Costume time and I'm not talking about Halloween

It's Halloween week and Hurricane Sandy is making sure the east coast will never forget this scary holiday!  Since I'm sitting here in Wisconsin, I'm enjoying some calm weather and took an opportunity today to visit with Curtain Call costumes whose reps were in Madison, Wis. for a costume showcase.  How nice it was to see the entire collection and get to touch and feel it.   I didn't get to any UDMA shows this fall, so this was my first "hands on" costume event for the year.  

Definitely demonstrates again how different costumes in real life and catalog photos can be.  It's important to try to get to see these costumes (from any manufacturer) in person as there were several costumes in the catalog that I would have breezed right on past - the photos simply did not do it justice.   Always read the descriptions!   They had some new multi-facetted sequins that were cool too. 

I'd have to say their new "confetti" sequins are a hit - I'm going to make something work out with my music selections just so I can pick one of those costumes!  In general all the costumes were  well-made and very stylish, as I have come to expect from long term suppliers like Curtain Call. 

Their timing was great because my first set of books is going out to one of my teachers tonight - we have 6 teachers so we need to rotate books and get these costumes picked out before Dec. 1st.  I usually pick only 3-4 suppliers and try to get as many costumes selected from those books as possible.  Why?  First for the discounts and second for my sanity... too many costume suppliers and I start to pull my hair out in the Spring.  

Costumes are so important to the overall tone and polish of your recitals.  And as I've said over and over again, your recital is your single most important marketing technique. If you can't pull of a great show you will not win the competitive battle for children's time.  Recitals must make memories and amazing costumes are one of the elements to acheive it.

I always make a big deal about the "unveiling" of the costume selections in January, the kids just wait and wait for their class to be revealed.  Upon arrival,  for my pre-ballet, first time students, I always tell them how important taking care of their very special costume is: "Take extra good care of it, let Mom hang it in her closet until picture day and recital day ... then AFTER the recital you can wear this costume as much as you want - you can even wear it to the grocery store!" -- and they all laugh, but they get the point.

Later, I get a huge smile when I see one of my dancers in the grocery store the week after the recital. "You know (insert name...she never forgets," says the Mom with a shrug.  Then I smile and say, "well at least you are getting your money's worth!" 

The Finale' - a costume collection at it's best.

Halloween costumes get creative, sell supplies

It's nearly time for the little goblins to come out and guess what? If you are a dance teacher you likely have a lot of supplies that people could use hiding in your closet, attic or back storage room. You know the place where you dump all the things you don't know what to do with at the end of the year... well, those extra sequin belts, fishnet tights and mis-fit costumes and hair pieces can come in handy to the do-it-yourself costume maker this Halloween.

People are reportedly cutting back on their Halloween spending this year, so the hand-made costume must be coming back into high fashion! I put out a grab box at our studio last week and it's been fun seeing the parents dig through it and mess it up each night. Really. (And they complain their kids don't clean up after themselves!) But it's been well received and appreciated by the parents and kids. So, have some fun yourself- clean up your back room and earn a little cash.