The Financial Realities of Competitive Dance — What Every Dance Mom Should Know
I hope this title didn’t scare you. I certainly don’t want to scare any readers away. But as a mom of 4 competitive dancers I want to help you be aware of the costs associated with a competitive dancer. If you are more prepared for the costs then it can help you be prepare for the financial aspect of dance.
I have been a dance mom for 10+ years and I wouldn’t change it for anything. I believe that I am truly investing in my children. They may not go on to dance as a career on Broadway but it is shaping them to be better humans- and that is truly worth the cost.
At our studio you get your invoice at the beginning of the season or just before it starts. Sometimes this looks pretty scary depending on how many dancers you have and how many dances they are in. But then as the season goes on you start noticing that you are paying for things that you didn’t prepare for or know about. Hopefully this post helps you be aware of what to expect and plan for the added costs.
Class and Choreography Fees
This one is probably pretty obvious but there are fees just to take the class. Each studio will have their own way that this is broken down. It may be based on the number of dances you are in or the length of each class. But typically each dance that your child is enrolled in will have a fee. Some studios even charge for choreography fees. The choreography may be done by an in house instructor or the studio may bring in someone to create the dance.
For solos, duets or trios the choreography fee will typically be higher than a group number because there are less people in the dance to split the cost between. These are good questions to ask your studio director before the season starts if your child is going to be doing a solo, duet or trio.
Competition Fees
These fees will be dependent on the number of competitions that your studio attends. Some attend many and some just a few. For our studio we attend 4. These fees will be on top of your class fees. For each competition there is a fee for each dancer that dances and for each routine. If your child is in 5 group dances then you will have to pay an entry fee for each group dance. The competition entry fees for solos, duets and trios are higher than the group entry fees.
I cannot speak to other countries but in Canada entry to dance competitions are free. You don’t have to worry about paying an entry fee for your family after paying for your dancer- so that helps a bit!
Costumes and Accessories
For some of you your costumes may be included within the price of your classes- but often times they are not. Each studio generally orders new costumes every year for the dances. I have a TON of costumes in my closets from over the years!!
Costumes for solos and duets are typically higher than group costumes. Keep in mind if you have your costumes including that your dancer may need footwear, various tights and other accessories for their costumes. My dancers have needed beige tights, black tights, socks and fishnet tights all in one year!! It all adds up but being prepared for it does help.
There will likely be the cost of shoes as well. Tap, jazz, ballet, hip hop they will all have their own shoes. Our studio tries to use the same hip hop shoes every year so that really helps on the cost but that won’t be the same for everywhere.
If your studio likes to change the hip hop shoes then what we have done is use them as indoor shoes for the next school year rather than buying new. The hip hop shoes have never been worn outside so they are probably in pretty good condition.
Your studio will have specific jewelry for your competition most of the times it will be earrings and a necklace.
Dance Gear
When you have a dancer that is in multiple dances staying organized is key in my opinion to managing the chaos. Part of the way that I stay organized is having the right gear. A dance bag is a must, this is not a duffle bag this is a back that turns into a portable closet basically. You can then hang your costumes up for the day. Check out this link to grab one https://amzn.to/4nevBMa. It has a privacy screen for changing as well which is an added bonus!
These bags area really spacious! If you are dancing well into the evening it is great to be able to just throw everything into the bag and deal with it later!
You will want to keep your costumes in separate garment bags rather than throwing them into the dance bag. These ones with compartments for shoes and hair pieces are our favorite https://amzn.to/47wRm4X.
Accommodations
This will vary depending on the number of competitions that you are entered in. Most competitions run over multiple days. Unless your dancers first dance isn’t until the later in the day you will want a hotel for the night before. Dancers will need to be ready by at least 1 hour before their time to dance.
The number of nights you need to stay will vary on the schedule for your dancer. When your dancer is finished dancing you will still need to wait until the session awards take place before leaving. Towards the end of the competition there will also be overall awards. Most times your studio director will let you know if it looks like you may qualify for overalls as it is exciting for your dancer to be a part of these awards sessions.
Being prepared along the way for the added expenses that come along throughout the dance season will help you budget for the year. For more tips and tricks for your dance competitions be sure to check out our other posts at Dance Mom Blog Archives – Together We Can Travel.
