Many dance school owners find themselves pulling their hair come recital time because there's not enough money in the budget for costumes. In today's economic climate parents may not want to pay too much extra for an outfit that their little dancer will wear two or three times only. Luckily with some creative thinking it is possible to create beautiful professional-looking dance recital costumes without breaking the bank.
The first thing you need to do is to choose the themes for the different dances. This will determine what your dancers will eventually wear. Think carefully about the theme. If it is too complicated, your dancers' outfits will probably have to be complicated and expensive too. For example, a mermaid theme sounds wonderful until you realize just how difficult it can be to make a mermaid tail that looks great and is still practical enough for a dancer to move in. In contrast, a famous ballet like 'Company B' uses khaki chinos and shirts that are available from any budget clothing store and that provide dancers with enough freedom of movement.
Once you have chosen a theme for a particular piece, scour the cheaper clothing stores and fabric shops for ideas. Remember that the dancers don't have to wear realistic outfits. The idea is after all that they portray their characters through movement, not through what they are wearing. With good choreography, a dancer can wear only a green leotard and portray anything from a tree to a caterpillar.
A good way of minimizing wardrobe costs is to be on the lookout for special offers throughout the year. If you can buy T-shirts or one-piece, one-color bathing suits in bulk, do so. T-shirts can be turned into almost anything with some dye, a pair of scissors and a sewing machine. Bathing suits can serve as leotards and if you add some sequins, nobody will even realize that the dancers are actually wearing beachwear. Besides, the dancers can reuse their costumes after the recital.
You don't have to blow the budget on yards of tulle and satin. Muslin cheesecloth is inexpensive, takes to dye very well so that you can turn it into jewel colors, soft pastels and even the russets and browns of fall. In addition, it is light and cool and creates beautiful, flowing lines when a dancer moves. A few well-placed sequins can add sparkle under the stage lights.
Other items to keep in stock are haberdashery items and fabric paint. Ribbons, rhinestones, bits of lace and sequins can add color and glamor to the plainest outfit. With fabric paint, you can create beautiful fabrics or transform dance-wear into beautiful, unique items. With oranges, yellows and reds, for instance, you can create 'flames' on a dancing skirt that will move as the skirt moves.
Accessories and props are also indispensable items in creating a budget wardrobe. The party store is a great place to look for low-priced hats, masks, tiaras and even wigs. Learning how to do papier mache will serve you extremely well too. Once again you can get the dancers, especially the younger ones, to help you make their own props.
Once you are making the dance recital costumes, remember that they don't have to be perfect. Stage lights are very forgiving of flaws. Besides, if the dancers are well prepared, nobody will look at the costumes anyway.
The first thing you need to do is to choose the themes for the different dances. This will determine what your dancers will eventually wear. Think carefully about the theme. If it is too complicated, your dancers' outfits will probably have to be complicated and expensive too. For example, a mermaid theme sounds wonderful until you realize just how difficult it can be to make a mermaid tail that looks great and is still practical enough for a dancer to move in. In contrast, a famous ballet like 'Company B' uses khaki chinos and shirts that are available from any budget clothing store and that provide dancers with enough freedom of movement.
Once you have chosen a theme for a particular piece, scour the cheaper clothing stores and fabric shops for ideas. Remember that the dancers don't have to wear realistic outfits. The idea is after all that they portray their characters through movement, not through what they are wearing. With good choreography, a dancer can wear only a green leotard and portray anything from a tree to a caterpillar.
A good way of minimizing wardrobe costs is to be on the lookout for special offers throughout the year. If you can buy T-shirts or one-piece, one-color bathing suits in bulk, do so. T-shirts can be turned into almost anything with some dye, a pair of scissors and a sewing machine. Bathing suits can serve as leotards and if you add some sequins, nobody will even realize that the dancers are actually wearing beachwear. Besides, the dancers can reuse their costumes after the recital.
You don't have to blow the budget on yards of tulle and satin. Muslin cheesecloth is inexpensive, takes to dye very well so that you can turn it into jewel colors, soft pastels and even the russets and browns of fall. In addition, it is light and cool and creates beautiful, flowing lines when a dancer moves. A few well-placed sequins can add sparkle under the stage lights.
Other items to keep in stock are haberdashery items and fabric paint. Ribbons, rhinestones, bits of lace and sequins can add color and glamor to the plainest outfit. With fabric paint, you can create beautiful fabrics or transform dance-wear into beautiful, unique items. With oranges, yellows and reds, for instance, you can create 'flames' on a dancing skirt that will move as the skirt moves.
Accessories and props are also indispensable items in creating a budget wardrobe. The party store is a great place to look for low-priced hats, masks, tiaras and even wigs. Learning how to do papier mache will serve you extremely well too. Once again you can get the dancers, especially the younger ones, to help you make their own props.
Once you are making the dance recital costumes, remember that they don't have to be perfect. Stage lights are very forgiving of flaws. Besides, if the dancers are well prepared, nobody will look at the costumes anyway.
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