CeliB Posted May 13, 2013 Share Posted May 13, 2013 DS's school recently decided to make the students wear a logo'd school leotard/dance top at $40 each (ouch) but all the rest they can use whatever make they like. To be honest the cost may seem huge when you add it up in one go but he wears every single item to a shred (quite literally- by the time he asks for new ones the old ones are more hole than garment/shoe). And if they spend 4-6 hours a day in their dance gear I figure the wear and tear on their 'civvies' (and the amount of other clothes they need) is substantially reduced. After all, even $40 is less than a lot of fashion tops, and £20 for the leggings is less than any jeans he would otherwise be wearing... Luckily he doesn't have an academic uniform, so that's a reduced cost. And I appreciate the cost for girls with pointe shoes can be crippling. I have to say when reading another thread criticising an article in which it was assumed that all ballet dancers are 'posh' I did think 'maybe not posh but certainly rich!'. Before I get a deluge of 'I'm not posh or rich' replies- I don't mean super rich but I would argue that it would be almost impossible for anyone to get good enough to get to vocational school/professional level without having a substantial sum of money spent on them....and if you truly are on the breadline you just couldn't afford it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rowan Posted May 13, 2013 Author Share Posted May 13, 2013 But that money doesn't have to be necessarily spent by parents. That's why schools run outreach schemes, offer free lessons, scholarships, bursaries and shoe allowances - for the most talented children whose parents can't afford it, All I'm saying is that the price of the ballet uniform is a cost that could be controlled more - if the school really wanted to. If it had to pay for the uniform for all its pupils, they'd be more inclined to get a really good deal. If it's the parents who pay, well, it seems to me that the school sets its own prices... And don't get me started on £95 for a child's blazer... CeliB, I take your point about dancewear being worn more, being ultimately cheaper and more longer lasting than street clothes! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
audsjcanuck Posted May 13, 2013 Share Posted May 13, 2013 When my dd started her ballet residential school (Canada) at age 11 (now 16), I think we spent in the neighborhood of $700 (450pounds) between academic and dance uniform. Since then though it has only been a few replacement items each year for academics - mostly socks! And we always find a used kilt or two. With a 20% discount on pointe and dance uniform needs, the annual clothing cost now may actually be cheaper then if she were at home and dancing with a studio. But don't tell her that! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
porthesia Posted May 13, 2013 Share Posted May 13, 2013 Considering how much I paid for costumes that got worn for 5 performances at a previous ballet school, I think that on the whole dd's uniform for vocational school is not actually that bad. Yes the leotards are expensive, but although they are the same price as a pair of pointe shoes, they do last a lot longer!! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dancer27 Posted May 13, 2013 Share Posted May 13, 2013 Are you ready? Leotard minimum 3 x £19 = £57 Unitard minimum 2 x £30 = £60 Pink tights minimum 6 x £8 = £48 Tracksuit £40 Classical tutu = £170 Romantic tutu skirt = £40 Above all must be ordered through the school ( Total = £415 ) plus 1 pair canvas split sole shoes = £9.95 2 pairs pointe shoes for start of term = £0 but once advice on correct fitting 10 (ten) pairs recommended approx £400 1 Bloch short wrap round skirt = £13.95 So it is actually more than £500. Hopefully it will all last the 2-3 years! I knew there were going to be other costs but you don't think about it until the bill arrives on your doorstep. There should be transparency so parents know exactly what costs are involved before committing to this adventure. There are scholarships available for those on low income. What school is your dd starting at encouraged? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Friends Posted May 13, 2013 Share Posted May 13, 2013 Central Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spax Posted May 13, 2013 Share Posted May 13, 2013 (edited) You can buy Central leotards from Dance Direct I think. My dd use to go to Central and liked the cut and brought same but different colour for RAD classes. Ballet West do do alot of ballet and they are gorgeous leotards. sometimes wear 2 aday. They do Advance 1, 2 and Solo Seal as part of the course nearly everyday. And they have access to studios 24/7 so always up there stretching etc. dd is going through alot of pound coins for washing machine I know that much! Edited May 13, 2013 by Spax 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spax Posted May 13, 2013 Share Posted May 13, 2013 Just got my ds uniform list for White Lodge, need 2nd job! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anna C Posted May 13, 2013 Share Posted May 13, 2013 You can buy Central leotards from Dance Direct I think. My dd use to go to Central and liked the cut and brought same but different colour for RAD classes. Ballet West do do alot of ballet and they are gorgeous leotards. sometimes wear 2 aday. They do Advance 1, 2 and Solo Seal as part of the course nearly everyday. And they have access to studios 24/7 so always up there stretching etc. dd is going through alot of pound coins for washing machine I know that much! No, the style is the same - Dans Ez V-leg camisole - but the colours are different because Central orders custom made fabric. You can buy the leotard in black or grape from Dance Direct but Central don't use those colours as part of their uniform. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pups_mum Posted May 13, 2013 Share Posted May 13, 2013 CeliB's post about not needing as many ordinary clothes made me smile. A couple of months ago my DD asked me if she could get some new clothes urgently - she'd been invited out with friends and had nothing to wear. Only this wasn't the typical teenager's definition of "nothing to wear", it was true that she genuinely had no "ordinary" clothes that fitted her. She'd had a growth spurt and we had failed to notice that she had outgrown all her clothes. I realised that this is because she wears school uniform every week day, until she comes home, changes straight into dancewear and goes to the Studio. Then she comes home, showers and gets into pyjamas. And at most weekends she just wears dancewear and then pyjamas. I did feel guilty - a teenager without so much as a t shirt and pair of jeans to go out in sounds like a case for social services! (She does have an extensive collection of leotards though!) 20 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spax Posted May 13, 2013 Share Posted May 13, 2013 No, the style is the same - Dans Ez V-leg camisole - but the colours are different because Central orders custom made fabric. You can buy the leotard in black or grape from Dance Direct but Central don't use those colours as part of their uniform. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spax Posted May 13, 2013 Share Posted May 13, 2013 Yes I remember now black for RAD Advance 1 about 2 years ago. Didn't notice that material was any different though. Nice all the same. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
along for the ride mum Posted May 13, 2013 Share Posted May 13, 2013 oh pupsmum that made me laugh, its exactly the same in my house! dd outgrows clothes without wearing them and some friends have.never seen her with her hair down 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Katymac Posted May 14, 2013 Share Posted May 14, 2013 "I realised that this is because she wears school uniform every week day, until she comes home, changes straight into dancewear and goes to the Studio. Then she comes home, showers and gets into pyjamas. And at most weekends she just wears dancewear and then pyjamas." This is so my DD too; she went to her first gig a fortnight ago & tried to wear a leotard & practise skirt (she does ballroom), rather than jeans But the number of dresses she has for a show/performance then never wears again The other thing guys, is have you seen the cost of a new 'Ballroom' dress? I think I might be looking forward to buying tutus.........but probably won't have too! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fiz Posted May 14, 2013 Share Posted May 14, 2013 My ex dds dance school had them in Papallion leotards, which at that time were £33 each! They had three each because of the amount of ballet they did, and custom made leotards for tap and modern! This doesn't include shoes, tights or leggings! Thank heavens my husband had a good job. We are broke now, no kidding ;( Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
munchkin16 Posted May 14, 2013 Share Posted May 14, 2013 Our uniform leotards for cechetti cost from £25-£30 depending on size as we have to get them through school. They are shiny lyrca and not at all flattering, the RAD ones are much nicer. I would rather spend the money on a really nice one! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arabesquegrandejete Posted January 24, 2014 Share Posted January 24, 2014 What brand of leotard do kids at Elmhurst wear? Just wondering, need to know for my daughter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Billyelliott Posted January 24, 2014 Share Posted January 24, 2014 It's only avaliable through the danceboutique - there are different colours for each year - I think it's wear moi . If you have an MDS they are supplied as part of the uniform allowance - what age are we talking about ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JulieW Posted January 24, 2014 Share Posted January 24, 2014 Welcome to the forum Arabesque Billyelliott beat me to it - yes, they are WearMoi but special designs for the school and as she said, different colours for each year. One of the advantages of having a child on an MDS funded place at Elmhurst rather than WL is that there is a generous uniform allowance - good job because the leotards, unitards etc are expensive!! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arabesquegrandejete Posted January 25, 2014 Share Posted January 25, 2014 Thank you so much, Billyelliot and JulieW! My daughter is in the 8th grade, which I think is...year 9? Again, thank you! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JulieW Posted January 25, 2014 Share Posted January 25, 2014 So, is she auditioning for Elmhurst? I'm curious about why were were asking the question :-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arabesquegrandejete Posted February 1, 2014 Share Posted February 1, 2014 She's thinking about auditioning for Elmhurst when she turns 16, so by then, I think she'll be in the sixth form. I'm not very familiar with the U.K. school system, as I live the the U.S. So by the time she auditions, she'll be in 10th grade, in the states system. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lisa O`Brien Posted February 1, 2014 Share Posted February 1, 2014 Welcome to the forum,arabesquegrandjete. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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