Class Attire Issues

Do you have an issue with students not coming with the proper class attire? Your dress code is printed on our policies and procedures, is on our website, and has been emailed out to all the family, yet still they show up… with bare legs. 

Of course, there are all sorts of reasons your dancers should be coming to class properly attired. Need the rational?

a) First, having the correct attire for class is respectful to instructors. It shows that students care about the class they are in and that they are focused and ready to work on that instructor’s particular style and all they have to teach them.

b) Wearing the appropriate dance attire, tights and leotards, and most importantly no extra or baggy clothes, is also necessary in order for instructors to see if the body is being held correctly if the right muscles are being used and engaged, which in turn allows them to see what needs work and to give more precise and beneficial corrections in order to help their students grow.

c) This concept of wearing the right attire also applies to shoes. All dance shoes are different and are made specifically for their corresponding dance style. Turning in shoes is completely different from turning in socks. Shoes provide control during turns and can absorb shock from jumps and other moves.

So do not think of your dance clothes as an inconvenience but as tools that create a better and safer dancer.

Looking for inspirational ways to get students ready to comply? Let these tips get your students in tip-top attire:

1. Include costs

At the beginning of the term, hand each student a nicely wrapped package of appropriate attire (in their size.) Add the cost of the clothing to the cost of the class and charge by the month. Parents then only see a $5 or so monthly increase, and you see your students properly dressed.

2. Reward

Even though they are in high school, make the entire team dress perfectly for 1 month and then reward them with a cupcake party, other snacks, or a free dance class!

3. Sit it out

For the worst offenders, make them sit out after missing 1 time.

4. Make them pay

Make sure you have plenty of tights on hand for students that insist on forgetting. Add the $7 to their bill after a parental warning note goes out.

5. Have communal pairs

Does a student forget? No problem. They need to wear one of the communal pairs you have (yes, they need to be clean!! )

6. Rubber bands and pins

Have 100’s on hand.  Purchase from the 99 Cents stores in your town.

I always feel positive incentive beats punishment, but also, as with all things social, incentivizing the whole team has the students monitor and put pressure on each other. Takes you out of being Miss Bad Guy. Hope these tips help!!