Motionwear LLC || Dance Blog» Dance Retail

Are Dancing Shows Increasing Popularity of Dance Studios?

Kathe Jones — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 17:00:54 +0000

With the influences of “So You Think You Can Dance,” and “Dancing with the Stars,” we’re starting to hear about increases in attendance from some of our friends who own dance studios. These surges usually happen at dance studios after popular shows feature some form of dance. Just like gymnastics classes experience a big surge after every Olympics, adult dance classes fill up after dancing shows.

Ballroom dancing has become a hot commodity for adults because of these shows, as well as competitive ballroom dancing on public television. Most times when a new dance show comes to television, we have also seen a rise in popularity of those specific dances, as well as who is interested in learning. Even though the growth in ballroom dancing is more for adults than children, there are other areas that are becoming more popular for kids and the younger audiences.

Hip-hop dance has become a very popular form of dance for a younger audience. While most of the influence comes from the street, there are some shows on television, like “America’s Best Dance Crew,” which has an influence on the type of dance these younger audiences want to learn. However, younger hip-hop dancers are getting more of their influence from sources other than television, including online videos.

Because hip-hop is a newer, more informal style of dance, they aren’t bound by the traditions and expectations of ballet and jazz. So they can choose their own outfits. In hip-hop, the outfit is important, but is more or less influenced by the music and the type of dance. It is not leotards or articles of clothing like that, it is more loose pants and cut shirts. The influence is very urban. With the urban culture, dance is just becoming another form of expression.

However, as they grow older, we’re also seeing a number of dancers move from hip-hop dance to other more formal styles, like modern dance, which is increasing that art form’s popularity as well.

Photo: Andrew J. Ferguson

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Why should dance companies use a practice leotard to make dance costumes?

Bob Wilson — Sun, 23 Aug 2009 17:00:04 +0000

When you have a long dance season and put on repeated performances of the same show, using the same costume, it’s important that your costume is held together with more than safety pins and prayers. Because of that, many dancers will turn practice leotards into dance costumes for a long performance season.

This buying option leaves them plenty of room for creativity. These imaginative performers convert and embellish their dancing garment on their own. While we can put custom rhinestones on practice leotards, some dancers and designers add more embellishments such as feathers themselves. The benefit that performers can gain from buying Motionwear practice leotards is that they’re very durable and last for a very long time.

There are certain types of dance where Motionwear leotards can be worn as costumes without any embellishment, such as jazz or ballet. Our company even has a “teen catalog” that performers can get costumes from. Sometimes people tend to think of it as a costume catalogue but it’s really not. It is primarily created for teen and dance team competitions.

When performers want to create a different look on their dance outfit, our company can help them do it by introducing them to gymnastics wear fabric. This fabric is normally brighter than dancewear fabric, which lets dancers get a completely different look and feel to their outfits.

As mentioned earlier, the company doesn’t really do any excessive beading on our practice leotards. It is because we would rather stay with what we do best and it obviously is our style and the fit of our garment. We focus on the performance fabric that can be converted into a costume or something different.

A lot of performers and dance companies are turning to Motionwear practice dancewear for their costumes. The leotards can be worn multiple times, and are not going to break down on the performers, unlike some traditional costumes that can fall apart after just a couple weeks of wearing them.

Our customers are very pleased with our products and their quality. They know we produce durable and wearable dancewear, and that this year’s costume can be next year’s costume wear as well. For those creative types, they can make a whole new costume just by adding different shorts, or pairing a skirt with their current leotards. It’s fun and doesn’t cost a whole lot of money. This idea has become very useful for everybody in this economy. We have seen a lot of people starting to cut back and becoming more mindful of their costume budget, and reusing some of their costumes the following year.

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So, How Do I Place an Order?

Bob Wilson — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 10:54:27 +0000

Placing an order is pretty simple and there are several options you can choose from regarding just how you want to do that.

But there are rules….. Yes there are always rules and we have ‘em too. Sorry about that. The good news is, by following the “rules” you will get what you what, when you want it more easily and worry free.

Why? Because we follow our rules too.

OK, enough of that stuff. On to Ordering…

Order Placement For Dance Retailers

First of all you will need to set up an account. We cannot take orders without an account set up. This is pretty easy. Contact the sales rep that covers your territory for details and what it takes.

Call us at: (800) 869-0609 or e-mail at: motionwear@motionwear.com to find out who your friendly rep is.

Once you’ve set up an account you’ve got lots of options:

1. Call us. Customer service is very knowledgeable and can get you set up. The toll free number is: 1-800-869-0609
2. Fax Us. 1-888-869-0609
3. E-Mail Us.
4. Sales Rep. Contact your sales rep directly to place an order and they will handle all the dirty work
5. Dealer Direct, Online. You do this by getting a username and password and then you can have your own secret passageway to your account and order through that portal. Simply contact customer service toll free: 1- 800-864-6315 to set up that kind of account. Once you do that, you are set up for life!

Many products are available at the motionwearstore.com too at retail prices.

That’s It!

So there is your handy-dandy guide to ordering. The hardest part is picking out what you want to order; of course we can help you with that too. And hey, if you have any questions, that’s why we are here, just call us and we’ll get you set up as quick as a wink.

I invite any questions about ordering – send me your thoughts directly and I’ll get you answers.

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3 Simple Steps to Stress-Free Dancewear Orders

Bob Wilson — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 12:50:52 +0000

At MotionWear, we do everything we can to make sure your order process goes as smoothly and quickly as possible. We want you to be completely satisfied and get the leotards and other dancewear apparel you want, when you need them. But, sometimes, we need a little help from you.

Here are a few tips that will make your next MotionWear order as stress-free as it should be:

1. Do the Measurements Yourself
It’s going to take time, maybe even a whole day (or two), but doing all of the measurements yourself ensures you get consistent measurements and fit on every order. It’s not that we don’t trust moms to take the right measurements, it’s just that when you have potentially upwards of a hundred doing the measuring (upwards of a thousand at some clubs and studios), there are bound to be a few mistakes. Mistakes lead to kids not getting their outfits or to alterations which all leads to delays. Reviewing the MotionWear measurement guide in advance will help you to rapidlly select correct sizes.

Some studios opt to set up a measurement “day,” while others simply take the first ten minutes of each class on a particular week to take and record measurements.Taking the measurements yourself also ensures you’re not waiting around for late forms from tardy parents.

2. Start as Early as Possible
The sooner you collect the money from parents and choose your dancewear or costumes, the sooner you can order. The sooner you can order, the more money you can save. Ordering sooner also means you have more time to prepare, handle any potential mistakes or disasters and get yourself organized weeks or months ahead of time, instead of hours.

It’s rare, but if there is a problem with your Spring recital order, you’d rather hear about 4 weeks before the recital / show, not 2 days before.

3. Go a Size Up
If you have a student who is wobbling between two sizes, always go a size up. You can always alter in, but letting out stretch based apparel is difficult at best. And, if you’re ordering early in the year for young children, consider how much they can grow (about an inch on average) in just one school year.

We promise to get the right order on time every time. So, do these few things to help make your dance apparel ordering process as stress-free as possible and we will take care of the rest.

photo:aussiegall

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Should Your Dance Studio Have a Retail Store?

Bob Wilson — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 09:33:53 +0000

Every year, more dance studios expand into retail dancewear. It’s a trend that lets studio owners open up new revenue streams while providing needed products to their clients. So, as you cordon off that corner of your lobby for a new boutique, ask yourself these questions to ensure success:

Have you studied your market & competition?
In small towns, everyone either has to order online, make their own costumes or travel prohibitively long distances just to get shoes, leotards and basic supplies. Your market needs you and if you have a healthy studio, then you already have a healthy client base.

On the other hand, urban dance retailers find themselves up against bigger competition, whether it’s specialty stores selling a range of brands or even discount retailers like Target or Payless Shoes. Before you launch a retail dancewear store in your dance studio, make sure you understand who you’ll be up against.

Are you ready for the paperwork?
A retail component could mean setting up a whole separate bookkeeping system or even business. You’ll need to report sales tax, track sales and stay on top of inventory. It’s a lot of work and even more papers.

Truthfully, it’s not all that hard and is easily “outsourced” to a reasonably priced professional, nevertheless, you need to know: Are you ready for it?

Do you have the space?
Running a small retail dancewear store means you’ll not only need square footage for the store, but also for your inventory storage. Do you have that space? If not, can you easily expand? If not, with all the paid storage spaces popping up everywhere, an inexpensive “dancewear warehouse” should be too hard to set up.

If for some reason opening a retail store in your dance studio means you’ll have to sacrifice dance space, carefully evaluate which service will potentially bring in more profit before you make the switch.

Do you have a strong brand?
Does your dance studio have a strong brand? Are you already selling t-shirts or competitive leotards with your logo? If so, you could be in the perfect position to set up a small retail store selling other branded items such as stainless steel water bottles or customized practice leotards. Here at MotionWear, we can help you design, develop and sell your own custom, branded dancewear.

Dance Studio Owners – Tell Us
What do you think – What makes a dance studio ready for retail dancewear? Is adding a retail component always a good thing or can it overwhelm a studio with unnecessary responsibilities?

I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments section, so please feel free to share.