I have just started dancing at arthur murrarys and would like to compete but i was not given an idea of how much it would cost me to get into it.i was just wondering about how expensive it can get.

I was wondering the same thing two months ago, that is, until my dance instructor told me how much it would cost.

I go to Fred Astaire studios, which I really like. The problem is, their competitions are at like 5 star hotels with all these luxuries and stuff. So you have the travel/food/hotel fee. Then you have the fee for every entry (I believe that was about $60/entry) and one would do an average of 20 entries per competition. In total it ends up costing about $3000, not including the price of gowns.

Yep, I'm not going to one of those until the day I win the lottery!!

Are they "in house" competitions?

OB

From what I've heard from friends who have competed in the Arthur Murray system, $3000 is on the low side for an AM comp.

I take lessons at an independent studio and by choosing my comps carefully and with my pro's help in keeping costs down, I can do a comp for as little as $1500, including everything except the dress.

If you find an amateur partner, competing as an amateur couple is much less expensive.

Ellen. Is that $3000 for one competition. We ,at one of the very best venues'. Could enter as many events as you are eligable to compete it for the same price as an ordinary spectator. We have a big one at Easter at one of our Casinos and we will pay abou $40 . from 9 am to midnight. In a not so flash venue we would expect to pay about $25. Children and pensioners $12 whether you compete or not.Take about $2.50 off to bring it to USA money. We have very few Pro/ Am events but do have what is called Individuals at all ages. In these the person being judges wears the number which in many cases is the female. If both are being judged, both wear a number which would be a different number for each. As with all the events there is pre- entry but no money changes hands except at the door on the day. That is for everybody from the highest to the lowest. At the Casino it would be better to buy the ticket before the day. Have a good cry.

The lowest cost was $1800 + about $650 for six dance entries. It included fees for your instructors "lost hours" and dinner. It did not include hotel stay. This was at a local hotel.

Heck, I've been complaining that my attorney's fees are outrages but after I've seen the prices for these competitions.....

My instructor has been studying dance for longer than it took me to get my PhD (not to mention law school), so I don't begrudge him his prices at all.

The way to cut down on competition costs is compete near your home base and have the pro dance with many other dancers to help share your expenses.

Studio packages and going to a competition solo with your instructor
is for the folks with money to burn. Independent honest teachers are your best bet with a stable of other dancers sharing your costs. If you compete in Miami or the Ohio Star Ball it's going to be expensive. Even amateur dancing at a high level can be very expensive since you will need more high quality expensive lessons to compete--unless you are just doing it for fun. The entry fees are cheap for amateurs, but travel and costumes can get expensive quickly. It is best to just set an annual budget for your dancing, do the best you can and don't even think about taking out a 2nd mortgage on you house or using credit cards for dance lesson money.

There is a wealth of information in the forum section about this topic.