we watch what they've learned then the parents put out finger foods for the girls; in april, we have a picnic where we watch their progress on their recital routine, then we put out the food for the girls to eat (yes, parents are allowed to eat also, but most of us moms don't). i'm usually in charge of these things, and we have turkey sandwiches, pb& j, cookies, string cheese, grapes and apple slices (with or without dip) and juice boxes or bottled water.

 

[BusyMom2Three]

DD8 takes one class that is 1.5 hrs and does 30 min each of ballet, tap, and jazz. We pay $55/month, plus about $100-$115 for 3 costumes in Dec, and a $50 recital fee in the spring. I love her studio because she can do every style of dance but only has to register for one class. It's very unique. I switched her here for that reaosn, among others (the owner is an awesome dancer and choreographer, and her other studio had outrageous recital fees b/c it was at a Broadway type theatre). As she gets older, the class length and number of styles increases. For example, the oldest girls go 2 hrs 2x/week and do ballet, tap, jazz, hip hop, and contemporary. The price goes up $5-$10/month as more styles are added based on their age. My DD wants to start competition. It's $25 more/month, plus an additional costume fee ($30-$40).

 

[KKB]

A very established dance studio in town just moved their studio a couple of blocks from home so I thought we would check it out--RIGHT
DD has taken from a local studio for 9 years. She takes 2 ballet classes, jazz & musical theater at $150/month. W
We popped into this studio to check their prices. It would cost $172/WEEK!!! to take the same classes!! ARE YOU KIDDING ME??!! WHY would someone pay more than 4x as much??!!
Let's face it, 99.95 of these girls are NOT going to be professional dancers. Several girls from our studio HAVE gone pro, so I know they are getting quality instruction.
SO...figure I have been saving BIG bucks for years--can we put that towards a Disney trip?

 

[2RussianAngels]

DD will take 3 hours of ballet technique, half hour of beginning pointe, and 1 hours of yoga/Vagonova floor & barre work weekly. We'll pay $200/month. It is a ballet only studio that follows the Vaganova syllabus and is run (and all classes are taught) by a graduate of the Vaganova School (Kirov Ballet School) and his wife. She is getting excellent instruction and there don't seem to be any "issues"/cattiness,etc. between/among the girls (or any of their parents). Any performance participation is optional and requires a production/rehearsal fee and costume rental fee (as well as 2 - 5 additional hours of rehearsal on Saturday afternoons).