Add "buy new leotards" to your back to school checklist

As your child enters a new year at school, she is also most likely entering a new dance class level. After a year of honing her skills and learning how to pirouette and arabesque, your child is ready to embark upon a new dance experience and is probably more excited to learn new dance moves than multiplication tables!

Like having to shop for school supplies, you’ll probably need to evaluate your child’s current arsenal of dancewear and shoes. Although you may have purchased dancewear in the spring, chances are your child grew over the summer, which means you may be in the market for something new.

Before you shop, consider what you’ll need this year:

• Review your new dance class description to determine which type of shoe, tights or leotard is required

• Examine and inspect your child’s dance bag for holes or wear and tear – a worn out dance bag opens up the possibility of lost items

• Make your child try on last year’s leotards, tights and shoes to get an idea of overall fit

• Evaluate the dancewear brands you purchased last year – did the item wear well or did it fall apart too quickly?

• Remember that while dancewear and leotards from makers like Capezio are sturdy, frequent use and a growing child may warrant a replacement

How to Evaluate New Dancewear

Dancewear and shoes are expensive, which means it’s important to find the highest quality products for the best price. Your local dancewear boutique will most likely carry brands like Capezio, but the mark-ups are generally outrageous. With a growing child, with evolving needs, overspending on dancewear can boggle the mind.

While the local dancewear boutique or your child’s dance school may offer convenience, you are still held hostage to high prices.

Experience the best of both worlds and look online for a wholesale retailer. Typically, well-stocked online dancewear retailers will offer the same high quality products like Capezio, but for a fraction of the cost.

A good way to find out how much you will potentially save is to inquire about leotard and shoe prices at your dance studio. Request a specific style and brand, then hit the Internet and do your own research. You may be very pleasantly surprised to find huge savings for the same products.

Have your child try on shoes and leotards at the dance store to ensure a good fit. Brand name shoes, tights and leotards may not always fit per the labeled size, so make sure you find the size that works best for your child.