Five ways to beat the high cost on dance-wear

Have you been to a dance-wear retailer lately? And did you leave with an empty wallet and your jaw misplaced? I know how you are feeling! Dancewear has become really expensive the last couple of years. And to tell you the truth, it’s only going to get worse. As dancing is increasing it’s popularity, more and more people are taking ballet classes, practicing hip-hop or learning to salsa with their partner. And what does all those people need to buy in order to do that? That’s right. Dancewear has become a multi-million business, and by the look of it, it’s not going to change anytime soon. After all, dancing is fun, right?!

Well, I’m going to share some secrets to beat those price-tags. As you might know, dancers aren’t paid all that, and buying expensive dancewear all the time is just not an option for most of us. So we have come up with alternatives.

1. Make it yourself

Do you know how to knit? Apparently, most dance-wear is really easy to make, once you know the basics.

Although it sounds like a typical hippie-solution, you’d be surprised how much dancewear you can actually make. My girlfriend loves knitting, and has made all the legwarmers I use. And it’s really simple. If you are a little crafty, consider making your own dancewear. You can even “steal” ideas from the famous dancewear out there, and make your own copy. Probably it will look better than the original in the end, and you’ll have a unique garment to show off in class.

2. Buy it elsewhere

Does your warmer have to say Capezio? Apart from specialized wear, like the pointe shoe, dancewear isn’t really any different from what you find in a normal sports-shop, except you might be able to shave a figure off the price-tag..

3. Cut and Paste

Here’s an idea: take an old woolen sweater, and cut the arms of it. Fix the cut so it doesn’t unravel, and sew an elastic band into the top of each arm: now you got yourself a new pair of legwarmers. With only a pair of scissors  and some creativity, you can save lots of money. What to do with your tights when they get old and not-so-shiny anymore? Cut out the crotch and the feet, and put it on like a sweater, using the legs like it was the arms – provides warmth, support, and looks pretty cool, too!

4. Re-use

Not so long ago, I witnessed a girl throwing out her used pointe-shoes. That’s ok, they were really used until there was no point in keeping them anymore. (but do keep in mind, if you are throwing out shoes only because they got too soft, why not ask someone else if they can use them? People have different feet, and for some, soft shoes are créme de la créme) But what I reacted on was that all the ribbons and elastics were still sewed to those shoes, and went to the garbage with them. Jesus girl, you know how much those silk-ribbons cost per meter? A good way to beat those expenses, is re-using the stuff that can be re-used.

5. Check the forgotten-items basket

Now, this might sound a little shabby, but in my opinion, it’s not! All studios, theaters and schools have huge forgotten-items baskets. Maybe it’s because we artists aren’t good at taking care of our stuff, maybe dancers are more sloppy than normal people, what do I know – fact is, there are lots of perfectly good, forgotten clothes in any dance-studio. Ask your studio owner when they take it out, and ask if you could have a look through it first. You are bound to find lots of cool things you can use in there, just give it a wash first. And for God’s sake, make sure they don’t throw that in the garbage, but give it to someone that can use it..

This may not sound as much, but on a longer basis, you’ll save a lot of money. And money saved is money earned, right? Ta-Ta

H