When a dancer grows out of a pair of dance shoes, it’s time to ask an essential question: “What do we do with these shoes?” Dance parents, let’s talk about the various options for handling these “extra” shoes.
Saving Dance Shoes for Younger Siblings
- If your dancer has a younger sibling or siblings, you can consider hanging on to the shoes, and seeing if they’ll fit. If they’re a perfect fit, you’ve saved yourself from needing to buy another pair of shoes!
- If they’re not a perfect fit, then treat these extra shoes as backups. The reality is that dance shoes need to fit very well for dancers to stay healthy and avoid injury.
BUT sometimes it’s good to have that backup! Plus, if you have those extra shoes and they don’t fit, you can sell them to other dance parents in your child’s class who might need some.
Selling shoes can be a win-win solution, to help you make back some of your money and to help another dancer who can save some money instead of buying new.
If you decide to sell your dancer’s used shoes, make sure they’re in good enough shape for the next dancer. If you’re not sure about the shoes’ condition, go ahead and ask the dance teacher for their opinion. Yes, you want to be able to sell the shoes, but not at the expense of causing an injury to another dancer because of shoes that are too worn.
Donation Programs at Dance Studios
Maybe it turns out you have held on to some extra shoes and can’t sell them. Could your dance studio benefit from having a few extra shoes on hand?
We all know that sometimes dancers will forget their shoes at home, and there’s no time to go get them before class starts. If your studio has a collection of donated shoes, they’re in luck! Those extra shoes can help a student who needs to borrow a pair.
That keeps students in class, working on their technique, until next time when they bring their own pair. Studios win, and students win. If your studio doesn’t have a program like this already, maybe you and other dance parents can get it organized!
