Are the chain dance studios always trying to sell you more? I just started dancing for 5 weeks and have spent $3000 and now they want to move me up to a new level. I am assuming more money too. Is this typical?

Search this web site. There are a ton of threads about chain studios and such that will educate you. I was, at first, with a chain studio. They do sell packages. Have you sign paperwork, and it costs $$$ per lesson and so many lessons in a level or they couldn't teach you the next figure. I've seen people over-extend themselves because they didn't know any better or they didn't have restraint enough to say "no." You may want to finish what you've paid for - and move on to a different studio, college, community center, dance school or independent instructor. Mine charges $75 per hour. Personally, I'm very happy that I'm no longer at the Chain studio.

I'm exactly at the same place as Days&Nights.

The problem goes beyond just the lesson costs. Next you are paying for showcases and this and that. It got to the place where I felt like I was walking into the most sleazy stereotypical used car lot rather than a dance studio.

Caveat Emptor is the rule of the day for most. My advice: Use up your lessons. Find an Independent Instructor who is turning out good students without eating them alive. All things being equal...you shouldn't have to sign a contract. They should have to work for their money every time you walk in their door. Expect to pay about $75 depending on what part of the country you live in.

Good luck!

I dance at a private studio and it is strictly pay as you go. No contracts and no pressure. Students can join group classes for a very reasonable price or take private lessons for an hourly rate or do both. There are no limits or obligations. You learn what you want to, when you want to. The student has complete control over how much they want to spend and if they want to take a break for some reason, there is no pressure to carry on. There is no way I could spend $3000.00 in 5 weeks unless I danced until I dropped!

I agree about everyone's indie studio preference. We're at such a studio, and we couldn't have gotten as far as we have anywhere else.

I also hate the sales-tactic pressure not just at chain studios, but EVERYWHERE, so it'd be a big turn-off for me to always have someone pimping and faking. "Want any of our framed souvenirs?" at the post office. "Want fries, rings, or tots?" at Sonic. "Can I interest you in this warranty and this service upgrade and these decals?" at an electronics store.

The other day, I sat down to pee at the Red Lobster bathroom- and at SITTING eye-level, there was an advertisement for their drink specials. COME ON.

Isabel, please let us know how your doing with your findings and your dancing! 1) don't have any guilt over what direction you want to take with your dance goals. 2) Set a budget. 3) Investigate all avenues of learning 4) don't sign any contracts. Insight, it sounds like the studio has used your $3,000 for bills and is looking for "new" money for overhead. This is a big red flag warning. If I had spent, even at my chain studio, $3,000 in 5 weeks (and money was not a problem for me - then) - I would have been very suspect of the studio, the teacher, the owner and would have left dancing all together figuring it was an expensive hobby/passion. I had great friends, a good message board and the yellow pages and internet to provide other avenues and the truest of true independent teachers and other dance schools. Good Luck with your dancing.

State laws control when contracts are needed or not. In some States, contracts are REQUIRED if a student pre-pays lessons up to a certain amount (which amount can vary by state); and in some States a studio must be BONDED with the State for a certain sum - to ensure that money is available to refund a student's money if the student cancels a contract. If a State has imposed such statutes they apply to BOTH chain and independent studios. Does that seem so bad?

In my experience, chain studios abide by the State laws. Of the several independent studios at which I take lessons, none of them abide by the state laws and none of them are bonded with the State - so at independent studios I pay only AFTER each lesson. Otherwise, if I prepay, and have to move somwhere else or want to stop lessons and want my money back for prepaid lessons, I could have trouble getting my money back from the independents.

Contracts in and of themselves are not always bad - they can protect your rights if you prepay for lessons. The studio may actually be protecting YOU if they have you sign a contract if you prepay lessons. BUT - you DO have to actually READ the terms of the contract, and ASK questions if you don't understand the terms of refunds and cancellations. Is that SO hard??? Just asking some questions - is that SO hard???

Which states? I'm sure there has to be more to it than "forced to by state law."

Our studio is simple: no contracts, you pay by the hour or buy a bundle of lessons. No refunds. We're on the "combination" plan. $175 a month for four private lessons, social parties, and group classes.

WTH would I want to ever sign a contract for dance lessons? I'm not buying a house or a car...

jwlewinson,
At least 3 states that I know that require written contracts for prepaid lessons are Florida, Illinois and California.
One reason to have a contract: to get a refund for prepaid lessons. Why would I pre-pay for a bundle of lessons if I couldn't get my money back for unused lessons if I moved or became ill or something?

I'm actually an Illinois resident, although I take my lessons in Kentucky.

I looked at the IL state law, as well as the FL one, and it appears they were made to counteract the (mostly) chain studios that require customers to prepay large amounts for lessons, and to govern those contracts the studio required. The Illinois law especially mentions several guidelines for how contracts are to be written when required by the studio. In this case, I can see why the law would have been written, since chain studios are notorious for large sums of cash and contractual obligations.

Based on both these laws, studios (like many independents) that operate on a lesson-by-lesson plan and that do not require contracts would not fall under the requirements of the law.

Notice from the Illinois law, that every article begins with the phrase "Every contract for dance studio services..."
Studios that do not require contracts would therefore not fall under the jurisdiction of this law.

As for bonding requirements, from the Illinois law
"Sec. 12. Bonding requirements. Every dance studio which requires or receives advance payment from any customer in excess of $50 or more frequently than once each month shall maintain a bond for the benefit of any person who has entered into a contract for dance studio services with the dance studio."

So, the bonding requirement is again for those studios that require a large advance payment. Monthly plans would not fall under this law, even if they were in excess of $50 due to the wording (the word "OR" as in "or more frequently").

As to the Florida law, again it was apparently made for those chain studios that require contracts and large amounts of payment.

From a Q&A on Florida's governmental website:

Is there a security requirement and if so, what are the requirements?
Yes, each ballroom dance studio that has been in business for less than 3 years and that requires or receives an advance payment from any customer in excess of $250 or enters into retail installment contracts for payment by any customer for dance services or lessons in installments shall establish a mechanism for ensuring customer refunds.

Again, smaller month-to-month payment plans without contracts would not fall under this law.

As you can see, the language of these acts would explicitly exclude those studios that do NOT require contracts and do NOT require large sums of money for lesson plans. They were both made to protect customers from those money-hungry (my opinion) studios that insist on contracts and insist on large payments.

So yes, the independent studios you complained about "not abiding by state laws" ARE in fact abiding by those laws. You can research it yourself if you like, just as you asked that I do.