How much are tix for your DC's dance recital?

[ShannonMB]

I own a dance studio and I just want to chime in here.

It is a business and we have to make money at it. We spend ALL year putting these recitals together, it's a big part of our job and if you work you expect to be paid for it yes?

I only charge $7 a ticket and $45 - $60 for costumes. We do not allow pictures or video at the recital as it becomes a Papparatzi ZOO so we do hire a proffesional video company to come in as a courtesy for the parents who would like a video. Studios typically make very little on recital DVD's or pictures. I know what I make on pictures barely covers my staffing for picture days.

Recital costume orders take hours and hours and hours ...then when they come in they take hours and hours and hours to sort. At my price range of 45 - 60 I mark up very little and would probably faint if I figured out my profit margin vs the time I take doing everything.

The High School Auditoriums cost quite a pretty penny too. Rent, custodians, theatre tech ... air conditioning! (Yes, a lot charge you extra for that.) Then you have to pay your staff on top of that because they don't work for free.

I was once told by another studio owner that your recital should make you enough money to live on over the summer. (HA HA HA. I need to raise prices.) BUT ... in a way that makes sense because you would think something that takes 10 months out of your life could support you for 2 or 3.

All that being said ... if you are at a good dance studio your children are learning lessons far beyond how to Plie' or shuffle hop step. Lessons that will aid them far into adulthood. Confidence, team work, commitment, poise, leadership...and so much more.

Happy toes to all!

WDWO

Thank you for chiming in! I just wanted to say that I don't begrudge the director of our dance school a living at all. It does all get expensive, but we personally find it worth the money or we wouldn't do it. My DD and I have gotten a tremendous amount of joy out of dance since she started at the age of 3, and like you said, she has learned far more than the steps by taking part. And it's terrific exercise! Thanks for your work with the kids, and best of luck to you in your business!

 

[polkadotminnie]

My daughter has not danced at a studio for a couple of years, but when she did it was about $8 per ticket at the local university auditorium. We did what others have posted, take pics at JCP with the $9.99 package. My daughter is taking a ballet class this year through our church and the recital is in the hall at church so free, and the girls are all wearing the leoatard we purchased at the beginning of the classes for $30.

My DD does competitive cheerleading now and that is a lot of $$ on competitions. We went to one last week and it was $15 per adult to get in and kids 6 and up were $10. Fortunately, it was local and DH and DS decided to stay home. On top of that I had to pay $45 to have DD in the competition. The fee was based on how high you placed at one of the qualifying competitions earlier in the year. If they had placed lower in some of their competitions it would have been a lot more.

We did one competition in March that was $135 per girl to compete. At least it was free for spectators. I added up what we are spending on competitive cheer and it is pushing $3,000 per year.

I have girls in both and competitive cheer is more expensive.

 

[LisaNJ25]

Ours are $15 this year and $18 at the door. Dance costumes were $70. I am taking both kids in for group shots but I am taking them to picture people for their pics.

This is my 5yo's 3rd recital and my 4yo sons 1st.

 

[summerrluvv]

Thank you for chiming in! I just wanted to say that I don't begrudge the director of our dance school a living at all. It does all get expensive, but we personally find it worth the money or we wouldn't do it. My DD and I have gotten a tremendous amount of joy out of dance since she started at the age of 3, and like you said, she has learned far more than the steps by taking part. And it's terrific exercise! Thanks for your work with the kids, and best of luck to you in your business!

Oh I don't either! Not at all! I understand it's a business! I wasn't really "complaining"...just surprised at how much it is when I added it all up. In my group of friends everyone is always saying how inexpensive dance is compared to some of the other "classes" (soccertots, Little Gym, etc.). We were all just looking at the monthly cost though ($47 where we go)!

 

[ShannonMB]

Our class is 2/3 year olds so I'm sure there will be a lot of crying little girls scared of being on the stage!

You might be surprised! In the 6 years DD's been dancing and doing recitals, I've never once seen one of the teeny-tinys run off stage crying. They usually look tremendously proud of themselves in their little tutus. Some of them do tend to forget their steps and just look around in awe, though. YOU, however, might shedding a tear or two. I love watching the little ones!

 

[skw444]

Our tickets are included in the recital fee which is $25 and we get 6 tickets. I have 2 girls in the recital so $50 recital fee and 12 tickets for us. My 5 year olds costume is $42. My 7 year old has a 3 in 1 costume since she will be performing 2 dances and the cost is $55. Optional cost is the pictures (not sure the price but we have a friend that is a photographer so she'll be taking pictures) and t-shirt that lists all the dancers names ($15). This year they won't be having a professional videographer, so we will be allowed to videotape.

 

[NickTim&Sami'smom]

Our recital is held Fathers day weekend every year. Sat at 6pm Sunday at 1pm.(I went there for 17 years, it has not changed) and I am 45. Tickets go on sale next Sunday! (same day as my daughters First Communion ), but my husband will be there early to get tickets. We buy about 20. Moms do not pay for a seat.(we do not get to sit long ) I do have to get a seat for my daughter, family and friends reimburse us but know they do not have too. We do pay for dinner afterwards. She does not recommend children smaller than 3 in the audience, they can get noisy and it distracts the dancers. Tickets are 15.00 each. Costumes ran 165.00 for 3 numbers. (Jazz, Tap and Acrobats.) Moms do go backstage (we have MOM pass) with the girls and behind the curtains if we want to (not all do) We have to be quite or she will stop the show (Yes, she has done it!) NO video taping or pictures allowed during show, (she has stopped for that too!) You are allowed on dress rehersal to tape and take pic's. She is a perfectionist, alway's has been and her show's are wonderfull. Pictures run from 10.00 (single and class pic. ) to 30.00 (single, class, 5x7's and wallets) Competition class dances in Disney World every year so looking forward to that.

 

[MichelleinMaine]

Ours are $12 per person and it's at a local HS's nice auditorium.
Costumes are $55 each and they try to combine when they can (2 or 3-in-1's with a skirt change or whatever.)

My beef is the HOURS to wait in line for tickets and the fact people are allowed to buy 20+ tickets before anyone else gets a chance to buy any. The shows do sell out, if you're not there 2 hours before the sale opens (and then still waiting an hour or two in line, you may not get tickets. I don't even care where I sit, every place is a good seat. It's insane to have to commit that time to just-buying-tickets.

 

[LIBLULA]

My DD10 recital tickets are $16 for adults and $8 for children and Seniors. Her dance studio is very large. They have 3 shows--one on friday night and 2 on saturday (each one is about 3 hours). You have to buy a ticket for each show. She's in 9 numbers, so we will have to buy for all 3 shows. Each outfit was in the $50-$60 range, picture prices vary and video $40.00 for each show.
She has been on the competition team for 3 years--does 3 lines and solo. It's very expensive, but has given her lots of confidence!!!:

 

[mnrose]

We pay $10 per ticket for the recital, and everyone must have a ticket. I think it's a pretty reasonable price, and honestly, I'll bet that it barely covers the expense in renting the auditorium for the show. And, if the owner/instructor makes money on it, I certainly do not begrudge her that. She works very hard, and charges only $50 a month for lessons (1.5 hours, once per week...I think that's reasonable for a competition line). Costumes are $75 each, and DD has three of them. On top of that, we have competition expenses, hair things, shoes, makeup, jewelry etc. Then, add in pictures, and videos (about another $100 or so for all). It is NOT cheap. LOL! OTOH, I doubt we spend more than those who play hockey...the BIG sport in my state. That's really expensive. Makes dance looks cheap.

 

[KY*Figment]

WOW! My oldest is in her 5th year of dance and my youngest is in her 3rd year. We pay less than a $100 per month for dance. My oldest has been in special productions such as Nutcracker & High School Musical. We had to pay $30 for the special productions and then our tickets for the show. As for recital we may about $150 for costumes for both. My oldest has 3 costume changes and my youngest has only the one costume. We re-use the costumes for MNSSHP, Halloween, Halloween Parties, & Dress Up Parties. Anyone can come to the recital for free. Dance is not a cheap activity. The older they get the more expensive it gets because they need more specialized shoes such as tap, jazz, pointe, ballet, and so on.... This year we pay for tap & ballet but next year we add jazz. My husband is not wild about dance but he knows it boost their self esteem, the music triggers math skills, and it gives them a focus besides television. My oldest not only does dance but she does basketball & soccer plus takes tennis & swim lessons. She plans to add golf lessons to her things to do list in the summer. She makes A's & B's w/o putting a lot of effort into it. My youngest does basketball, soccer, & tee ball plus she takes tennis & swim lessons. She does well in school but still is in the check mark age group. They do a lot but as they get older they will do less and focus on what they really want to do. They have been in private schools thus far but next year we are going public. In our community you can't throw a rock and not hit a good school. We are very blessed to live in a great, safe community. We have a great fine arts community and we are in the top 50 sports city's in Sports Illustrated. As I go on and on..... Keep in mind dance is excellent in so many ways so maybe it's just the wrong studio for your family. There is another dance studio in our community and I have heard they charge admission for their recital but overall I have heard very few complaints about it.

 

[vickiemariko]

Wow I love reading about how dance is in other states. My DD6 just had her ballet recital. The tickets ranged from $9-$24. The only way to get cheaper tickets was to go the box office (at a local college theatre) and buy tickets in groups of 5. Ordering over the phone or online commanded a much higher price. We paid $85 for the performance fee, but we don't get to keep the costume. My question is, what do they do with all those costumes?!! The fit all of the girls individually and they do a different show every time, so why don't we get to keep the costume?

 

[phred52]

I started my DD in tap class at age 3. Now, 19 years and many, many thousands $$ later,....wouldn't you think I'd be done with recitals?? Nooo, this Friday I have the pleasure of driving to her college town to watch not only DD dance, but her tap class of 'tweenagers'. She told me "Mom! You'll recognize MY girls by their huge smiles!!"

 

[bdoyledimou]

Anyone's daughter on their dance school's competitive team? Talk about bucks!!! This year was supposed to be our "give team a try" year, and DD is so in love with being on the team and the competitions that I think I would almost literally break her heart if I pulled the plug. I had pretty much prepared myself for the tuition, costume fees and competition fees, but I swear, there for a while every time I turned around, I owed them $200! Required makeup, jewelry, sleep-overs, intensives, pictures etc, etc, etc!

As for the recital, ours costs around $18 and is held at a high school auditorium. It is a VERY nice production, so I really don't mind the cost of the tickets. You can get a free ticket if you volunteer to chaperone, so I will do that for one of the shows this year since as a team member, DD is required to be in both. But of course with the ticket price comes the flower sale, DVD, celebratory dinner afterwards.

The only reason I continue on with this craziness (because somehow I doubt I have the next Anna Pavlova on my hands), is that it is great exercise, she LOVES feeling a part of the team, her self-esteem has shot through the roof, and I LOVE all the glitter, costumes, and especially the dancing. DD is sure lucky I love it!

My DD has been in dance for 5 years, and this is her first year on the competitive team.

Her first year, she was just in ballet. The second year she went to Jazz, Acro and Ballet. And after the recital i was ready to pull her out. She was only 6, and had the grace and co-ordination of Elaine Bennis from Seinfeld .

She begged me to let her stay, and i agreed to one more year, but at a different studio. I wasn't allowed to watch her at the new studio.. so i went a whole year not knowing what was going on.. until the recital, and WOW... it was like a totally different girl.. She was fluid and beautiful. a huge smile. and she loved every minute.. and i am so glad i agreed to give her that one more year.

So now she is in Competitive, and the $$$$ is just ...

She is competing in Jazz, Tap, Musical Theater and also taking Ballet, Fundementals and one other class i can't remember. Costumes are in the $100-$250 range (but they are of HIGH Quality). Total cost for the year was in the $5,000 range. We purchase the DVD of each Competition she is in, the Pre Comp showcase was $30 per person, and the final Recital is another $30 per person. DVD is $55.

BUT

Her coach is the choreagrapher for the Local Pro Basketball team cheerleaders, and has been featured on tv.. many of her team mates are on scholarships, and getting paid to dance, even at the yonge age.

Her three comp pieces have scored Platinum awards in the last two competitions, and most importantly she is having FUN.


And as you can see from my avatar, I am a dance DAD..

 

[phred52]

ooh yeah, I have no idea the cost of the tickets....DD is treating us to the night out!

 

[tink576]

Wow I love reading about how dance is in other states. My DD6 just had her ballet recital. The tickets ranged from $9-$24. The only way to get cheaper tickets was to go the box office (at a local college theatre) and buy tickets in groups of 5. Ordering over the phone or online commanded a much higher price. We paid $85 for the performance fee, but we don't get to keep the costume. My question is, what do they do with all those costumes?!! The fit all of the girls individually and they do a different show every time, so why don't we get to keep the costume?

My guess is that they are renting the costumes (one of the Ballet studios I was at as a kid did that). We bought whatever color leotard and they came up with the rest, and we didn't keep the costume.

I started my DD in tap class at age 3. Now, 19 years and many, many thousands $$ later,....wouldn't you think I'd be done with recitals?? Nooo, this Friday I have the pleasure of driving to her college town to watch not only DD dance, but her tap class of 'tweenagers'. She told me "Mom! You'll recognize MY girls by their huge smiles!!"

Hi Mom!
Thanks for not being sick of the recitals quite yet! I started tap at 3 and competition team at 5 and am now teaching a quite amazing group of young tappers (if I do say so myself). I'm thankful for all the money my parents put into giving me this experience and I've loved every minute of it. As for the exorbitant cost of traveling with the team to dance in the Magic Kingdom for the memory of a lifetime, dream come true, my parents made quite a learning experience out of it and lets just say as a ten year old I went door to door selling candy bars to pay for every penny of that dance trip (and that was A LOT of candy bars).

ooh yeah, I have no idea the cost of the tickets....DD is treating us to the night out!

Tickets at my studio are $5 a person (less for children under 12) and that show is for the dancers about 7 and up. There is a separate show for the 3-6 age group (shorter and sweeter) and it's at the local high school. We work really hard at our studio to make costumes be around $40 (and you have no idea how difficult that is, it is really hard to find good costumes for that price, trust me ~ I've gone through the massive piles of costume books). For pictures, I've only been getting the 5x7 group which is $7. For my younger sisters photos I just do them all myself.

For taking photos during the show I would recommend putting your camera onto a sport setting if you have it. The reason studios don't allow flash photos is because it is nightmarishly distracting for the dancers. That being said I've never seen a studio that wouldn't allow non flash photos. I would recommend trying to take pictures during dress rehearsal because all the floor lights are typically up and a flash wouldn't be as bothersome if you needed to use it then.

 

[MG3G]

My DS is in Irish Dancing - $15 for tickets, No pictures, Outfit because he is the only boy was a Wal-mart white dress shirt which we had already, Black pants which I needed to buy for $25 at Childrens Place and Black socks which we had. Dance shoes on the other hand were $40.

ETA- The girls costumes ranged in price from $65 for new beginners like my DS to $1500+

 

[Tinker'n'Fun]

My DS is in Irish Dancing - $15 for tickets, No pictures, Outfit because he is the only boy was a Wal-mart white dress shirt which we had already, Black pants which I needed to buy for $25 at Childrens Place and Black socks which we had. Dance shoes on the other hand were $40.

ETA- The girls costumes ranged in price from $65 for new beginners like my DS to $1500+

DS danced for around 5 years from 5-10yo. He is now an accomplished soccer and tennis player. Never doubt the wonders of a Plie and a Pirouette.

 

[powellrj]

I forget how much tickets are because DD will miss her recital this year. I am just sick about it because we have over $200 in costumes that will go to waste.

She is being inducted into the NJHS at the sametime as her recital. Once we knew there was a conflict, we went to the dance teacher and she immediately said to please attend the induction and consider the dress rehearsal her recital and she is letting us invite all of our family member to the dress rehearsal.

Under normal circumstances I would probably have missed the induction, but they are closing her middle school this year and they are the last class. All of her friends will be attending different schools next year. She will also be singing with her choir at the induction and she has been asked to lead the pledge, so she hated to miss that too.

I can't believe the range of price differences of tickets!

 

[ShannonMB]

Oh I don't either! Not at all! I understand it's a business! I wasn't really "complaining"...just surprised at how much it is when I added it all up. In my group of friends everyone is always saying how inexpensive dance is compared to some of the other "classes" (soccertots, Little Gym, etc.). We were all just looking at the monthly cost though ($47 where we go)!

I sure hope you didn't read my comment as "Oh, that OP complaining about the cost of dance -- I just LOVE how much it costs!" I totally agree with your thoughts and I'm enjoying your thread!