Costume Conundrum

So many tutus to order, so little time—but we’ve got the inside scoop. DT consulted studio owners nationwide for their savvy tactics to beautifully outfitted recitals: ordering in bulk, the best time frame, money-saving strategies and effective billing plans.

Jami Masters
Jami Masters School of Dance, Ltd.
Charlotte, NC
Jami Masters School of Dance costumes approximately 160 dance pieces for five annual year-end shows. The number of costumes ordered is based on class rosters. The studio’s trick to fitting: “Because we measure in December and are not performing until May, I always add an inch to the girth measurement. I find it’s better to order a little larger,” says owner Jami Masters.

With about 950 students enrolled, Masters charges a $35 costume deposit in the December billing and the remaining full balance in the March billing. (All annual recital costumes are purchased for keeps.) “We go by the actual costume price and add about $15 to cover staff time, ordering and processing of the costumes. The total bill also includes matching tights and accessories,” says Masters. “It’s not a money-making venture for us, we just want to make it easier for parents and cover our costs.” She handles late payments on a case-by-case basis; students are never kept from performing. The money-saving tips Masters has learned over 20 years in business: “Order by January 15 and get early discounts, work with local dancewear manufacturers and if you are ready with your measurements by early November, consider the cost savings offered by costume manufacturers who are discontinuing a line.”
 

Allison Thornton
The Dance Club
Orem, UT
At The Dance Club, students purchase end-of-the-year recital costumes and rent holiday concert costumes for $20 to cover cleaning costs and alterations. For the annual year-end recital, partner and studio manager Allison Thornton says the cost of costumes averages about $50 each for the 350 students enrolled. Students pay a non-refundable costume deposit of $40, which is due by the end of January, and the full balance prior to the recital.

“When we price costumes, we include not only the cost of each costume piece, but also the cost of any alterations. We then divide the cost evenly between the children in the class,” says Thornton. (The studio also hires an in-house seamstress during recital season.) “Depending on the style of the costume, we might ask the students to provide their own leotard to wear underneath. That can lower the total cost of the costume if they are providing a base,” she adds.
 

Bobbie Tauber
Bobbie’s School of
Performing Arts
Newbury Park, CA
At Bobbie’s School of Performing Arts, the annual costume fee includes the cost of a practice CD, memory book, backstage helpers and rehearsal time onstage. “I charge about a 25 percent markup with the package, plus two costumes costing $120 for my younger students and about $140 for my students who are 10 to 18,” says school owner and director Bobbie Tauber. Costume profit also helps with performance space rental, which usually runs about $20,000.

When ordering costumes for the annual shows, Tauber always orders a few extra to give her the flexibility of adding a student later on or replacing lost items. Scheduling the recitals in June, rather than in May or earlier, gives Tauber time to finalize orders by January, if needed. “It also helps that there are now more California catalog companies and several dancewear manufacturers who have a large selection of in-stock costumes,” says Tauber. Ordering from a nearby manufacturer reduces the shipping time and cost, and buying from a local company with in-stock items lessens the possibility of back-ordered costumes and other delays. Running a school for the past 30 years, Tauber has learned the hard way that she must protect her business by not allowing students to perform if tuition and recital fees are unpaid. Parents are billed via e-mail and paper copies are distributed at the school. Recital fees can be divided into two payments: one due in November and the other in late January.


Tracy Solomon
The Dothan School of Dance
Dothan, AL
Like the other studio owners featured in this panel, Tracy Solomon, director of The Dothan School of Dance, selects a general theme for her three annual May recitals. Teachers then submit music and costume picks by November 1. “Ordering is done by one of my teachers who is a former studio owner; she knows what I’ll approve of,” says Solomon. “When we are finalizing everything, we’ll compare notes, and if we get a better early-bird discount by ordering more costumes from one particular company, then we’ll do that.” Solomon and her associate order costumes for about 110 individual dance numbers.

For the past 33 years, Solomon has followed a deposit and balance format for costume pricing. This year she will try a more unilateral approach to make billing easier. “A lot of studio owners are now charging a flat fee for every costume,” she says. “So I averaged the price by my totals and how many costumes we’re getting, and I will also charge my older students slightly more than the younger ones.” Solomon’s money-saving tips include: getting the early-bird discounts by ordering costumes by December 15; making a $20 profit per costume to manage recital costs for more than 600 students; and charging costumes on her credit card to build up frequent-flyer points, which she uses for competitions. DT


Leslie Hunter-Gadsden is a freelance writer in New York City.