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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

to be [hmm] and a bit [shock] at the cost of ballet things? is this a RAD consipiracy?

33 replies

mrsmalumbas · 21/01/2008 16:12

DD1 started ballet last Sept - we paid the fees and kitted her out in leotard, socks, shoes, and floaty skirt at great expense. She has now moved up a class and has to also have character shoes and a character skirt which is 25 quid! At the same time she has already outgrown her leotard and ballet shoes (she is having a bit of a growth spurt!) and needs those replaced. Now DD2 wants to start ballet which means another set of clothes, and she is teeny so can't wear big sisters castoffs. I think it is great for them to do ballet, I never had the chance, DD1 really enjoys it and it's great for fitness and co-ordination - BUT bloomin' expensive. It's hardly an inclusive activity is it? And we're not poor, but still finding it a stretch. Can't help feeling it's a bit of a conspiracy by the RAD!

OP posts:

Original poster

mrsmalumbas · 21/01/2008 16:13

And I see that smiley's don't work in message title!

OP posts:

SmartArse · 21/01/2008 16:13

Ah yes, and when she starts to do exams, you'll have to pay for those too. DD2's last one was about £40 IIRC.

CarGirl · 21/01/2008 16:15

then they do shows as well, more outfits and oh yes extra rehearsals/lessons that you have to pay for or tell your dd that they can't do the show

cherryredretrochick · 21/01/2008 16:20

Show outfits £50 and just found out they are changing the class uniform.

ByTheSea · 21/01/2008 16:21

If you think it's bad now, just wait til she wants to add tap, modern and jazz and the exams (fees + extra class + pianist) and the show costumes. It only gets much, much worse.

Lauriefairycake · 21/01/2008 16:23

Ebay is crammed with seond hand stuff of things hardly worn as they grow out of them so quickly

JackieNo · 21/01/2008 16:25

The lady that sells stuff for DD's ballet lessons also does second hand things - so you can sell your cast-offs and buy second hand things from her. V useful - you could ask the other mothers if there's anyone like that around.

WanderingTrolley · 21/01/2008 16:25

Why is ballet so expensive?

Why do they need RAD stuff?

Is it because the teacher likes to think of herself as Ninette de Valois?

Football and swimming are soooo much cheaper.

islandofsodor · 21/01/2008 16:25

You can RAD regulation clothes made by another company from dance Direct which are much cheaper. I got all dd's things from there.

I'm going to get a character sjirt from ebay and just change the colour ribbons. Has she just gone into Grade 1? My dd is in a Grade 1 class.

cece · 21/01/2008 16:26

Wait till she starts doing exams and yes it is very expensive!

seeker · 21/01/2008 16:26

And don't forget the costumes for the annual show.....

WanderingTrolley · 21/01/2008 16:31

But why? Can they not dance in their own leotard?

I can understand about having decent ballet shoes, but ffs I took one child to ballet who had to have regulation hair band and socks!

Do cheapo socks hinder the dance?
Does a non-reg cardigan ruin poise?
Will the wrong length of skirt result in death?

Podmog · 21/01/2008 16:36

Message withdrawn

islandofsodor · 21/01/2008 16:42

The exam board insist on certain styles etc for exams and skirt lengths are for specific reasons as they hold out the skirts in certain ways.

You do not however have to have RAD make and cardigans and warm up stuff can be any style.

Dance Direct is loads cheaper and you can not tell the difference between my dd's stuff and the girls who wear Freed RAD leotards.

cherryredretrochick · 21/01/2008 16:53

Forgot to say, worth every penny when you see dd on the stage at the show (my dd was by far the smnallest), I have never cried so much in my entire life.

Original poster

mrsmalumbas · 21/01/2008 17:07

Have looked on e-bay but don't have what she currently needs e.g shoes but not in right sizes etc. I have told her she might have to wait a bit. Will check out dance direct, thanks.

Podmog thanks for offer of pink but she needs blue!

Character skirts - thought of making my own but the thought of applying straight ribbon to a circular skirt just makes my mind boggle!

OP posts:

SugarSkyHigh · 21/01/2008 17:19

we mums at our dance school have a 2nd hand thing going.... infact we do swap rounds for free a lot of the time. My DD2 has got throughs so many pairs of jazz & tap shoes and most of them were second hand from friends, and I just give them back to the dance teacher to pass on to anyone who wants them. Can you find out if anyone has any hand me downs?

pointydog · 21/01/2008 17:20

I have always steered my children away from ballet and judo/martial arts. Both expensive and slightly ridiculous

pointydog · 21/01/2008 17:21

However, lest I sound too smug, I have not managed to steer dd1 away from horseriding.

Horseriding is also expensive. But not really ridiculous

Anchovy · 21/01/2008 17:25

Slightly off piste here, but my DS's judo teacher has this brilliant thing going. The fees include effectively a bit of outfit "rental". He gives you a gi (or whatever), you put your name tape in it, wear it, wash it etc then when you grow out of it you give it back and he gives you the next size up.

Pretty simple, eh? No one has to keep shelling out for regulation judo kits, no one gets left with mounds of outgrown judo stuff. I can see that ballet shoes are different, but I can't see why they can't do something similar for other classes like ballet with the basic costume.

seeker · 21/01/2008 17:26

Mine does ballet tap and jazz AND she rides. And she plays the clarinet. I am so grateful that ds doesn't want to do anything except play football. Mind you, Matchattax cards don't come cheap!

seeker · 21/01/2008 17:26

Mine does ballet tap and jazz AND she rides. And she plays the clarinet. I am so grateful that ds doesn't want to do anything except play football. Mind you, Matchattax cards don't come cheap!

pankhurst · 21/01/2008 17:35

our littlest one is a total obssessive about ballet - she was not even 14m and dancing round, insisting on wearing pink skirts and doing barbie dance.

SO against our general ethos, we joined her to a class twice a week (she would go every day if there was one).

because we are impoverished, she wears a pink swimsuit (one of those surf type shorts and tshirts sewn together styles) - but she's only two.

however, some of the other babies come in ALL the GEAR and more..! leggings, hairbands, etc etc

Do you think there must be a tiny bit of 'dressing up dolly' for the mums involved as i can't really imagine it has to be this rigid..? anyone want to join a rebellion against it?

idlingabout · 21/01/2008 17:47

It has always been the case that ballet gear is expensive and I remember my mother getting upset at the cost of the shoes. But when I did ballet , we wore standard black leotards for classes but when exams came up the ballet teacher would organise the correct 'outfit' for the exam on a free loan basis. I think she had an agreement with other 'schools' to share a pool of kit.I took about 5 exams and the kit was different for each one so this was a good way to do it. Now my dd does ballet it seems to be ,as others have described, that the teacher expects you to buy the relevant new kit for the grade to wear right through to the exam.I only have the one child but would worry at the cost if I had more.

sparklesandwine · 21/01/2008 17:56

mrsmalumbas - my DD stopped doing ballet last year (hurt her feet ) but anyway i have the blue outfit, how old is your DD2?

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