How much have you spent on your Dance Education?

[AspiringDancer]

I think it's a hobby that is pretty adjustable to your budget actually. What about Golf, photography, sailing or motorcycles? Those hobbies could be pretty expensive I imagine.
But yes, Bellydance can definitely be expensive

I like your thinking.

 

[AspiringDancer]

I have most likey, over the 7 years of danceing so far, probbly spent close to $10,000 or more in classes, workshops, flights to workshops, dvd's, online classes, conferences, and costume pieces.

So far you were the first to be brave enough to throw a number out there. I hit that same number, closed my eyes and took a step back...

 

[AspiringDancer]

If we add up my classes, DVDs, music, costume, transportation, that one hafla I went to, my hip scarf & zills, & leggings, I'd have spent . . .

around $375 :shok:

& to think I'm not even a year in yet :lol:

I can't wait until I reach the celebratory $10,000 like everyone else here

It's definitely worth it, I really love BD more than anything else (recreationally/ activity-wise) I've ever done in my life. I have no words for how much it means to me.

I remember when I was payiing 100 every 6 weeks for classes and thought that was wicked expensive!

 

[Roshanna]

I think in actual numbers, my annual spending tends to be around £4000ish, which would be about 6000 USD. I earn a bit back from teaching, performing and professional development grants from my studio, but nowhere near the whole sum. I don't really like seeing or admitting to those numbers, but I have to do the accounts to be able to do my tax returns in order to prove to HMRC that my 'business' has no taxable profits whatsoever... And, it's good to be aware of it so I have more idea of what my earnings need to be to keep up a certain level of training. I don't put in this money with any expectation of earning it back, but I do dream of at least partially making a living dancing one day. The nature of the dance scene here is such that if you want to dance with live music for an ME audience, private party gigs are the only way to go...

 

[khanjar]

One class a week for five years where now it is two classes a week an intensive advanced technique 'boot camp' once a month and soon to start troupe rehearsals for a couple of hours on Sundays, so far in terms of money I would guess about £7000 for tuition, then there is the other stuff; music, costume and not forgetting of course the cost of travel to get to classes and other BD stuff including festivals. And most of what I have done I have done whilst unemployed, where I do realise my BD education and participation is stinted by my economic status of which I keep trying to change. But now with my questions answered I am ready to change my status and have been this past month building a jewellery making workshop with what materials I could scrounge or recover from dumpsters as I have lots of ideas, the skills and now the motivation is starting to return along with interest from local belly dancers in what I can make which is not easily available elsewhere.