Should you buy new shoes for recital?

The age old question is: “Should I buy new shoes for the recital or try to get by with the ones that are too small?” I guess I have one response that is what you would expect for obvious reasons. Of course you should buy new shoes. It’s not just because I want to sell you an extra pair of shoes just to get more money from you. Obviously, there is a real chance that before your child starts dancing in the fall that you will be stuck buying yet another pair. So, buying a new pair may seem like a huge waste of money. Actually, it’s not.

How many classes are you going to push your child’s foot into a pair of shoes that are too small? Everyone of those classes are getting paid for. Do you think you are getting your money’s worth if your child is wearing shoes that don’t fit, or not wearing shoes at all because they are too small to wear except for those few minutes onstage. When you child is taking class or performing in the recital are they really going to benefit from all their hard work and your money spent in shoes that don’t work well because they don’t fit? They won’t enjoy it either. That is when you actually start to lose money. Think about the price of one pair of shoes vs wasting all the money you are spending on end of year classes, plus, a recital performance in a pair of shoes that don’t allow your child to enjoy it or perform well. So, break down and for your dancer’s sake…get a new pair of shoes. What a great idea, HUH?