bettyandbob Posted July 26, 2012 Share Posted July 26, 2012 dd attended a ballet studio for several years. They do not do competition. they has performances a year. They produce students prepared to work professional as ballet dancers (we know one girl with the Miami City Ballet and one who is with the Miriinsky) if that is the direction the student wants to go. We also felt girls who were not headed in the direction of professional dance were treated well. dd was doing well, had been on pointe a couple years and decided she wanted to try something new. New thing didn't work out. It was suggested (by people other than me) she try new forms of dance. So, we go to another studio that teaches ballet, tap, lyrical, jazz, hip hop, etc. They have dance teams that do competitions. they have company--I don't know where they perform, but local events. If you are just in classes, you still have the opportunity to perform at an end of year recital. The place has been around a while (25 years?) dd is taking jazz and ballet there this summer. I finally got a break down on fees for new studio last night. Summer fees are significantly cheaper it appears. dd would only be enrolled in classes. Using an estimate of 4 hours of dance a week, the Sept-June tuition would be 11K. I'm sure there's some recital fees. I was shocked. I know I live in a high cost area, but wow. The ballet studio was less than half that for advanced curriculum students taking unlimited (most girls would be in class daily) classes 2 years ago. dd told me last night, now that she's tried the jazz, she just wants to go back to only ballet. I will need to check if fees have gone up at the ballet studio, but we may need to rethink dance altogether. Is this really what dance costs? I didn't do an analysis of cost years ago when dd started, I just looked for a placed that had a reputation for quality instruction. Now, I'm in a position that I need to think about fees. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kroe1 Posted July 26, 2012 Share Posted July 26, 2012 Unlimited at our studio is $2600 a school year (Sept through May). Competition, company, and recreational is available. Costumes run about $100 per class so my DD's fees are $900 for costumes. There are no recital fees. Competitions run about $50 per dance number so that can get really expensive if your DD chooses to go that route. One also has to consider travel costs, as well. My DD just does company since she is so involved in community theater. She is still treated very well by the dance studio which says a lot considering they have over 400 students. The owner and her family know every kid and momma on a first name basis. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Splash Posted July 26, 2012 Share Posted July 26, 2012 Cost here is $295/month for unlimited classes. Extra fees for performance teams and competition teams. Costumes are $100 each. DD takes hiphop, jazz, ballet and lyrical this fall for $203 per month. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris in VA Posted July 26, 2012 Share Posted July 26, 2012 Is it aligned with the RAD? The one I know of in my area is pretty expensive, but I didn't think it was THAT much! My goodness! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bettyandbob Posted July 26, 2012 Author Share Posted July 26, 2012 No neither school is RAD. I'm not sure the associations of the school that costs11K + We aren't even considering unlimited or team competitions, costumes and travel, with that in mind I think fees could easily reach 20K. The ballet school teaches Vaganova method. This school tops around 5K for unlimited classes. Recital and costume fees are under $200/yr (2 yearly performances). I know the recital/costume fees are cheap. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mary in VA Posted July 26, 2012 Share Posted July 26, 2012 Look at whether the school is for profit or not. The best ballet schools in our area are not-for-profit. At the highest level, dancing 5-6 days a week, 15-20 hours, the cost seems to run around $5,000. At my dd's school she can take unlimited number of classes after the one's she is scheduled in, there is just no time:001_smile: We are in a VERY high cost area in northern Virginia. If you actually figure out the cost per hour it comes out to less than $10 per hour. The amount you have been quoted for 4 hours a week seems crazy! Mary Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dmmetler Posted July 26, 2012 Share Posted July 26, 2012 (edited) I'm surprised that it's so much. DD takes through a community program (where the city provides the building and has encouraged programs to locate there-her dance school has been there since the center opens and has four studio classrooms set up for their use), what I've noticed is that the price goes DOWN dramatically when you get to the level where you're taking more classes a week-so that, for example, a single beginning combo class for a 3 yr old is $45/month, but DD will be taking 4 hours of various classes this year for about $100/month. I don't think it ever goes over about $250/month for unlimited group classes, and I know many of the older girls assist in classes in exchange for additional private lessons. This is a combo studio primarily focused on music theater, so lots of jazz, tap, and ballet technique. Edited July 26, 2012 by dmmetler Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mamakimberly Posted July 26, 2012 Share Posted July 26, 2012 My daughter is in unlimited this year and it is $220/month. I'd look at ALL of your options in your area... that's really high. ETA, dd8 will be in tap, jazz, hip hop, ballet, tumbling, and salsa. A wide variety of classes, and still nowhere near that price you're talking about! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wheres Toto Posted July 26, 2012 Share Posted July 26, 2012 My oldest was at a competition studio. This year she did 11 routines which included two solos and a duet which cost more since they are private lessons. She was pretty much in every class that was available for her age and level except one, which worked out to be about 12 hours a week in technique and another 4 to 5 hours in choreography. Her monthly tuition was $465 for ten months so $4,650 a year. There were additional costs for costumes, competition fees, shoes, etc. but $11K seems awful high. And I am in a very high COL area. She did ballet and pointe technique only and competed in tap, jazz, lyrical and musical theater. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DianeW88 Posted July 26, 2012 Share Posted July 26, 2012 That's ridiculously expensive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chiguirre Posted July 26, 2012 Share Posted July 26, 2012 I just signed Trinqueta up for ballet for next year. She'll have 3 hours of class a week and yearly tuition is $1500. Houston has a relatively low COL, but this is a relatively expensive studio. If it cost $11,000, Trinqueta would have to find a new hobby! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chepyl Posted July 26, 2012 Share Posted July 26, 2012 That is ridiculously high! And I own a for profit dance studio! There is a competition only studio near where we used to live, it was $10,000 per year, per dancer, minimum. They dance daily, and each dancer did 5+ dances at 5+ competitions. That is a.lot of costumes and entry fees! But, that does not include travel expenses for out of town comps. For a non-competitive, more recreational track, I would expect tuition to be a max of $200,per month for 4 hours. So $1800 for 9 months or $2k if they do a 10 month. Four hours would be a max of 4 costumes I assume. Even if they are $100 each, that is still well below the estimate you habe. We dont charge recital fees, but some do, I have never seen one over $200. Plus, t-shirt, picures, and performance DVD, I would still say you should come in around $3k max! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dancer67 Posted July 26, 2012 Share Posted July 26, 2012 Again, been in the dance world 15 years. $11,000????? That is absurd. My 19 yo took a lot of classes(7), plus a solo and the classes were $36.00 a week. And it was a flat fee of $150.00 for the solo. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Riverland Posted July 26, 2012 Share Posted July 26, 2012 My dd takes classes at a competition studio. Their jazz and hip hop teams win national competitions every year. Many of their team members attend college on dance scholarships. My dd is not on the team, though. She just takes classes and participates in 2 or 3 local performances a year. The cost for classes starts at $40/month for one class (4 hours / month). The per class fee drops a bit for each additional class. The unlimited monthly fee is $165. For my dd's age, that includes up to 9 classes that one could attend per month for $165. It is all on a month to month basis without a semester or yearly commitment. For comparison purposes, annualized would be $1,980 for unlimited classes for a full 12 months. They also allow drop-ins at a cost of $10 per class. The costumes are quite inexpensive and easily found at local stores. For example with hip hop, their last performance called for black booty shorts, red muscle t-shirt & white shoes. DD did about 6 routines in the last recital, and I spent under $20 in total. The rest, I found by raiding her closet or her older sister's closet. The team competition costumes though are custom and pricey. There are several other dance studios in town. One is well-known for ballet, and their prices are comparable to the studio my dd attends. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
justasque Posted July 26, 2012 Share Posted July 26, 2012 Using an estimate of 4 hours of dance a week, the Sept-June tuition would be 11K. I'm sure there's some recital fees. For the Sept-May season, our studio is $1700 for four hours of class, and $2756 for anything over 7 hours a week PER FAMILY. (One family has three girls plus mom who all dance. It's a great deal.) Costumes are $50-$70 per recital dance, and minimal for competition dances. There are a few other incidentals, and competition fees are separate. If a student helps in a class for younger kids, or a mom helps backstage at a performance, they are given a certain amount of credit towards tuition. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rebel Yell Posted July 26, 2012 Share Posted July 26, 2012 I don't think I've paid that much money TOTAL for 14 years of dance for 3 girls (only one all 14 years) The school associated with our major city ballet company would cost half that for 25+ hours/week! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redsquirrel Posted July 26, 2012 Share Posted July 26, 2012 That is really, really high. That is like residential school levels of high. My son is attends a classical ballet school with a company. They send many dancers off to NY to pursue a dance career. Many dancers from NY perform in their staged productions. A 4th year student (4 classes a week) would be paying 385 every 9 weeks and there are 4 quarters of instruction a year, so approx 1500 a year. They do not pay for costumes or to participate in the end of year ballet. Students do have the opportunity to be be 'guest performers' with the company for the staged ballets. My son has been a page in every ballet you can imagine :lol: I would be checking those prices against some other schools. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jujsky Posted July 26, 2012 Share Posted July 26, 2012 DD took 4 classes last year for about $200/month (10 months =$1,000) but there were a LOT of other fees as she was a company dancer. I know company moms of older dancers said the were spending up to $7,000 or $8,000/year on dance with all the fees and travel expenses. 11K for a dance school that isn't even professional is a crazy lot of money. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DragonFaerie Posted August 6, 2012 Share Posted August 6, 2012 My, my! I think I will have to bow down and kiss DD's ballet teacher's feet in thanks the next time I see her. LOL.. DD is in the junior company, does pointe, and will also be taking ballet with the senior company this year for a total of 6.5 hours per week. Our monthly fee is $150, August through May (10 months). The recital fee, which includes costumes and covers both the winter and spring recitals, is $150. After hearing the cost of these other studios, I think I shall happily and thankfully write that $150 check every month! LOL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JR the hs dad Posted August 6, 2012 Share Posted August 6, 2012 DD14 will be in class 11 hours per week this year (not including rehearsals) and tuition for the school year is $3350. This is for a school affiliated with a ballet company and includes all costume fees. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bettyandbob Posted August 6, 2012 Author Share Posted August 6, 2012 (edited) Since this was pulled up again, we decided against the studio with jazz, etc. dd has decided only classical ballet, so back to her old studio. I was wrong about the fee there. It's 3k for sept-June unlimited classes for advanced students. She's already visited the old studio and fits right back in. I was truly shocked by the other place. Edited August 6, 2012 by betty Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LibraryLover Posted August 6, 2012 Share Posted August 6, 2012 (edited) That sounds like a lot. Edited August 6, 2012 by LibraryLover Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
besroma Posted August 6, 2012 Share Posted August 6, 2012 Since this was pulled up again, we decided against the studio with jazz, etc. dd has decided only classical ballet, so back to her old studio. I was wrong about the fee there. It's 3k for sept-June unlimited classes for advanced students. She's already visited the old studio and fits right back in. I was truly shocked by the other place. Betty, I'm glad it worked out for her to go back to her old studio. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bassoonaroo Posted August 6, 2012 Share Posted August 6, 2012 Oh wow, don't ever let me complain again (I guess it IS a big check at the beginning of the school year). This year we will pay $1700 or so for nine classes a week, nine months a year. I have three dd's dancing and each takes three classes -- the two older ones do the pre-professional level and the younger one is in it for fun. We do one recital a year and the cost for that is about $300 for outfits, tickets, photos, and the video they make of it. And, there are always leotards and shoes and such, but our studio has a nice exchange program for outgrown leos, soft shoes (if they still have life in them, as many do when little girls outgrow them). We do get a price break because the older two help in little girl classes which earns us class credit. This stretches our budget a lot -- we aren't able to pay much more so I am very glad that all three girls can afford to dance here... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
foster_sk Posted August 6, 2012 Share Posted August 6, 2012 Wow. That's crazy expensive! Our studio charges per hour per FAMILY, and it maxes out at $200/month/family. Not bad since I have 3 girls in dance. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LibraryLover Posted August 6, 2012 Share Posted August 6, 2012 (edited) double post Edited August 6, 2012 by LibraryLover Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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