Maryland Youth Ballet and Washington Ballet, the two best ballet schools in the area, do NOT so this.

On the other hand, competitive gymnastic centers, as well as smaller dance studios, do this all the time. It's unethical and ridiculous. Rather like the martial arts "dojos" who stack on endless fees for pseudo- belt tests every two weeks.

I refuse to enable such unprofessional practices. However, as long as there are silly parents who put up with it, they will continue...

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm a former dancer and costumes is actually one of the things i judge dance schools on for my daughters. My theory is that if they are spending so much on the costumes it's to hide the lack of skill that the dance teachers aren't teaching the kids. What should shine in a ballet recital is the kids, not the costumes.

Well this is a silly line in the sand and an innacurate one at that. There are just as many Dolly Dinkle studios with cheap, budget, reused or no costumes at their recital as there are mediocre studios with fancy expensive costumes.

Your theory is just wrong. Just as having fancy costumes does not mean the training is bad, having no costumes or cheap makeshift costumes does not mean the training is any good.

Well, right. That's why I said it's ONE OF THE THINGS that I look at. It's not the litmus test.

But it shouldn't even be a consideration beyond budget, because costumes have zero to do with technical training in either direction, pro or con.

Anonymous wrote:She is 3 - don't sign her up for the recital. It is ridiculous to pay $70.00 for something that due to her age, she will most likely be 2 minutes tops on the stage.

Not OP, but a former dancer who knows OP's kid will miss MANY classes because they'll be rehearsing for the recital.

She is 3 - don't sign her up for the recital. It is ridiculous to pay $70.00 for something that due to her age, she will most likely be 2 minutes tops on the stage.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm a former dancer and costumes is actually one of the things i judge dance schools on for my daughters. My theory is that if they are spending so much on the costumes it's to hide the lack of skill that the dance teachers aren't teaching the kids. What should shine in a ballet recital is the kids, not the costumes.

Well this is a silly line in the sand and an innacurate one at that. There are just as many Dolly Dinkle studios with cheap, budget, reused or no costumes at their recital as there are mediocre studios with fancy expensive costumes.

Your theory is just wrong. Just as having fancy costumes does not mean the training is bad, having no costumes or cheap makeshift costumes does not mean the training is any good.

Well, right. That's why I said it's ONE OF THE THINGS that I look at. It's not the litmus test.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I went to a prominent dance school on LI growing up and had to buy costumes for the recital every year. Classes ranged from 3yo tap/ballet to competitive dance troupe but all had to buy costumes for the recital, which was a multi-day professional-looking affair.

Your dance studio sounds like this which is great if you want your child to have the option to dance at a high-level at some point. It's totally reasonable if you just want a place for your daughter to learn some dance so you might want to look elsewhere.

I went to a few on Long Island too. Which one did you go to?
I disagree with your connecting expensive costumes to a child having an option to dance at a high level. The two are not connected. If a child has talent and skill they will be able to dance at a high level. NOT if they have expensive costumes.

The direction of causation is wrong. I did not say expensive costumes are indicative of a good studio. I meant that good studios often charge for costumes to make for a flashy show.

I went to David Sanders Dance Dynamics. I was actually NOT in the company (the competitive groups) but was fortunate to be in the older classes that were taught by the owner. I was pushed to a high level even though I wasn't in the company, which I found a great benefit

Anonymous wrote:I'm a former dancer and costumes is actually one of the things i judge dance schools on for my daughters. My theory is that if they are spending so much on the costumes it's to hide the lack of skill that the dance teachers aren't teaching the kids. What should shine in a ballet recital is the kids, not the costumes.

Well this is a silly line in the sand and an innacurate one at that. There are just as many Dolly Dinkle studios with cheap, budget, reused or no costumes at their recital as there are mediocre studios with fancy expensive costumes.

Your theory is just wrong. Just as having fancy costumes does not mean the training is bad, having no costumes or cheap makeshift costumes does not mean the training is any good.

Anonymous wrote:I went to a prominent dance school on LI growing up and had to buy costumes for the recital every year. Classes ranged from 3yo tap/ballet to competitive dance troupe but all had to buy costumes for the recital, which was a multi-day professional-looking affair.

Your dance studio sounds like this which is great if you want your child to have the option to dance at a high-level at some point. It's totally reasonable if you just want a place for your daughter to learn some dance so you might want to look elsewhere.

I went to a few on Long Island too. Which one did you go to?
I disagree with your connecting expensive costumes to a child having an option to dance at a high level. The two are not connected. If a child has talent and skill they will be able to dance at a high level. NOT if they have expensive costumes.

I'm a former dancer and costumes is actually one of the things i judge dance schools on for my daughters. My theory is that if they are spending so much on the costumes it's to hide the lack of skill that the dance teachers aren't teaching the kids. What should shine in a ballet recital is the kids, not the costumes.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I went to a prominent dance school on LI growing up and had to buy costumes for the recital every year. Classes ranged from 3yo tap/ballet to competitive dance troupe but all had to buy costumes for the recital, which was a multi-day professional-looking affair.

Your dance studio sounds like this which is great if you want your child to have the option to dance at a high-level at some point. It's totally reasonable if you just want a place for your daughter to learn some dance so you might want to look elsewhere.

Or it could be that studios see the mark-up on recital costumes as a great revenue generator, and it doesn't actually signal anything about the quality of the school.

Yes, because I was equating charging for costumes as a sign my school was good. Eye roll.

Two dancers here and that seems typical for a studio with an annual recital. That said, the studios we've been in have tried to keep the price lowest for the younger kids by choosing less expensive costumes and sometimes would change out accessories and have them wear it for both a tap and a ballet dance. A few times I lucked out and they recycled prior costumes/pieces for the next year's show.

And I have used almost all of ours for Halloween, dress up, spirit days, etc. They are teens now and we've always had the best prop box of all their friends.

I started taking dance classes in 1984 - we had to buy costumes every year for each classes. This is NOT new. Neither is charging for the recital! How do you think they pay for the venue for the recital(s)?

I live outside of the DC area but this is standard here at any dance place that has a recital at all. Yes, the rec center doesn't have a fee but there is no consistency in the classes and no performance (and the monthly cost is about the same). We're not super serious about dance but wanted a place my shy daughter at least would be excited to go to.

Anonymous wrote:Yes total ripoff and the recital tix were like $30 each. It's extortion bc you feel after a year of dancing, how can you skip out on the performance. Anyway I decided to take her out of dance school until she's 6 when they'll do more.

Dance studios need to pay to rent the venues. Depending on the auditorium, it can cost anywhere from $7000-8000 to upwards of $20,000.

Plus there are additional costs for insurance, tech people, staff payroll, printing, ticket services (depending on the venue requirements).

Additionally, most studios have revenue cut in half over the summer but the expenses are mostly the same. Any recital profit goes to float the studio when most kids are swimming or on vacation and not taking dance.

Studio owner here - there are three ways studios do recitals. #1 studios own the costume and it is borrowed for the show ( cost is rolled in monthly tuition). #2 studios own the costume and it is rented for the show (25-50$ covers dry cleaning,etc ) #3 studios buy costumes and student keeps the costume (40-100$). The majority of studios operate under the third umbrella because kids love to keep the costumes for dress up. The costume themselves range from 35-90$. Sometimes studios 'up charge' about $10-15 if they plan to include tights or for the cost of shipping. I have never seen a studio up charge more than that. Yes, costumes are expensive - but for every parent who gawks at the price and wants to rent, there is another parent who wants to keep it.

Recital fees pay for the venue rental and staff ( high schools are at least $3000 for the weekend, plus you have to pay custodians, administration, insurance etc)