Have your kids caught the dancing bug and want lessons? Aside from the price of the classes themselves, a crucial aspect that you will need to budget for is all that dancewear.

Your children will need to have the right clothing not just to wear to class, but also special outfits for recitals whenever they come along in the calendar.

In the following post we are going to briefly discuss some of the costumes you may need to buy for your kids, how much they often cost and money-saving ways so this expense doesn’t break the bank.

Clothing for Dance Classes

Just as there is a wide variety of different dance styles and studios, there is a wide variety of clothing requirements depending on which style your child is interested in.

We’ve highlighted the main styles of dance class your kid will probably be interested in and what they are typically expected to wear when attending them.

Tap

Tap classes are lot more laidback when it comes to the clothing you can wear. Your child can wear either tights or a leotard, but can also just wear leggings or shorts instead of the tights. You’ll find that dance leggings and shorts cost around £5 to £20.

They will also need to wear special tap shoes that feature a metal plate in the bottom. This is what makes the click noise when your child taps or shuffles. Tap shoes can cost anything between £20 and £70.

Jazz

The clothing for jazz classes is almost exactly the same as they are for tap. The big difference is the shoes. Jazz shoes are actually very similar to ballet shoes, with the main difference being that they have a short heel. They come in both nude and black and can cost between £20 and £30.

Ballet

For ballet classes, you’ll need to invest in a leotard for your child to wear. As this kind of attire is form-fitting, it enables the dance teacher to assess the full and complete movements of their students. While most ballet classes may require your child to wear a black leotard, different studios sometimes prefer different colors.

The average cost for a boy and girls leotard is something in the region of £10 to £30. Girls can choose to wear a dance skirt, if they like and this will cost between £5 and £40. There are different styles of dance skirts, including the simplistic crepe skirt and the more classic tutu.

It is also important for your child to have tights to wear to class. Pink is probably the most common, although nude, white and black are all extremely popular too.

There are various styles of tights to choose from, including footless, stirrup, convertible and footed. Unless the studio where your child is having their classes has a preference, you and your child are often free to choose the style of tights you prefer. Tights can range in cost from £5 to £15.

Perhaps the most important piece of clothing your child will need for ballet classes is ballet shoes.

These are made from leather or canvas and have either a split sole or full sole and come in a wide variety of different colors. Pink, as with tights, is the most popular, while nude, white and black are also common.

They can range in price from £10 to £20. If your child makes good progress in their class, they may be offered the chance to train en pointe.

For this style, which sees female ballerinas dancing on the tips of their toes, they need special fitted pointe shoes and these cost from £30 to £100.

Money Saving Tips

Do Your Shopping Online

There are great deals to find online. Many dance stores put older lines up for clearance prices when newer styles and lines come in. If you find an item you need for your child in the size they are currently wearing or the size they will move up to, you may be able to save a lot of money on the original marked price.

Trade With Other Parents

As children are constantly growing, it is often the case that they will need larger sizes before they have even worn out their current clothes and costumes. You can avoid the stress and attack on your bank balance by making friends with other parents at the studio and establish a trade system so that everyone’s child’s clothes can get extended lifespans. When your child outgrows costumes, you can hand on theirs to other smaller and younger students. This will also work vice-versa and your child will inherit costumes from older and bigger students.

Set a Monthly Budget

It is much easier to handle the expenses of paying for dancing lessons, by setting up a budget where you can pay a little bit at a time.

You need to first calculate the approximate cost of dance costumes for a full year, then divide the number by 12 and then you’ll know how much money you should be setting aside for dance expenses every month.

By doing that, you will ensure that whenever your child needs to buy new dance costumes, there will always be money there.

While budgeting for dance costumes and other accessories, remember that even if your child does not go on to become a professional dancer when they are older, their lessons were not in vain.

They will learn a lot of great skills that they will be able to carry throughout their life, such as hard work, dedication, grace and health. With that in mind, it makes the money you need to pay out for dance lessons worthwhile.

Elizabeth Turner, born in Halifax, Nova Scotia, on May 14, 1979. She has a Bachelor Degree in Human Resources. Elizabeth joined 5 BestThings on Jan 3, 2011 and worked as an editor specialized in Romance and Relations section.
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