Dance moms- questions for beginner

[indigomama]

I just signed DD 4 up for tap and ballet. I need to get her tights. leotards, and shoes: tap and ballet. They do sell them there, but was wondering if there was anywhere online that might be a bit cheaper. Any recommendations? Thanks!

 

ETA: Also any brand recommendations? They said not the walmart/payless kind.

[Suzanne115]

I order a lot of dance wear from Discount Dance.  The tights and leotards are much cheaper. My girls like body wrapper and capezio tights.  They both hold up pretty well.  I usually order the shoes from the studio that my girls use. 

 

Suzanne

[Loowit]

I get most of DD's dance stuff at discountdance.com.  They have pretty good prices.  Shoes, however, I don't order online since they need to fit well.  For those we have to go out of town to find a dance store.  However, you could always try them on at the studio to find out the size you need and then order online.  Just make sure it is the same brand and style when you order.

[Jenny in Florida]

I've ordered from these places and had good experiences:

 

www.discountdance,com

 

http://www.dance4less.com/

 

http://www.dancewearsolutions.com/

 

In terms of brands, for a little one who will be dancing just once or twice a week, I wouldn't worry a lot about investing in anything expensive. She is more likely to outgrow whatever you buy than to wear it out. The one exception, in my opinion, would be tights. For those, I would definitely buy Capezio or a similar, solid brand, With a once-a-week dancer, one pair of good tights will likely get you through a whole year.

 

 

[Dmmetler]

Another reason to either buy the shoes through the studio or buy the same brand online besides size-there are a TON of shades of "ballet pink" ballet shoes and variations of beige/tan tap shoes. Black can be shiny or matte, depending on the company and style, especially for little girls. Capezio may not match Bloch, and some studio owners/directors are pretty picky about that. 

 

 

 

 

[indigomama]

I order a lot of dance wear from Discount Dance.  The tights and leotards are much cheaper. My girls like body wrapper and capezio tights.  They both hold up pretty well.  I usually order the shoes from the studio that my girls use. 

 

Suzanne

 

Thank you. I might need to get the shoes at the studio, since I'm not sure of sizing. But I will check out Discount Dance. 

I get most of DD's dance stuff at discountdance.com.  They have pretty good prices.  Shoes, however, I don't order online since they need to fit well.  For those we have to go out of town to find a dance store.  However, you could always try them on at the studio to find out the size you need and then order online.  Just make sure it is the same brand and style when you order.

 

Thanks!

I've ordered from these places and had good experiences:

 

www.discountdance,com

 

http://www.dance4less.com/

 

http://www.dancewearsolutions.com/

 

In terms of brands, for a little one who will be dancing just once or twice a week, I wouldn't worry a lot about investing in anything expensive. She is more likely to outgrow whatever you buy than to wear it out. The one exception, in my opinion, would be tights. For those, I would definitely buy Capezio or a similar, solid brand, With a once-a-week dancer, one pair of good tights will likely get you through a whole year.

Yes, I am trying to keep expenses down, but also want to make sure I don't go so cheap that I have to buy again too soon. Good to know about the tights!

[snickerplum]

I love love Bloch tights. They wear well and wash well. My daughter had 1 pair that I'd wash every week and they lasted until about 3 weeks before recital. There was a class that used sand in their routine and she managed to find the spot in the room where it wasn't totally gone. :-)

I agree with discount dance. We bought her shoes from Amazon.

[bettyandbob]

I'd ask the studio what requirements are. Some studios are less strict about "ballet pink" for the little kid classes and the rec classes.

 

If things are not strict, Payless has ballet and tap shoes and tights for little girls.

[I talk to the trees]

We order a lot from All About Dance. Shipping has always been very quick (48 hours in a couple of cases.)

[Storygirl]

We have serious dancers here, and when my kids were that young, I just bought them pink tights from Target. The teacher did not care at all. They do have a line that shows going around the thigh where the panty part meets the leg part, but no one cared. Other kids at the studio wore them, too. Considering that they were $3 a pair, while the dance store tights were $10 or more, it was a significant savings. My girls do not wear them now that they are older, but as preschoolers, they were perfectly fine.

 

The ballet shoes, however, you will probably need to have fitted at a dance store. Payless sells tap shoes (and ballet shoes as well). Our studio doesn't allow them, but if yours doesn't mind, you mind find a better price there. Our resale shop sometimes has dance shoes. I would not recommend buying used ballet shoes, but tap shoes should be fine.

[Pippen]

I'd buy locally the first time to get an idea of what sizes she's in.

[Alice]

I'd second the notion to get nicer tights. I bought cheaper tights and they were fine but they got holes in the feet quickly and then dd outgrew them and I ordered some nice Capezio tights from Amazon. They are much higher quality and will last longer. Plus, they are much nicer feeling for her. She calls them her "soft" tights. 

[Cera]

I order most stuff from discount dance.  The only thing I don't order is shoes because dance shoe sizing can be tricky.  For a 4 year old you might have luck finding the shoes you need at a thrift shop (I have purchased a lot of tap shoes from once upon a child).  As they get older they wear the shoes out so you need to buy new, I always take them for a fitting at our local dance store.

[justasque]

Get good tights.  Buy them a size larger than it says on the box; they will be easier to put on, more comfortable, and will last longer as there will be less tugging in putting them on, not to mention of course they are bigger.  They should last the year (and be a backup pair for next year).  Plan to buy a new, clean pair for recital, again a size bigger, with the intention of them being next year's class pair.  

The moms I see who buy tights from Target end up having to buy new ones several times during the year, which not only isn't a savings, it adds another errand to mom's busy schedule.

[Storygirl]

The moms I see who buy tights from Target end up having to buy new ones several times during the year, which not only isn't a savings, it adds another errand to mom's busy schedule.

 

We didn't have a problem with this, so it depends upon the child. If your child goes through tights quickly in general, you'll probably find that she puts holes or runs in her dance tights fairly quickly. In that case, the sturdier tights will be a better bargain over the long haul. However, keep in mind that if she snags or otherwise ruins her expensive dance tights, you'll also pay a bigger price to replace them. You'll have to decide which kind will work best for your daughter.

[littlebug42]

My favorite place to buy from is dancewearsolutions.com although have used discountdance.com as well.  The "Daisy" ballet shoe from Capezio is a really good little beginner shoe and not terribly expensive.  I also like the Capezio or bodywrapper tights.  They may cost more up front but when a pair will last for the whole year as opposed to replacing every few months, it is worth it to me.  Tap shoes I would buy for the first time somewhere they can fit the foot. 

 

 

[magnificent_baby]

I do a combo of local shopping and online, depending on what we need and how fast.

 

I was surprised to find our local dance shop offered a much better quality ballet shoe for the same price as the Payless brand. It was also so nice to have someone knowledgeable fit them for us. Now that Dd is into adult sizes, we have to start over with fittings, but then I will feel comfortable ordering the next sizes up online. Amazon has free shipping on returns, so I ordered two sizes of each shoes we need, then will send back (free shipping!) the ones that do not fit. I also read lots and lots of reviews online, which gives you a good feel of how they fit.

 

We've had good luck with Walmart leotards, but sounds like that might not be an option for you.

 

Overall, I have not found a significant price difference between the online dance stores than my local shops when you figure in shipping. The benefit of getting the tights local was returning one pair when they ripped with one wearing. They easily exchanged them for me and sent them back to the manufacturer to be refunded.

 

One caution, one local dance store has a sign up saying if you come in for a fitting, you will be charged if you don't purchase anything.

[Rebel Yell]

Discount Dance and Dancewear Solutions are two online places I use.

 

Diamond works at a local dance retail store. If you have a local business go and get fitted for shoes. If you do, BUY THEM THERE!  Don't use them as your free sizing guide for online bargains. Just IGNORE all the cute fluffy stuff at the register. Save the adorable ballet gifties for Christmas & recital.

 

Sometimes, the name-brand shoes are CHEAPER than the ones at Payless! And dance shoes are sized crazy...

 

Size UP in tights.  I had a pair of Capezio tights last 2 years EACH for THREE girls for ages 4-6.  REALLY!  I still have them in the keepsake box.

 

ALso for shoes, find out what they will wear for recital. Unless your child has a growth spurt you'll want the right shoes now.  My children was always so inconsiderate- they outgrew their shoes 2 weeks before recital- enough that there was NO squeezing them in and getting by- then they finished growing over the summer on break from dance, and I had to buy ANOTHER pair in Sept.  But I passed all shoes down through 3 girls, so it;s OK.  Really- last year, at age 13, was the very first year I had to buy SweetChild her own dance things- she caught up to the sizes where Diamond was no longer outgrowing them but wearing them out, and they had different feet and body shapes so hand-me-downs wouldn;t have worked anyway.

 

ENJOY!  We :001_tt1:  dance here!

[Caclcoca]

We always get dance shoes at a local place for sizing reasons.  I usually buy new dance tights at recital time, and then she uses those the next year for class.  I would buy the "dance" tights (Capezio, Bloch).  They seem to last longer.  They do not hold up to falling in gravel parking lots though.

[Ethel Mertz]

Does anyone know what boys wear for tap (besides the obvious shoes)?

[LibraryLover]

Our studio sells slippers/flats, hairnets, leos and tights cheaper than even DD. However, the quality is lesser. This was fine in the beginning, but older kids dance so many hours that quality matters, or you're purchasing constantly. ( ok. Well. I purchase pointe shoes and tights constantly. ;)) Take the bargains when they are little is what I think I mean. :) I agree about sizing up with tights, as they last longer and are easier to put on. However, you want tights to fit nicely for performances. My dancer has never not needed new tights at that time. When buying online, but at least 3 or 4 pair, depending on growth spurts.

 

Sometimes getting the correct colors is tough. For a little one, I'd go with the studio unless it was poorly priced.

[kitten18]

I love love Bloch tights. They wear well and wash well. My daughter had 1 pair that I'd wash every week and they lasted until about 3 weeks before recital. There was a class that used sand in their routine and she managed to find the spot in the room where it wasn't totally gone. :-)

I agree with discount dance. We bought her shoes from Amazon.

 

I love Bloch Endura footed tights (we're out of footed tights now and I like Theatricals convertible tights).  They last very, very well.

 

We order a lot from All About Dance. Shipping has always been very quick (48 hours in a couple of cases.)

I do all my online dance shopping at All About Dance.  I almost always get my orders in 2-3 days and they have free shipping on orders over $25.

[indigomama]

I thought I posted a reply, but now I don't see it. We were just gifted this afternoon shoes and tights, yay! And they all fit great. I ordered a leotard online, the Capezio brand everyone here suggested. I am writing down everyone's responses for future reference, thank you.

 

Another question, DD has very long but not super thick hair. It is difficult to put up and have it look neat, it just sort of separates, hard to explain. Anyway, any good tips for putting and keeping her hair up?

[LibraryLover]

[quote name="indigomama" post="5861967" timestamp=

 

Another question, DD has very long but not super thick hair. It is difficult to put up and have it look neat, it just sort of separates, hard to explain. Anyway, any good tips for putting and keeping her hair up?

 

The key to a good bun for very long hair starts with a very tight pony tail. Twist pony into a tight spiral with hand, then wrap the pony around the elastic --like a cinnamon bun-- using open hair pins at each wrap to secure. My dd likes to do this with wet hair. A little hair oil on wet ( or dry) hair also keeps the frizzies at bay. As does an anti- frizz spray (only needed for performances).

[Momling]

Glad you found your gear!  If she continues, be prepared to sew in elastics into ballet shoes (though not in the Daisy Capezio if I recall).  Also check out second hand kids clothing stores for tap shoes. I always see a ton there.

 

In our studio, the kids don't have to start wearing buns until they start the regular ballet program at 6-7ish. The creative movement/pre-ballet crowd just have ponytails or pigtails.

[catz]

The key to a good bun for very long hair starts with a very tight pony tail. Twist pony into a tight spiral with hand, then wrap the pony tail around the elastic --like a cinnamon bun-- using open hair pins at each wrap to secure. My dd likes to do this with wet hair. A little hair oil on wet ( or dry) hair also keeps the frizzies at bay. As does an anti- frizz spray (only needed for performances).

 

This is exactly how we do our dance buns here.  Spin pins might be helpful to hold longer/thicker hair in place. 

http://www.amazon.com/Goody-Simple-Styles-Spin-Dark/dp/B00BE6EAKK/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=undefined&sr=8-1&keywords=spin+pins

[Storygirl]

 

 

Another question, DD has very long but not super thick hair. It is difficult to put up and have it look neat, it just sort of separates, hard to explain. Anyway, any good tips for putting and keeping her hair up?

 

Read this thread! :)

 

http://forums.welltrainedmind.com/topic/518008-ballet-bun-question/

[happypamama]

DD was hard on tights, so we bought the cheap ones from Walmart, and the studio didn't care about that. They did require that we buy new tights for the recital, and at least some of the years, they included those with the costume.

 

We bought her shoes from a local dance store, and they really weren't all that expensive. But Capezio and Bloch and whatever else is out there all fit a little differently, and especially once she was past the first level, we wanted shoes that we knew fit her well.

[deannajo]

This is incredible for buns: http://www.ponybun.com/ 

[Jenny in Florida]

Does anyone know what boys wear for tap (besides the obvious shoes)?

 

Check with your dance school to see if they want anything specific, but the dress code for tap is often less formal than for other classes. In general, guys rarely go wrong with black jazz pants and a solid-color, close-fitting t-shirt. My son prefers athletic wear instead of dancewear most of the time. His preferred tap uniform is warm up-type pants [like these: http://www.sportsauthority.com/product/index.jsp?productId=21046756&view=grid ] and a black Under Armour t-shirt. 

 

It's not unusual to see tappers in anything from dance shorts and plain white dance t-shirts to jeans and a logo t-shirt from the last tap convention. My son also has a collection of t-shirts with funny dance sayings on them {"Tap Dance by Day, Deadly Ninja by Nights," etc.) that he wears to classes that don't have a strict dress code.

 

As always, though, check with your studio. 

[kiwik]

I'm surprised a four year old needs all that stuff. Tap shoes yes but most kids in the pre school classes here wear their favourite dress or leggings and bare feet. For serious classes they need leotards and shoes but not at 4.

[Starr]

I would ask if they have a system for reselling. It seems there would be plenty of smaller shoes that don't get much wear.

[indigomama]

I'm surprised a four year old needs all that stuff. Tap shoes yes but most kids in the pre school classes here wear their favourite dress or leggings and bare feet. For serious classes they need leotards and shoes but not at 4.

 

The list was tan tap shoes, ballet shoes, pink,tan, or black footed tights, solid colored leotard, and skirt if wanted. She's in minis. It didn't seem extravagant, I just didn't know where to start.  

[Rebel Yell]

We always get dance shoes at a local place for sizing reasons.  I usually buy new dance tights at recital time, and then she uses those the next year for class.  I would buy the "dance" tights (Capezio, Bloch).  They seem to last longer.  They do not hold up to falling in gravel parking lots though.

 

:coolgleamA:  No they don't.  But with good quality tights, you can sew them!  Diamond once took a fall that tore open her jeans, her tights, AND her knee. 

 

We left the jeans as-is, cleaned up the knee and I actually sewed the hole in the tights. She wore them for the rest of the year.

[Rebel Yell]

Does anyone know what boys wear for tap (besides the obvious shoes)?

 

Check the studio dress code.  Just make sure his pants aren't too long- the teacher will need to see his feet and maybe ankles, too- and if the pants are too long they can get caught under the taps.

 

[Rebel Yell]

I'm surprised a four year old needs all that stuff. Tap shoes yes but most kids in the pre school classes here wear their favourite dress or leggings and bare feet. For serious classes they need leotards and shoes but not at 4.

 

different studios, different philosophies.  "play clothes" can make it seem like a fun play time, but can also be distracting with bunchy tights, loose floppy dresses, kids pulling their dress up over their heads...

 

Leos can make them feel like their "real" ballerinas, and the class doesn't turn into a "Who has the fluffiest tutu dress? contest"

 

And sometimes, it;s for the teacher!  I know a few excellent teachers whose brains are wired in such a way that, no matter how hard they try, they focus on ("see") clothing more than technique, so they need the students to have a more uniform look, even (and maybe, especially) for the littles- the class can feel too chaotic with too much variety of color & style.

[swellmomma]

I'm surprised a four year old needs all that stuff. Tap shoes yes but most kids in the pre school classes here wear their favourite dress or leggings and bare feet. For serious classes they need leotards and shoes but not at 4.

The dance school my girls attended they have them in a particular leotard based on which class you are in so the preschool class (3-5 yr olds) wore pink long sleeve leo, 5-7 year olds wore the baby blue short sleeved, level 1 got into the spaghetti strapped leos and was pink and on it went.  Boys had particular black shorts and tops.  All girls wore ballerina pink tights from preschool through pointe no matter the style of dance (correction, they wore the leo and warm up shorts for acro not tights), and of course everyone had ballet slippers if they took ballet, the ones on the 3 yr olds were so cute and tiny.

 

Now I know the other dance school in town was more like yours.  The difference was that dance school is purely recreational, the one my girls attended was a competitive dance school, did testing etc Just different philosophies.