So, you think you can dance?

 

Last year, I got the brilliant idea to enroll my daughters, aged 5 and 9, in dance classes. Not unexpectedly, we needed to purchase tap, ballet and jazz shoes, as well as tights and leotards. This can add up to a small fortune but there are many ways to reduce the costs. Look no further than your local Goodwill.

With a little pre-planning, I was able to pick up each girl a leotard for $3.99 each. Girls will be girls, and soon they wanted to add to the collection of leotards. Normally, I would say 1 class a week, 1 leotard. But, stepping into the Stillwater Goodwill, I was able to get 3, size 4t skirted leotards, pictured bottom right. At Target, this purchase would have been roughly $54. Goodwill price, $11.97, or a huge savings of $42. Another trip yielded the 2 "biketards." These are typically worn for gymnastics classes but are cute and flashy, necessary things for little girls taking dance. The left biketard, is a Nastia Liukin brand. Liukin was the 2008 Olympic individual all around champion. Impressive credentials come with an impressive price tag. Her leotard typically ran between $40-$60. I paid $3.99. The biketard on the right is labeled GK Elite Sportswear and runs between $30-$60. I want my girls to look good and have fun, but with prices like these, my luck at Goodwill is the only thing that allowed for such pricey items. Just browsing the racks at the Woodbury Goodwill, I was able to put the pairing of leotard and skirt, shown in the bottom left picture, together for $5.98.

Tap, ballet and jazz shoes, sigh. Ballet shoes, $18 each, times 2. Jazz shoes, $39.95. Tap shoes, $27.50, times 2. That's another hefty layout, totaling $130+. By now, my husband was rolling his eyes while fishing out his debit card. I try to explain how wonderful and exciting dance class is. Learning how to pirouette and shuffle step, all while making friends and learning coordination. He's having none of it. Anyway, it had never occurred to me to check Goodwill for shoes. While sizing can be hit or miss, it's worth a shot to see if Goodwill has shoes. If you have a recreational dancer, shoes don't get beat up and those I found, showed little wear. The Woodbury Goodwill store had the tap shoes, shown in the upper left picture, ranging from $4.99-$9.99.

By now, you can surely see how a little comparison of prices can go a long way towards outfitting your future dancer. After a year of classes, both girls completed their very first recitals. It's exciting to see how much they learned and how much fun they had getting into their sequin, feathery costumes for their performances. Just one more tidbit. Guess what happens to recital costumes? They end up getting donated to Goodwill. Just think of how much fun a sparkly costume adds to the dress up box!

 

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