Hello,

I am new to ballroom dancing, and the expense this year threw me for a loop. I love dance and want to pursue it, competing more, and doing better!

I want to approached 2006 in a more organised fashion and was wondering if anyone can help.

Ultimately, I want to spend no more than $3,600 for the year. I know this is nothing compared to the, gulp, over $10,000 I will have spent in 2005, but I need to be realistic.

I am in it for the long haul. I am 22 years old, have trained/performed/competed in other dance styles, and am told I have a lot of talent, although I realise everyone is told that.

Maybe I will be able to afford more in the future, but for this year, how much would you recommend spending on:

* competitions
* costumes (can I get away with wearing the 2 very expensive costumes I bought this year to every comp next year)
* Private lessons
* group classes/socials/workshops

Has anyone made a dance budget before?

I make a decent salary, but am in extremely high credit card debt, so I need to cut expenses. I do not want to quit dance, so I think $300 a month is reasonable and I will still have cash to put towards the debts.

Any advice is appreciated!

Thanks

p.s. part of the reason I spent so much was dancing with a chain. I will not be dancing with them next year.

p.p.s. I am from New Jersey if cost varies from place to place!

How about this?

$2250 = 50 lessons split with partner

$100 = NDCA/USABDA memberships

$900 = 8 day-trip competitions

$350 = 3 pairs of shoes

=====

3600

Thanks. Quick question - what are the benefits of being an NDCA and a USABDA member? Do the organisations differ from each other? I am currently not a member of either, but have seen their web sites.

absolutely nothing, except that most competitions require you to join one or the other - though there are a few college competitions in PA & NJ and upstate NY that you could go to without needing that

If you are going to compete with another amateur rather than doing Pro/Am, then you will need to join USA Dance (formerly known as USABDA) and/or the NDCA. It all depends on what competitions you go to. It used to be that you just had to join USABDA and that the NDCA would accept your membership, but that's no longer the case.

The benefit is that you get to do amateur competitions where the entry fees range from $10-$35 per MULTI-dance event per couple! So instead of dancing in a Pro/Am comp and having to pay $25-$55 per DANCE to enter (plus your teacher's per-dance fees), you might pay a total of $45-$70 per person for the ENTIRE competition.

Of course, that requires finding an amatuer partner, which can be tricky but also can be very rewarding.

There are ways to save money doing Pro/Am. I danced in Pro/Am comps for about six years and spent a lot less than what some people report on the various dance bulletin boards.

Here's my short list of tips on saving money while still doing Pro/Am:

1) Pick one style and focus on it. You will get more out of your lessons and you'll spend less money on costumes, shoes, and entries at for the competitions.

2) Shop around for a teacher. Someone reported on another board they were paying $145/hour for a lesson. They didn't say from whom, but visiting top champion coaches from England can cost less than that. Lessons with good teachers in the US can range from about $50 to $125, a lot of people report they pay in the $65-$80 range. No matter how you slice it, lessons are not cheap, but you should strive to find the best instructor for your money. Why pay $125/hour for someone who is nice but doesn't have much of a competitive reputation when you might be able to pay $70/hour to dance with someone who is a current US National Pro finalist? Also, for a lot of people, dancing with an independent teacher (someone who is not an employee of a studio) is less expensive or at least less confusing because you deal directly with them when it comes to entering and paying for competitions.

3) Dance fewer entries at the competition. You don't have to do 20, 40, 60, whatever entries at a Pro/Am comp to get "noticed." For years I danced either 5 or 10 entries plus the scholarship for my dance style.

4) If you can sew, make your own dresses. You will save at least $1000 per dress if you are good at it.