Input from Moms Looking for Dance & Gymnastics Classes

My issue was cost but also extended costs. I just want the instruction not all the costumes and the recital. The first Dance class we had OMG they predetermined # of tickets you had to buy and a fund rasier it was ridiculously expensive and I don't think my daughter cared about her 3 minutes of stage dancing. We now do gymnastics and they do periodic meets that are optional and very inexpensive and the kids can or don't have to do the meets...it does get costly and we are ever going to do it for a living so I do about every other session. And we do some other extra activies like Theatre which now includes the dance.

All four of our kids take gymnastics and we've been going to the same gym for about 9 years now. Our gym also has a dance studio in the same building and so, if you check around your area you might find something similar. Our oldest just started his 4th year on a competitive team, but the three youngest just take recreational classes. If you can afford it I would strongly encourage it because it's a fun and a great way for the kids to stay healthy. It also helps the kids stay in shape year-round since so many of their other extracurricular activities are seasonal. Let me know if you have any specific questions and I will be happy to answer them.

Good luck!

When I enrolled my daughter in gymnastics, I looked for something that was age appropriate and fun. She started at 2 years old and did it for 1 year. We stopped because we couldn't work it into our schedule. And it was getting expensive for what we were doing.

Then I signed her up for ballet. I looked for the same - age appropriate and fun. I wanted her to have some independence. And ballet let her be without me for 30 minutes. Gymnastics I had to be with her the entire time. I also liked how the teacher interacted with her. It was nice to have the camera in the room so I could watch her without her knowing.

I looked for something that she was in the same age group so she could interact with others her age.

My daughter has done gymnastics for 3 years now and the school we used just closed :-( I really liked that there was a parent/tot class for the younger kid (up to 3) and after that she went in by herself and it was much more structured.
Since there is no gymnastics near us now I just signed her up for dance. The cost of the recital was the biggest factor for me. I have 4 kids all doing different activities and didn't want to spend a fortune! There are some schools in my area that charge for tickets and require 2-3 costumes to be purchased which can cost hundreds! The school I decided on gives tickets for the recital and the costumes usually run about $75 per student. Also, I only looked at schools if I knew someone that used them.
Good luck!

My daughter's been in dance with her studio for the past 8 years. She's now 11 years old and a member of their competitive team.

I certainly appreciate first and foremost the quality of the instruction we are recieving. She is being taught by an instructor who is trained and educated in dance; not a high schooler looking to earn money from the studio to apply to her own expenses. My daughter will not be a professional dancer as her talent has its limitations, yet I feel she is taught well, and is challenged to continue improving herself with her peers.

I appreciate also the variety of classes available to her at her studio, and very important to us was the appropriateness of her costumes and music selections. Attending as many competitions as we have in the past years, it is more apparent all the time that the majority of the studios we see don't have those same values. Her team is able to consistently score high marks and awards without looking like a bunch of clown-faced, scantily clad hoochie mamas dancing to the latest ghetto rap music.

I think also important is that her classes run back to back and her schedule only requires her to be at the studio 2 nights a week. The idea of running in for a 45 minute class, then home, then not having another class for 2 hours, then running back again for another 30 minute class would absolutely not work for me. Consideration for the working mom's schedule is necessary as well.

My 4 yr old daughter just completed her first year of dance. It was a FREE pre-school aged class that was geared toward 3 & 4 yr old kids [ while she did not have boys in her class, another had 4!!], and teaching them the beginning fundimentals of both tap and ballet. It was a 45min class and they did both tap and ballet. I think like 20 min of one and shoe change, and 20 min for the other. I loved it!! She was taught by an instructor who had been dancing since she was 4, and really was into her job and the kids. She made each child feel special in whatever skill level they were in. Music for her age was completely appropiate, as was the older kids. Costumes were VERY tasteful, and looked good on everyone, regardless if you had a twig for a child or one who was alittle "fuller" around the middle.
Now, let me tell you what i did not like. While her class itself was free, the receitals [ yes I said plural] were not. She had a Christmas receital, and the costume was $70.00!! It was an awesome costume, very age approopiate for a small child, but $70.00 was a lot. In addition to this costume charge, you had a MANDITORY "performance" fee of $40.00 to assist with the rental of one of the local theatres here. The admission tickets were $16.00 PER PERSON [ did not matter if you had a 1 yr old or not, they still cost $16.00!!!]. Now if this sounds bad, let me add to the list. In June you have an "end of year" receital, so I shelled about $64.00 for another costume, $40.00 for performance fee, and another $16.00 per person for admission to see her. The studio did several fundraisers over the year to assist with the costs, but I personally felt like I was doing them non-stop because we also have school fundraisers, and church, etc etc. In my opninon, I think a GOOD studio is one where ALL the instructors are trained, not just a mom or college student who took a year or two of dance. The monthly cost I feel should not be more then $40-45.00 per class, or maybe $60.00 for 2 classes. Someone else mentioned back to back classes. I agree! I have friends who daughters' are at the studio 3 days a week, in addition to the other extra curricular activities they do. The receital if there is one, should be decently priced [ admission tickets, etc], only because costumes are NOT CHEAP. Bsck in the day when I danced, we always had our receital at the high school. I know there had to be some cost involved but renting one of my town's PREMIER, "high society" theatres is a bit crazy for me considering the extra cost involved! I do not think it matters where you buy them from [ costumes], they are not going to be any less then 45-50.00 at the cheapest unless they are basic leotard and tights ones. Hope this helps.

What age group?
My son took a Parent/Child gymnastics class and although I liked it I felt it was somewhat inflexible. I would have enjoyed a weekly exploration class... he could experience things and get some instruction, but not worry about following a structure.

Call the 4/5 in your area, ask how much, length of class, what classes offered for age range, how much recital tickets are. Compare all that and take a sample class to see.

Ours is 28 a month, 4 classes, 45 min class. 40.00 costumes, 7.00 k & 11.00 A recital tickets. And that was the average deal. I went with the one 6 blocks from the house, and my kid loved it.

Good luck, A. H