What is the cost of seeing your child dance on stage?
So you have paid for your child to dance at a studio all year… Why do you need to pay to see them dance on stage?
I realize that it seems like a package deal however, I can help explain the process for all to understand.
First of all, not all dance studios do performances/recitals/showcases… Allegro calls them showcases. Some studios opt not to and that is their own choice and business plan. Some studios choose to do simple, in-house performances outside or in their own venue. They may provide these for free for their customers. In most cases there is a fee associated, OR it’s worked into the tuition cost. A business will still need to pay their staff for their event and will need to cover their costs as well as, wait for it… make money too.
Yes, we are dance studios and we work with kids BUT we are also small businesses and need to profit to make a living at what we do just like everyone else does with their careers. We love what we do and we put many hours of free time into our students but that doesn’t take away from our right to profit and be successful as well.
Then… Why charge ticket prices?
Theater rental fees - Allegro uses the theater at Auburn High School and it is the largest theater in the south sound. Just because it is at a high school does not mean that it is free for the community to use. They have hourly rental fees and like most costs, have increased over the years. We use the theater for 3 rehearsal days and two full days with 4 shows total.
Staff at the theater - The theater has staff that have made their careers based on being behind the scenes/technicians of the theater. Lighting designers, sound technicians, House manager, Stage manager, Security, Follow spot and Rail as well. This highly trained staff have hourly fees and we pay each of them to be there every hour we are at the theater. Professional staff deserve to make a living wage and to be paid their worth based on their experience and training over the years.
Additional costs that factor into make the shows even better; backdrops, props, backstage supplies, transportation costs to the theater - these costs that you might not even see add to the show to make it better and more impressive. For example, last December we rented a snow machine to enhance the performance. We take pride in our shows and want them to be amazing, but that comes at extra costs which also add up.
Allegro staff costs - At our shows, Allegro staff runs the show. We don’t have volunteers. We pay our teachers and staff for working at the showcases. We like our students to see their teachers, which allows them to be comfortable with the adults that are helping them. Our staff help them get from the dressing room to the stage and then back again. These are long days for our staff and they need to be paid for their time and hard work.
Profit - Of course we want to cover our costs and to be honest, sometimes we barely profit. At times, we may not have accounted for additional surprise costs or even lower ticket sales than expected. Regardless of the past, as a business… we are supposed to profit. We work very hard to put on these productions. In full transparency, most dance studios actually put all their Spring/June performance profit towards their summer budget. Summer registration at dance studios is notoriously low and can be stressful to make ends meet. ** If you want to support a dance studio, take class in the summer… wink wink;)
If you have made it this far in the blog… congrats and thank you!
Allegro does have a choice to not have an year-end performance or to do a more simple in-house performance. However, we feel strongly about our students having a memorable experience on a big, beautiful stage complete with fabulous lighting and a large supportive audience! The students work hard all year long, putting your paid tuition to work for their training, and learning choreography. They deserve to be honored and celebrated!
Did you know that Allegro provides the following items and memories free of charge to our customers(per family) when participating in the showcases? 1 free ticket to the show, 1 free yearbook, professional digital on stage pictures and videos, free extra rehearsals (both studio rehearsal and onstage dress rehearsals.) These do cost us money as a business, but we want our customers to feel valued and to enjoy the showcase experience as well.
Additionally, included in your tuition is support, inspiration and endless memories for your child! So now do those recital tickets seem like a great deal?? How much do we pay to go to a big chain restaurant, or to attend a professional sporting event, etc…. I personally would much rather support a small business that is doing great work with children and are providing a service that grows confi’DANCE’!
Thank you for listening and thank you to all the dance studios everywhere that are ALWAYS doing great things that are not always visible!!
