How Much Does Ballet Classes Cost?

$ Classes: $13-$60 each

$ $ Private Lessons: $34-$75 per hour

$ $ $ Ballet Camps: $110-$2,550

Many kids attend ballet and dance lessons and their parents have several available options.

The instructors offer modern dance classes, hip hop classes and tap classes.

As a rule, the dance and ballet classes are suitable for children as young as 3 years of age, and there are other options for older children and for kids in high school.

The choice is usually among individual lessons, private sessions with an instructor, and group classes.

Typical Costs

The classes for children are priced between $13 and $60 per class, if purchased individually and based on the exerience level of the student.

The duration of the classes is 45-90 minutes per session.

The longer dance programs and camps have a price between $110 and $2,550, based on the program length and the number of classes involved.

Alaska Dance Theatre, for instance, has a 34-week program priced at $578 for one class per week and $2,550 for six per week.

At the same time, Tahoe Dance School features a summer ballet camp for one week for $110-$130.

In some states the local municipalities provide open air classes in their parks and recreation zones.

The County Parks & Recreation Department of Queen Anne in Maryland had a six-week summer program for the sum of $75-$85.

Those that wish to attend private lessons should be aware that they cost between $34 and $75 per hour.

The private instruction at the Dance Studio is $60 per hour.

The New York City Summer Dance Intensive at Juilliard School lasts for three weeks for advanced ballet students aged 15-17 years old.

Every year 44 students are selected and asked for letters of recommendation and auditions.

The tuition fee is $1,200, while the accommodation and board are $1,000.

What Is Included

The instruction for the younger children with little or no ballet experience, is focused on teaching them the fundamental dance techniques and skills.

These initial skills include classical ballet, free movement, pointe technique where dancers move on their toe tips, and character dancing.

Then follows the advanced instruction, which is build on the basic skills, the stage make-up and the more detailed choreography.

The Tap N Arts dance studio, for example, offers many programs that usually end up in a recital during which young dancers perform for their families and friends.

Those recitals usually include performance recordings on DVD for an additional price.

Additional Costs

During the dance practices and performances, the students need to wear ballet shoes and thus the dance schools usually offer such shoes for sale.

For instance, Fields Dance Studio provides ballet shoes for $18-$24.

Quite specific are the shoes that are needed for pointe classes.

Leotards, tights and ballet skirts comprise part of the clothing needed, which usually cost $7 or more.

The fee for costume rentals that is charged by some of the dance schools is between $60 and $120.

The school administrative vary and include one-time registration fees between $10 and $50, as well as additional charges in case of missed classes.

There are also additional recital fees which depend on the school.

A detailed list of costs and supplies online is offered by many schools, such as the Almaden School of Music, Art and Dance.

Discounts

• The multi-class programs are sometimes reducing their price per class.
• Manassas Dance School provides classes starting from one hour per week for $13.75 or $260 per month for eight hours a week, thus making the cost per class to $8.12.
• Additional discounts of up to 10% are available in case of prepaid tuition.
• Discounts for multiple children enrolled in the classes are offered by some dance schools too.

Shopping For Ballet Classes

• There are different education and experience levels for the dance instructors.
• Some instructors posess professional experience and advanced degrees.
• Always ask questions about the professional background of the instructor and ask for cancellation policies and billing procedures in writing.
• According to the National Dance Council of America. the higher turnover in the class usually means dissatisfaction among the dancers.
• Dance Educators of America and the National Dance Council of America certify the dance instructors bodies.
• A searchable database of dance instructors and schools is available at Find a Dance Studio.