Dance costume costs

[crisi]

My sister teaches tap. She limits herself to $35 per costume including everything. This is due to the tough economy and her students home situations. Her kids look great every recital, there are options out there which don't break the bank.

There are lots of studios like your sister's. And lots that really don't consider the cost - often those establishments are patronized by people who aren't budget minded themselves and think that costumes are part of the fun. A friend sent her daughter to a studio where the costume is your black leotard and one of the moms sews skirts and accessories for a few bucks to dress things up. Obviously, it isn't competitive dance there, its an inner city studio.

 

[wanttobeinvienna]

OP- I feel your pain- but as I tell my husband- it is part of the commitment to dance...
It is expensive- although I like how my DD's studio charges... There is a flat fee for costumes once you are on mini company or company. Although I don't think it would necessarily work for every studio- it is really great for ours. So we pay about $250/year for costumes.
Cheer, however, is a different story- crazy expensive!!! We pay over $500 for the costume alone, over $500 for classes/month, shoes are well over $100, and make up kit is over $75. Not to mention travel expenses
With 4 kids, 1 in dance & cheer, 1 in football, 1 in band, and 1 in theater... there is NO money left over!!

 

[stefplus3]

DD5 yrs old takes dance and her class (basic dance one) only requires 1 costume and we paid $60, it comes with tights. Next year will be her last "one" costume year. After that it's 2.

 

[msmayor]

I totally agree! The kids don't need a brand new fancy costume for every single recital dance. They can get more modest costumes, or reuse them, build them around standard components, or even wear a coordinated ensemble of their own clothes.

I don't understand why parents keep accepting this. I have a friend who was told she had to buy a $75 makeup kit for her 8 year old. It's ridiculous!

It's such a racket. I think if parents got together and were firm, there would be changes implemented fast.

Re-using costumes for recitals is virtually impossible for a number of reasons.

1) Theme of the dance - most studios will make an effort to coordinate the costume to the music. No one wants to see a recital with the same music year after year.

2) Will your child be the same size next year? Of course not...so the costumes are supposed to be re-used by a younger group? What if the younger group is differently sized from the previous year? What if there are only 12 costumes from last year but 15 this year, and the costume house no longer makes that particular model? Are three girls supposed to not dance?

3) Damages - this is a big one. My daughter danced for 8 years and there were many times a costume would get stained from sweat or lose too many sequins. Even if they could be repaired, who is going to take on this project?

4) Storage - where are all these costumes supposed to be stored?


Costumes are part of the price a dance parent pays to have their child participate. Its no different than sports players needing to buy their own equipment.

 

[tink576]

Our old studio used costume books and the studio did 'mark up' the costumes. Usually the mark up went towards office staff measuring students, placing the order, making the payment, following up when costumes didn't arrive, etc.

there is so much time and money invested behind the scene. If that were your job, you would want to get paid.

As a dance teacher I've seen the books, our studio only allows us to look at the lesser expensive books and even then it's extremely difficult to find decent costumes for under $70. We have a price limit that's set on us to try to keep the costumes within a decent limit for families. Yes studios have to charge more then the price in the book, but that price tag in the costume book does not include shipping charges. It also doesn't account for the hours spent processing all the orders and actually ordering them, dealing with companies, and sorting all the costumes when they actually come in. We aim for a $60 total cost for our upper middle to high school student. Our staff spends a lot of unpaid! time working to look outside the box to bring down the costs of our costumes. (This is coming from someone who's spent a lot of time working on that task).

 

[Leajess99]

Ours are $70. Yes, the studio gets a cut.. My sons last years was a karate kid halloween costume. The $30 invoice was in my bag

That is quite a markup.

 

[Jennia]

My mother was a dance teacher for over thirty years, and she only charged about $20 per costume, BUT she never ordered a full costume from catalogues, either. Instead, she hired some of the moms who were handy at sewing to help make costumes (and they'd end up getting classes comped, recital fees waived, etc). Similarly, our photographer was the dad of some girls who danced with us for years, so they were given free classes for each year (and yes, he was a professional). We would also re-use some of our costume pieces, like the teen/adult classes had silver lame bodysuits that were used as a basic piece for many of our classes. My mom never tried to make money off of her studio, either, though, but she always at least broke even.

 

[Mom_Rides]

My DD's costume was $40. We just received them tonight and they seem to be of an ok quality. She will wear it for the dress rehersal, recital and a festival that they will dance in (and perhaps a corresponding parade with the festival). Her teacher came out tonight and told us that when they received the costumes they had a headpiece with it and she was very unhappy with the quality and look of the headpiece so she is having a local "bow lady" make them a headpiece with a bow and that the studio will absorb the cost. I believe the recital costs $10/pp. The cost of her lessons are $20 every session with a session being 4 weeks. If you pay for the full year, you get a one session discount so that's what we did. There was also talk that we would need a tap outfit and it sounded like white tights and a black or pink leotard. But there's been nothing official with that yet.

I'm patiently waiting for Payless to have BOGO 1/2 off so that I can go get her some new ballet and tap shoes. Her feet have been growing like crazy and we're pushing our limits in our current shoes. Then I'll be taking her current shoes to OUAC to re-coup some money

 

[momxx5]

Depending on the geography and type of dance studio I have seen everything from....$75+ per costume, $25 recital fee, and having to do "lottery" just for the priviledge to purchase tickets to see your little darling dance on a large university stage.........all the way to $25 costumes, no fees and no ticket costs done in the studio with folding chairs.

Sadly, all the costs are yet another reason my girls no longer can do all the dance classes.

 

[mnrose]

My DD is on the competition team, so at least we get a bit more use out of our costumes. She has three...lyrical, jazz and tap, and the three together are something like $250. They are reasonable quality, plus they are always "enhanced" by the studio with rhinestones, etc. If you've ever rhinestoned a costume, you know that's a TON of work, not to mention the good crystals (swaroskis) are expensive. All that is included in what we pay.

Moreover, having once been the person ordering costumes for a special team event, I can tell you that the instructor bloody well deserves any "profit" she makes. I've never in my life dealt with such a demanding group of mothers. Some liked one costume, some another. And, then trying to make sure the company from which I ordered had 26 costumes, all alike, and with sizing ranging from Medium Child to XXXL Adult. I spent HOURS simply trying to coordinate that part of it. And, then once they arrived, trying to find volunteers to help rhinestone. Sigh. Boy, was it ever a lot of work. I dealt with major complaining. And, then waited for some of them for MONTHS to pay me. Still one who hasn't more than a year after the event. Grrrr.

Trying to figure out sizes, etc, is a pain in the neck. I used to complain about costume fees but ever since my personal experience, I will never again complain.

It's part of being in dance. If you don't want to pay, try another studio or a different activity.

At least in our school, the fees are established clearly right at the outset. There is no mystery. You are given a brochure with all fees, costume expenses, and shoe pricing before you even enroll.

 

[QVCshopper]

My DD is taking dance at a studio through our YMCA. I pay $11/1 hour class of tap/ballet. We had the choice to dance in the Nutcracker, but declined. If we did, it was $100 to dance with costume rental, one ticket, and "lunch" party for the girls between shows, and DVD. Additional tickets were $25 each. There's also an end-of-year show that I suppose costs the same.

I told my DD that if we didn't do the show, I'd let her take the week-long dance camp this summer. That's $100/week, five days for 3 hours each, with a small recital in borrowed costumes at the end on the following Saturday.

Tap shoes are $10, but we can swap out for new sizes and the girls grow. I think you can swap ballet shoes as well. I like how they operate, but it's fairly low-key. Considering my DD is only six, it's fine for now.

 

[mamaLori05]

Glad to hear that someone does seem to understand all of the time and work that the studio owners/teachers put into these costumes. As far as someone also mentioning that on top of the costumes they will then have to pay for recital tickets.........It costs a lot to rent a venue and pay for lighting, sound, maintainance workers,etc. Some studios have to pay their teachers to be there, some do not. It may cost a lot to you, but there is so much time and money invested behind the scene. If that were your job, you would want to get paid.

Not sure if this was directed at me or not because I did mention that we had to pay for recital tickets seperately, but I just wanted to clarify that I wasn't complaining about it. I know there is a lot of work put into it. I was just trying to say that yes, the op's pricing seems to be about the same as what we pay as well. Our costumes are a little less than hers, but once you factor in the accessories and recital tickets we spend the same amount if not a little more.

DD loves her dance classes, and she loves the costumes and recitals. Yes, it is expensive, but no one is forcing me to let her take the classes. I enjoy watching her just as much as she enjoys everything about the classes, so to me it is money well spent.

 

[summerrluvv]

Our costumes are $108 or $115 I can't remember. Expensive IMO. They are good quailty though and include tights. The studio owner sprays the tap shoes for us too. Last year she wore the costume for pics, for the recital and for 2 talent events (outside of dance) so we did get use out of it. I sold the costume recently for $25 on one of the Facebook pageant consignment pages. Not much, but it's out of the closet. For those of you with leftover ones I suggest going that route because people will buy them up!

 

[luvmy3jewels]

OP here - It was interesting to read all of the different responses to my post. It sounds like a lot of you are paying similar prices for your costumes as well (and to the ones who aren't - I am a little jealous )

I have two dd's that dance. One that takes 2 classes and one that takes 5 classes. On top of the costume costs we also pay a recital fee (I think it is either $25 or $50 per family) and tickets are $10 per person for each night. I don't begrudge the studio owner her profit...it is a business after all. And I really hadn't thought that much about the personnel costs for ordering and handling all of those costumes. Measuring the kids shouldn't cost anything because it is done during the regular class time. However, I am still curious about how much the costumes cost vs. how much we are charged. (We never see an invoice...we are just given a total amount to pay for a deposit and then a total amount to pay for the balance).

BTW... I pay $149 a month for the girls to take 7 (total) classes that each last 45 minutes a week. When I signed them up, the owner told me it would cost $119/month however after a few months of paying that I was told by her assistant that it was actually $149/month. So I had to pay the balance between that amount for the first few months on top of the costume balance (which irked me a little at the time). I guess it's just a little bit of a shock when you add it all up and realize how much you are spending.

 

[My2Cinderellas]

Having just finished paying my costume balance - I think the OP is getting a fair deal. I also bought 7 costumes total for my DDs and paid just under $700 for costumes/tights/accessories plus $100 recital fee. Our recitals are held at a local university's performance center that holds 2500-3000 people, so there is plenty of room for anyone to attend. It's nice not messing with tickets and tight seating.

Little girls get one costume for both tap/ballet, there are sometimes an accessory change. One pair of tights.

1st - 5th grade girls get 2 costumes for tap/ballet(lyrical)/jazz - one costume is used twice sometimes with an accessory change.

6th grade on up gets a different costume for each routine.

Extra ballet classes begin in 3rd grade and require an extra costume.

Hip-hop and tumbling also each require an extra costume.

Team - an extra costume for each routine you are in. Sometimes a costume and routine from the previous years combo class are used but don't count on it.

Recital fee is $75 for the first child, and $25 for each additional child in the family.

It is easy to get to 7 costumes for one child - it happens all the time for the older girls, sometimes there are extra costumes required for the opener/closer.

What we pay is very typical for the area. My girls just do combo class and extra ballet. We've used various costume companies over the years, and I do have a couple of favorites. I'm willing to pay a bit more for a costume that is well made and easy to get on/off. Some of the cheaper costumes have required the most alterations/repairs and my time is worth something too. Plus not everyone has sewing skills.

Dance is not inexpensive, but it is what my girls have chosen. Neither really liked team athletics, but love to dance. I whine and moan about the cost, but I will do whatever it takes to keep them dancing as long as they want to. I know many families pay equivalent amounts to support their kids passions iwth travel sports teams and other various activities.

 

[LisaNJ25]

That is quite a markup.

Yeah I was pissed.. I understand not all costumes are going to come in at exactly $70. but that was a huge difference.

OP here - It was interesting to read all of the different responses to my post. It sounds like a lot of you are paying similar prices for your costumes as well (and to the ones who aren't - I am a little jealous )

I have two dd's that dance. One that takes 2 classes and one that takes 5 classes. On top of the costume costs we also pay a recital fee (I think it is either $25 or $50 per family) and tickets are $10 per person for each night. I don't begrudge the studio owner her profit...it is a business after all. And I really hadn't thought that much about the personnel costs for ordering and handling all of those costumes. Measuring the kids shouldn't cost anything because it is done during the regular class time. However, I am still curious about how much the costumes cost vs. how much we are charged. (We never see an invoice...we are just given a total amount to pay for a deposit and then a total amount to pay for the balance).

BTW... I pay $149 a month for the girls to take 7 (total) classes that each last 45 minutes a week. When I signed them up, the owner told me it would cost $119/month however after a few months of paying that I was told by her assistant that it was actually $149/month. So I had to pay the balance between that amount for the first few months on top of the costume balance (which irked me a little at the time). I guess it's just a little bit of a shock when you add it all up and realize how much you are spending.

WOW $149 for 7 classes? I pay $105 for 2 classes(2 kids- same class) a month so you are getting a great deal on the classes

 

[ceecee]

Our teacher usually keeps them around $50 each. The girls have a 4 day review and pictures and they hold up great, good quality. The older girls costumes can be a little higher, but usually not. This will include any sequins that need added, head pieces, hats and any other accessories, we buy the fishnets for tap.

 

[summerrluvv]

OP here - It was interesting to read all of the different responses to my post. It sounds like a lot of you are paying similar prices for your costumes as well (and to the ones who aren't - I am a little jealous )

I have two dd's that dance. One that takes 2 classes and one that takes 5 classes. On top of the costume costs we also pay a recital fee (I think it is either $25 or $50 per family) and tickets are $10 per person for each night. I don't begrudge the studio owner her profit...it is a business after all. And I really hadn't thought that much about the personnel costs for ordering and handling all of those costumes. Measuring the kids shouldn't cost anything because it is done during the regular class time. However, I am still curious about how much the costumes cost vs. how much we are charged. (We never see an invoice...we are just given a total amount to pay for a deposit and then a total amount to pay for the balance).

BTW... I pay $149 a month for the girls to take 7 (total) classes that each last 45 minutes a week. When I signed them up, the owner told me it would cost $119/month however after a few months of paying that I was told by her assistant that it was actually $149/month. So I had to pay the balance between that amount for the first few months on top of the costume balance (which irked me a little at the time). I guess it's just a little bit of a shock when you add it all up and realize how much you are spending.

I posted something similiar to this last year about dance. I went into it thinking it was inexpensive (class was $47 a month and gymnastics was almost $100). It's NOT inexpensive at all. Our recital tix were $26 each but our recital is at a very nice venue. Now the class is up to $52 a month this year, not sure how much tix will be this year.

There are thousands of costumes on ebay....the ones you get from the catalogs (Art Stone, etc.) and they are like $20-$40 max...so the markup is pretty big on these things.

 

[basketkat]

DD's studio tries to keep the cost around $50. We pay $25 in November $15 in December and $10 in January towards it. Then when they come in if there is balance we pay that when we buy our recital tickets. They rent a local highschool auditorium.

This does not include tights...

I know in the past they have tried to get convertible costumes that have a few pieces to change for tap/ballet, etc. to keep costs down. They charge us exactly what it costs them (including shipping, etc.)

I love recital time...

 

[taximomfor4]

What a budget buster!!! ...



Anyhow, I was just curious how this compares to what those of you who have children who dance pay for costumes.

My girls do Irish Dance, so things are probably quite different. We rent the team costumes, $90/year for newer ones, $65/year for older. Then if they progress higher in competition, we buy a one-of-a-kind dress. Those range from $500 (a bargain, non-big-dressmaker) to $2500+. Good thing is, you can resell them afterward, hopefully. Style changes quickly, so you take a loss for sure. Each of my 3 dd's 4 solo dresses cost $475-750 (TRUE bargains). 3 are still in use, one that was bought for $750 was sold 12 months later for $375. We have to do this on the cheap. Other families (more serious than us for sure) pay $2500-2700 for a new, custom made dress from overseas. Then they sell it 6-12 months later and HOPE to get $1800-1900 for it.

Luckily, we don't use these dresses only once.