Leotards, tights and slippers…oh my!
As every “dance mom” knows, the costs associated with keeping our baby ballerinas clothed and stage-ready add up fast. Although many dance studios sell staple items such as leos and tights as a convenience to their students, the mark-up can be as high as 30-40%. Even the relatively cheap items like hair spray, pins and hair nets have to be replaced constantly. {What’s that? Your daughter grew out of her month-old slippers already?! Yikes!}
Why, just thinking about it all is enough to make your head spin around faster than 32 Swan Lake fouettés! {Which is pretty darn fast!}
But have no fear! 🙂 I’m going to share some tried ‘n true tips that’ll keep you, your budget and your little dancer “on pointe” now through recital!
Shop Online – If your child’s studio doesn’t have a strict dress code {meaning, you can choose whatever leotard or tights you want provided they’re the “regulation” colors}, check out Discount Dancewear Supply and/or Dancewear Solutions. Both offer incredible savings on name brands such as Capezio, Bloch and Leo at a fraction of the retail price!
$5 Used Clothing Swap Box – Ask your child’s studio director about placing a bin in the lobby for student’s outgrown dancewear. {Items should be neat, clean and in good repair–no holes or runs!} The studio can then charge a flat $5 per item with proceeds going toward operating costs, scholarship funds, etc. This idea has worked really well for various studios over the years and is a life-saver during those “Ooops! I forgot my slippers at home!” moments! 😉
Hang/Drip Dry – Nothing zaps the life out of dancewear faster than a dryer! Hang your child’s clothing to dry and eliminate both shrinkage and those weird little “fuzz balls” that cling to tights!
Payless Shoe Source – Did you know that Payless carries their own brand ballet slippers? It’s true! They’re endorsed by American Ballet Theatre (ABT) and cost about $18/pair. Go in during one of their many Buy 1/Get 1 50% off sales and stock up! {Another plus to these slippers–the elastics come pre-sewn, which isn’t the case with other brands as your child’s feet grow.}
Register and +UP Rewards – Use those handy slips of paper toward your next purchase of hair pins, nets and hair spray! At around $3 each, you can greatly reduce or flat-out eliminate your hair care costs with a little strategic planning. 😉 Best brand for your buck: Scünci! Their pins and hair nets hold up much better than the likes of “Goody” for some reason, saving you $$ in replacement costs!
AquaNet Hair Spray – Sure it might give you a few crazy 80’s hair flashbacks, but boy-oh-boy does it work! Ranked as “one step below cement”, this hair spray comes super-cheap and is the surefire way to get professional looking buns and Nutcracker “party girl” curls in a flash!
Do you have a baby ballerina in your family? How do YOU save money in this area?
We know our instructor from before I had my child and are on scholarship due to our friendship (super lucky!), buy our slippers two half sizes at a time from discount dance supply using our studio code to give back to the studio, use dollar store makeup for the performances and pictures, and have somehow gotten lucky finding our leotards at our local thrift shop. We are always looking for the next size and tend to find them for less than $2. Our biggest expense is tights, pictures, and the DVD as I also help out backstage in exchange for her classes. I also use my hair gel on her for performances and pictures. I think you wrote a great article here! Just wish I could find tights less expensive than Target brand but trying to buy during sales helps too.
Great tips! I love the idea that you use dollar store makeup. I have found good items at that dollar store!
I get my leos & slippers at Target or Walmart
Any suggestions on which dance school/academy in the Tri-Cities is best? I don’t care if it’s the most expensive or cheapest, I just want to know which ones are the most highly recommended. Thanks!
Hands down I will tell you The Tri Cities Academy of Ballet is the best. 🙂 I have both of my daughters in it – and while it can get pretty intense as they get older it is worth it because they are learning so much. http://www.ballettri-cities.com/
My 6 year old goes once per week for one hour. Perfect for her age group and she has a lot of fun.
My 11 year old daughter goes 4 times a week for 2 hours each! 🙂 Yep, pretty intense. The better you get the more time you spend doing it.
Have fun!
We buy our leotards at a great kid consignment shop. Usually pay around $3 for good quality leotard!
I’m sorry, but that picture of the little ballerina is sooooo cute!!! I have been wanting to put my daughters in a dance class for a while but was worried about the cost. Thank you for this great info!
I am actually looking for clogging classes….anyone know of one in the Tri-Cities.