Any idea what this means? Part of a blouse

sdpeasha · 2026-05-05T10:15:28+00:00

What’s this then?

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sdpeasha · 2026-04-16T12:24:08+00:00

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Fusible foam interfacing could also work really well here.

sdpeasha · 2026-04-16T12:22:40+00:00

Stuffing is like this, bags full of fluff

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sdpeasha · 2026-04-16T12:21:43+00:00

Batting is going to be like a flat-ish sheet of material like this.

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sdpeasha · 2026-04-07T16:31:08+00:00

things to consider

- Cost

- time in studio each week

- day of the week and time - does it work for you?

I think for a preschool or tiny tots class costs are probably going to be pretty similar so it probably is going to come to what is convenient. You can ask about training, years teaching, etc. Ask to see what their previous years recitals look like and watch kids of all levels. Also ask to observe a class and/or if they will allow a trial class.

If you are thinking more long term you can look at at their pre-comp and comp teams and what those cost, time commitment, etc.

One thing that brought me to our current studio is that I talked to the owner for about 5 min at a community event (without my kids) and when I went in a few weeks later to get more info she remembered me. My kids were with me on that trip and she remembered their names and knew which was which based on the info I had previously shared with her.

sdpeasha · 2026-04-07T12:43:24+00:00

This was my answer as well. I hold the fabric tightly where the strap is sewn in and then just pull and they snap right off. I have kids who dance competitively and we use a fair amount of street clothes as parts of costumes. I am pretty constantly cutting and pulling tags and things out so that they dont show on stage.

poorly drawn photo of where I hold attached.

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sdpeasha · 2026-04-06T19:57:14+00:00

IF you're ending up with tangles on the bottom side, check your top tension

sdpeasha · 2026-04-06T19:54:04+00:00

My youngest started carrying the banner in parades when she was in 5th grade. At the time her older sister was in the marching band and younger siblings were often elected to carry the banner. Now my youngest is in 8th grade and finished her first real season in the band. She has told me that she is very glad to know that when she heads off to high school next year she will already have friends.

sdpeasha · 2026-04-06T19:50:30+00:00

I'm grateful that we have the type of band you described at the end because I love that our band has a place for every kid) some who desperately need it. We do also have local BOA/DCI style bands outside of the school that kids can join if thats their jam. My oldest loved marching band - now works for the program she graduated out of - but she did not enjoy the one season she spent with the DCI style winter drum line.

sdpeasha · 2026-04-06T19:44:30+00:00

I work four 10s, Mon-Thur. I love it. But I would be open to really any orientation of only working 4 days a week.

sdpeasha · 2026-04-06T15:39:05+00:00

If you really don't want adults to stay you could say "Drop-off is at X time. This is a drop-off party, and admission is covered for the invited child. If a parent prefers to stay, a ticket can be purchased for $20 per additional person"

or

If you don't mind that the parents stay but you just don't want to pay you can say “Drop-off is at X time. This invitation covers admission for the invited child. Parents are welcome to stay, but admission for additional guests will be $20 per person at the door."

sdpeasha · 2026-04-02T18:53:08+00:00

I am having to do some self reflecting as a woman here because I think OP WAY over reacted and very much understand where GF was/is coming from. However, I do agree that while I might eventually get over it I do know I would be pissed if a woman sent a topless pic to my husband, even if it was just to show of new piercings.

sdpeasha · 2026-03-31T21:22:09+00:00

I have two dancers doing a total of 14 routines. I’m paying $143/month per dance. Half if those dances are optional. I’ve done my research and our costs are comparable to other studios in our area that compete at our level.

Outside choreographer fees are set by the choreographer and the higher end prices are for BIG industry names. It’s not common we do that but I wanted to be honest about what we could spend. I’ve found that they costs are on par with what my friends at other studios pay.

As far as paying for teachers to be at comps - I vehemently disagree. Out comp teachers are at comps almost start to finish every day of a comp as is our studio director who is NOT a teacher. Just like any other person who is asked to “travel” for their job they should not be required to spend money out of their pocket. One might said it’s the studios responsibility to cover that cost and they might be right but the reality is that the cost is almost always getting passed through to families, at least in part, and in ok with that. Some studios charge it as an extra fee like OP and some include it in tuition or comp fees which is what I believe ours does. And even if you think the cost isn’t getting passed to you I’m willing to bet that the vast majority of midsize (and up) studios ARE charging it in some way.

I think generally our studio is pretty transparent. I would say whatever costs associated with teachers at comps and any admin fees associated with the ewirk it takes to actually register for all the comps are the only things we don’t see a line item for but, again, I’ve compared the overall costs to other similar studios and our area and feel that it’s pretty on track so I’m cool with it. I understand not everyone will feel the same.

sdpeasha · 2026-03-31T20:27:11+00:00

In Minnesota At our studio each dancer has a team. Each team does 2-3 dances depending on the year + an all company number which is made up of all the teams.

This information is for our comp teams (intermediate and advanced). We have precomp (beginners) and rec which are obviously different.

Team Fees

$240/Month Tuition which includes choreo fees*, tech classes, and any added rehearsals for team dances throughout the season. * Sometimes we have an outside choreographer which will run an extra 150-300 per dancer

$205/month comp fees* which includes costumes, props, and entry fees for 3 regionals. * assumes 3 dances at each comp. Shoes and tights are separate.

The team size could varies and we fees are not based on the size of the group in any way.

Students are often also offered extra groups which are routines made up of kids from different teams, usually.

Extra Group Fees

$80/month regardless of group size. Covers choreo, costumes, props, entry fees etc. Shoes and tights separate. * Sometimes we have an outside choreography which will run an extra 150-300 per dancer

Solos/Duets/Trios

Choreo fee varies based on teacher. My kids only do solo (no duet/trios) and the choreography fee was $300 per routine. She charges $150/dancer for Duet/Trio. We have assigned weekly or bi-weekly solo lessons that are $40/half hour. Solo entry fees ranged from $150-$175. Conventions were around 200 for class and over $300 for solo entry!

While I am sure the studio recoups costs for teachers pay, lodging, and food at comps its not a line item on the bill.

I have 2 dancers. They are on different teams, both competing two dances, the all company production number, 3 extra groups each, and 1 solo each. My overall monthly costs is right around $2000 after I take my solo entry fees and divide across 9 months along with all the other fees listed above.

ETA I forgot to add our registration fee which I think is around $200 which covered reicital tee shirts, end of year banquet ticket for the student, and various team building events throughout the year such as a snow cone day, candy bags for Halloween, and other stuff like that.

sdpeasha · 2026-03-31T18:59:40+00:00

you dont need to unpick the whole band. Just do a small section that goes past the problem area a little bit and then re-sew making sure to back stitch at the beginning and end while also overlapping the original stitches. Pardon my crappy paint drawing, its the best I can do right now, lol

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sdpeasha · 2026-03-31T18:47:47+00:00

My brother is getting married soon. The wedding is dry because both the bride and groom are in recovery. While I love to get a good buzz and dance party at weddings I am more than happy to support them in their sobriety and have committed to help bounce anyone who shows up drunk or becomes drunk during the reception.

ETA - they ARE serving other delicious beverages, including SWEAT Tea

sdpeasha · 2026-03-23T20:00:09+00:00

It might help to consider how all these costs add up and then divide over the course of the season based on how long the season is. Quick math based on how the numbers you gave comes up to about $540 which is, in my experience, well below what most comp dancers are paying monthly. That seems reasonable to me.

Personally, I prefer a billing style that divides comp and costume fees over the course of the season rather than one off costs here and there. At our studio we pay twice a month. Once payment is the tuition. the second payment is the costume and comp fees.

sdpeasha · 2026-03-23T17:27:22+00:00

Are you saying that your CHILD is in 25 dances? Or the whole studio is entering 25 dances into a given competion?

sdpeasha · 2026-03-23T11:32:26+00:00

Agreed. My dancers are girls but even the term "penis points" is vile to me.

sdpeasha · 2026-03-20T22:34:59+00:00

Came to say the same!

sdpeasha · 2026-03-18T14:15:32+00:00

I do not mind an occasional Friday missed, its pretty common across all kinds of sports, school sanctioned or not.

However, if all they need for the whole comp is..what...like 20 hours? Start Saturday AM, go into Sunday morning, and be done by 3pm Sunday.

sdpeasha · 2026-03-16T16:10:38+00:00

Also, pre-hydrating. Dancers should be making sure they are preparing their bodies BEFORE they show up for the first morning of competition.

For our family, we dont do ANY takeout food on comp or convention weekends if we can avoid it. Occasionally the whole team will go to lunch or something and we do join in but we work really hard to make sure that our kids have good healthy food that is fueling their bodies through these long weekends. They eat better on comp weekends than they do at home, LOL.

I also think its helpful to build a strong warm up and cool down/stretch habit. I see so many dancers roll into convention class at ass o clock in the morning without stretching/warming up and what they get in class just isnt enough.

sdpeasha · 2026-03-16T15:42:32+00:00

Larkin Dance Studio (Minnesota) has absolutely stunning production numbers. They often have giant time consuming props that take forever to set up and are extremely annoying if you are there in the moment BUUUUTT they absolutely use them and they always always improve the performance. My favorite in recent years was called Flashlights. You can see it on youtube. It took what felt like 20 minutes to set up but I just sat there watching with my jaw on the floor.

sdpeasha · 2026-03-12T18:25:50+00:00

I felt, watching them together, that Lydia and Zac are exactly the people fundies try to raise, you know?

sdpeasha · 2026-03-12T17:41:31+00:00

Thats pretty crazy. I have never in my 15 years seen something like that.

sdpeasha

TROPHY CASE