ballet show Q would you say something?

[deendon]

My kid will be in a ballet show this Christmas. Routine is a professionally made costume from Weissmans or Paul Wright etc. Everyone has been given their costumes this week, we pay over 50 pounds for them and get to keep them.

My daughters peers have been given something that looks like this
www.weissmans.com/weissman_costume_collection/9495.aspx?position=12

and this
www.weissmans.com/weissman_costume_collection/12229.aspx?position=13

all costumes come complete with hairpieces, gloves etc

Today my kid was handed a polyester waistcoat and trousers that has been stitched by someone at home (don't think they are well made both of them are literally 2 pieces of fabric stitched together they have not been hemmed or have seams just a raw stitch edge)

I'm actually fuming and almost at the point where I want to say she can't go on stage dressed like that when everyone else will be so different.

Would you say anything if so how would you put it?

I'm trying to contain my inner dance Mum for the sake of my kid but quite frankly I'm struggling!

Assuming that you paid the same as everyone else and ordered at the right time - yes, say something. Immediately!
email the teacher/dance studio owner/manager.

Ask why your 50 quid wasn't spent on the same costume as the others and where is the 40 pounds change as this is clearly a cheaper version.

Or did you somehow miss a deadline and someone has desperately attempted to give you something that got made by a volunteer?

Yes I’d ask for an explanation and a breakdown of costs. I’ve been a ballet mum for 10 years and never encountered this.

Thanks for answering.
Yup signed up and paid in full when asked.

Love your name!

Is she a different character/ part? If she's the only one in this outfit is she a soloist? It's reasonable to ask.

That first outfit is beautiful. I think you got away lightly with not being allocated the second one tbh. But yes, I think I probably would say something. £50 is a lot of money.

I'd find a different dance school.
Sounds unprofessional to be having to pay for your own costumes.

Your DD is performing ballet in trousers? I have never heard of that- sounds very constricting.
How old is she?
My DDs dance school buys and keeps all the costumes, a small charge of £5 per costume for shows- to pay for professional cleaning after each show.

But that sounds like she has a different part or featured role surely? Disappointing that she doesn't get a pretty dress and obviously the money thing is but go in and have a chat. It's unlikely they'd ruin the look of the whole number just to make one child look daft.

Is your child a boy? My ds has done dancing for 10 years but all costumes are costed separately. I would check about the flat fee.

Sorry I missed it said dd. The communication has been really bad for you.

Why would you want to keep a costume?

My DD has danced for years- many shows and events, and worn dozens, perhaps hundreds of costumes.
Some have been beautiful, some have been Ok, and a few just bad.

How old is your DD?

I would definitely say something if you think it is poor value for money but tbh I thinking getting parents to buy costumes to keep rather than offering costumes to hire is very lazy on the part of the dance school. Who wants a collection of outgrown stage costumes that will never be worn again.

my first thought was did you have a son then read it properly and see you clearly state you have a daughter (sorry, I do skim read a bit).

Ok I agree that is not acceptable. even if you had a son who was therefore wearing something different costs should be adjusted accordingly. our school do as the boys outfits are completely diferent. BUT this is even worse if they are all girls.

a) why is she in a completely different outfit? my guess is that she has been chosen to play the part of a boy which could actually be because she they feel she is one of a few who can cope with doing a different part with different steps so actually might be a nice thing.
b) why have you paid the same costs? I wouldn't have an issue with a different costume and yes it is hard for children to understand some people get nicer costumes than they have got but this is part of performing. however, if yours is a cheap cobbled together job then cost should be adjusted to reflect this.

I wouldn’t have an issue with the costume necessarily, it’s presumably for a particular role, but I would ask for some money back.

Dd and Ds have both belonged to different dance schools. We always paid the actual price based on their costumes (so pretty cheap for ds lol though he did tap and MT, not ballet. )

£50 is a lot. I never paid more than £30 for dd Although that was up to the age of 11 before she went to full time dance school. I know seniors paid more.

Can you say sorry think there has been a costume mix up - I've paid £50 for DDs purple tutu and looks like she has been sent through the wrong costume, a boys waistcoat and trousers. When can I pick up her proper costume?

Lol thanks for all the replies guys it's interesting to see how everyone does it differently.

Whoever said it is kind of right about the costumes I found out the other week that another ballet friend of mine has kept all her daughters costumes from ?5 to she's now 14! Last show she had 7 different ones.

I find that insane (and certainly don't have room in my house for them)

Anyhow to answer the questions I'm going to be vague on the details for obvious reasons.

Girls are 8, the dance is all girls, no boys in the class. It's just a normal ballet class, not chosen because they are good or tall or X. The senior girls are doing 'Swan Lake' (so you can imagine the costumes) the younger kids are doing something else lets call it 'Princesses', we assumed they were all going to be princesses (and we were let believe they were going to be a 'girl' 'Princess') everyone else has a professionally made 'Princess' style dress. Some of the girls are in more than 1 dance so they have been given the necessary number of outfits for the same price.
There are about 5 girls who are in just his dance and they have been given the trousers etc and been told they are going to be urchins.

That makes it sound like they have been singled out for poor treatment I'm not suggesting that at all, I'm quite sure it is simply thoughtless. Lots of the girls are in more than 1 dance so have more than 1 costume, it's sad that this class has lots of girls who are only in 1 dance and have such a shit costume.

If they want urchins in the dance I'm fine with that, either order us a Princess dress so we have the same as everyone (actually a silly idea but you get the point) and include the bloody urchin rags anyway (remember some girls have been given more than 1 princess dress!)

Speak to the parents (or email) explaining how it fits your artistic vision to have urchins in the show and in recognition of that fact the urchins are going to be refunded X amount.

Or don't choose 8 year old girls to play urchins in a dance about Princesses!!

I'm also fine with them wearing whatever is needed to play the part I'm cross about paying 50 quid for rags and I'm cross that my kid is going to be wearing rags standing next to someone in a Professional outfit.

Sounds unprofessional to be having to pay for your own costumes.

So who would you expect to pay for them? 🤷🏻‍♀️

I was going to say I think that's it's just a costume what the heck OP until I saw it cost 50 quid. My dd used to do ballet and I have never paid anywhere near that for a costume. That said she clearly has been selected for a different part to the others - I'd see that as a compliment not a slight.

I'm also baffled though about the 'constraining' comments - she's playing a part...?

So who would you expect to pay for them?

I would expect the dance school to oay for them, and they remain the property of the school.
Good dance schools will have a costume collection.

It's totally normal to pay for your own costumes. Most people pay like £5 a lesson, it's hardly the royal ballet.

all The dance schools we’ve been involved with (apart from vocational school) you’ve had to pay for your own costume. And even at voc school you have to provide some things.

It's totally normal to pay for your own costumes.

Not in my experience. And I too am talking of a dance school that charges £4 an hour.

Where is a dance school even supposed yonstore costumes for around 100 kids who may be in more than 1 dance and who may be different sizes to the kids who performed last year or the dances might have a completely different theme.

I know nothing about dance costumes but the cynic in me things your £50 has subsided the other children getting multiple dresses.

Weissman are the more expensive end of the costume suppliers and in my opinion a total waste of money unless a child is going to be competing and using the costume multiple times through the season.

You can get some lovely IDS costumes for little ones for around the £20-30 mark. Dds first dance school used to order basic IDS velour tutus/Spanish dresses etc and accessories them for about £20.

Comefromaway

In a cupboard.
My DDs dance school has been buying costumes for years, adding to the collection every time there is a show., but now with a large number of outfits only 10% of new costumes have to be bought each time.
Costumes are catalogued and stored, now the school has many options for groups of all ages.
1920s jazz number for fifteen ten year olds- no problem.
Twelve nutcracker cresses for 14 year olds- all there.
Twenty country and Western outfits for seven year olds- in the store room.
Eighteen bear outfits for 4 year olds- no problem.

Seems the most sensible way to do things.