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Thursday, December 5th
Discount Dance is a company that understands the needs of dancers, providing dance apparel for every style and age group. As a responsible business, they have made it their mission to give back to the community by donating to various charitable organizations, including Hurricane Katrina victims, St. Joseph's Ballet, breast cancer associations, and the National Dance Association. Discount Dance also has a teacher's reward program as well as teacher discounts for buying dancewear from them.
Helpful site and simple navigation
Browsing on Discount Dance is a breeze. You can easily start shopping for exactly what you want by using the top navigation menu or the different slideshow photos that show different collections offered by Discount Dance. You'll also see helpful banners for seasonal costumes and sales. At the time of our review, Discount Dance was offering a promotion of 35% off all shoes along with free shipping. Each listing also has a size calculator on it. You can enter your height, weight, and age and it will tell you your "true size” for each brand. However, from experience, this "true size” runs very small if you've got a different build than the stereotypical ballerina. For example, we were recommended size Petite for a Suffolk leotard which was height accurate but not weight accurate. So, while the size help can be a good starting point, checking out the individual manufacturer's size guides is more helpful.
374 different leotards
Discount Dance has an impressive selection of dancewear for men, women, boys, and girls. We were pleased to find a wide range of products for different dance styles, including ballet, hip-hop, jazz, lyrical, and ballroom. There were 374 different leotards, but only 53 items for men across the entire site, which was a little disappointing. On the bright side, you'll have a helpful one-stop-shop for basics, shoes, and fashion brands to browse. Discount Dance offers items from Baltogs, Ballet Rosa, Bloch, Capezio, Suffolk, Lulli, Mariia, Nikolay, WearMoi, and more. As you start browsing, you can filter dancewear by type, size, color family, brand, price, average customer rating, and dance genre to find the perfect product.
Prices from $5.25 to $88
As its name suggests, Discount Dance offers competitive pricing on many of its products. However, some regular-priced items may not be as discounted. To get an accurate comparison with other retailers, we looked at the same four items at each location. Here's what we found at Discount Dance:
Environmentally-friendly in-house brand
Discount Dance is committed to reducing its environmental impact by implementing sustainable practices in its manufacturing process. They have launched an eco-friendly collection of dancewear called Mariia, which aims to reduce water consumption and pollution. The brand now has three branches: Mariia, Mariia Crown, and Mariia Skye. Each branch offers a slightly different quality and style of leotards. Mariia Crown covers the basics: single-color leotards and familiar or dress-code-appropriate styles. Mariia itself offers a larger range of styles that include unique colors and piping around the seams. Mariia Skye is the most "fashionable” of the options with lace and mesh additions to the designs.
Returns within 60 days
In the unlikely event that customers need to return an item from Discount Dance, they have a 60-day return policy from the ship date. Customers can print a return shipping label from the company for $5.95 (deducted from their refund amount). Unfortunately, exchanges are not available at this time.
Mixed reputation regarding returns
While there may not be a large number of customer reviews on each product, Discount Dance encourages customers to share their thoughts on comfort, durability, fit, and overall satisfaction with the product. Customers can also ask questions about specific products and receive answers from other customers who have purchased the same item. This level of transparency is invaluable in helping customers make informed purchasing decisions. On the other hand, Discount Dance is not accredited by the Better Business Bureau, and third-party review sites offer some concerns. Currently, Discount Dance has only a 2.8-star average from Trustpilot. Some customers have reported difficulties with returns and customer service issues, while others have praised the company's high-quality products and reasonable pricing.
Competitive inventory for female dancers
Overall, Discount Dance is a reliable resource for dancers looking for fresh styles and affordable dancewear options, but if you're looking for a place where you can try on a leotard and return it, Discount Dance may not be the most reliable according to reviewers. Plus, with limited styles for boys, it doesn't match the inventory of other one-stop-shops in our review. However, with lower-than-average prices and an in-house line that offers eco-friendly leotards, it has some stand-out features that keep its rating high. For this reason, Discount Dance earns a competitive rating in our review.
Dance is such a beautiful art form, and the intense sport-level workout comes with a lot of different types of clothing that are specific to each kind of dance. Finding the right styles and support for your body type can be a game-changer. Whether you're a seasoned ballet dancer or just starting your first jazz class, the right dancewear can help you move easily and confidently.
Every style of dance has its own unique requirements when it comes to apparel, especially shoes. For instance, ballet dancers need specialized pointe shoes that provide support for dancing on their toes safely. Dancers working in commercial theater need supportive "character” heels. Hip-hop dancers require loose clothing for freedom of movement, while contemporary dancers often perform in socks.
Dance is not just a hobby or activity, but a way of life. Dancers spend countless hours rehearsing and perfecting their craft, and their dancewear is an essential part of that process. During classes and training periods, younger dancers wear basic attire such as leotards, tights, and ballet shoes that are designed for comfort and functionality and usually part of a required dress code, while older dancers and professionals get to change up the style and color and accessories of their leo-tights combination.
Plus, class wear isn't the only dancer must-have. Warm-ups are also important for dancers of any skill level. Many warm-ups are designed for ballerinas who need to keep their muscles warm between classes, rehearsals, and before performances, but the dancewear can be worn by anyone. Warm-ups included knitted sweaters, leg warmers, "garbage bag” pants meant to retain body heat, and even specially-made booties that can be worn over other dance shoes to keep feet and ankles warm and cozy. This is where a lot of the "balletcore” styles come from.
And what about costumes? Whether you go to see Swan Lake or La Bayadere at your local arts theater or enjoy a local hip-hop performance, you'll see costumes are extremely important for dancers. Some have to buy their own for freelancing, whereas others are purchased through their academy for recitals. Most dancewear stores sell a combination of class wear, warm-ups, and costumes, offering a variety that suits a dancer's complete lifestyle.
Since dancewear used during training and practice is subject to significant wear and tear, it often needs to be replaced frequently. However, finding a brick-and-mortar dancewear store can be challenging, especially if you live in a rural area or don't have access to a dance studio. Online shopping provides a convenient solution to this problem, allowing you to browse through a wide range of dancewear brands and styles from the comfort of your own home. You can compare prices, read reviews, and take advantage of discounts and promotions to find the best deals possible. Many companies offer free shipping and periodic discounts so that dancers get the best value for their money.
When selecting an online retailer for your dancewear needs, there are several key factors to consider.
To help you find the best place to shop for dancewear online, the dance experts at Top Consumer Reviews have evaluated and ranked the top options out there today. We hope this information helps you find the perfect apparel to feel comfortable and confident during your dance classes and performances. (And yes, you should treat yourself to the extra pair of legwarmers - you can never have too many warm-ups!)
Select any 2 Dancewear Stores to compare them head to head