My parents offered to pay for a dance class for Gleek. This is a wonderful development because Gleek needs something to enrich her life and she loves both music and moving around. I’ve been feeling like a dance class would be good for her, but with our budget so tight I was holding off on enrolling her. With my parent’s offer I tackled the project of picking the right dance class.
Not all dance classes are created equal, so I knew I wanted to choose carefully. My first step was the yellow pages. There were more than 30 dance studios listed. I rejected any that were more than a 5 minute drive from my house. That brought the number down to 5. One of those only taught irish step dancing, not what I was looking for. I wanted a combination class that would introduce Gleek to several styles of dance. Another one answered my inquiry about classes with the information that enrollment was closed until May. That left 3 studios for me to evaluate. I figured that Gleek should be able to participate in the selection process, so I piled her in the car and we went to go see the three studios.
I was predisposed to like the studio that had “Ballet” and “conservatory” in the name. It sounded so high class and artistic. Once I got there and began talking to the lady behind the desk I realized that “conservatory” is a code name for “expensive.” The monthly class fees were reasonable ($37), but then there was a registration fee ($30). And you had to buy both ballet gear and tap gear which they’d be happy to sell at premium prices (about $50). And of course you had to buy a costume for the upcoming recital ($40), only they’d already ordered the costumes, so there would be a late fee (probably $30, but maybe more). I knew it wasn’t my money I was spending, but $187 sounded steep for start up costs on a beginner class. I decided to check out the other studios.
The next place had “club” in the name, which appealed to Gleek. The lobby was half waiting area, half shop for glitzy dance gear. This one actually had a class running that Gleek could watch. She loved it. She loved the shiny things in the lobby. I asked about prices, the registration fee was comparable, but they’d pulled a trick with the pricing. The monthly fee was $55, but if you paid before the 15th of the month they gave you a $15 discount. Why they didn’t just say $40 per month with a late fee? This studio didn’t require recitals or costumes and didn’t require any specific dance gear. I liked that part. I also liked that this studio focused on jazz, ballet, and tumbling. Gleek loves doing tricks, so tumbling will be right up her alley. What I didn’t like was the glitz. I looked at all the pictures of little girls on the walls wearing little slinky outfits with make up and I felt uncomfortable. I want my daughter to be able to dance, not to grow up fast.
Gleek loved the “club” and voted firmly in favor of it. I was tired and ready to just go home, so I was ready to accept the club. We didn’t have to decide right away because Gleek was allowed a trial class before we spent any money. But before we could go home we had to acquire the all important dance clothes. I happen to know that Kmart is a better supplier of dance clothes than Walmart, so we went there. Gleek fell in love with a pink leotard with silver stars. We got that, ballet shoes, and some tights. Yay, mission accomplished, we went home.
At home my brain wouldn’t stop running. I called some neighbors and asked where they had taken their daughters for dance. They’d all gone different places, but several provided low opinions of the “club”. They said it was pushy. I decided that it was worth my time to try the last studio.
This last studio failed to impress me over the phone because an unknowledgable teen answered and because they had no ad in the phone book to give me information. But it was closer to home than the other two (walking distance even), so I decided to give it a look. It was small without big shiny windows. The only thing they sold was dance lessons not dance gear. There were two classes running and I liked the interactions I saw. The classes were all combination classes of Jazz, Ballet, and Tumbling. But what I liked best of all were the group photos on the wall. The girls were all simply dressed and there were smiling confident girls of all body types even on their performing teams. The message was clear, you don’t have to be skinny to be good at dancing. The classes and registration fees were cheaper by about $5 each and there were girls in the classes wearing sweats and socks.
Gleek will be having lessons at this last Studio. For awhile she was holding out for the “club” but what she really cares about is getting to dance. Right NOW. Unfortunately her free trial class isn’t until Tuesday. I’ve got five more days in which to answer incessant reiterations of “Is it Tuesday yet?”