Costume Week at The Pointe: A Celebration of Creativity, Community, and Careful Planning

It’s one of our favorite times of year at The Pointe, Costume Week! From October 24-30, dancers are invited to wear their Halloween costumes or an old dance costume to class. We love seeing everyone’s creativity, from sparkly tutus to superhero capes to twirly princess dresses. Costumes must be non-scary, leave faces uncovered, and easy to move in, of course, since we’ll still be dancing.

Parents are invited to join us for the last five minutes of class this week to see the costume and hear the music for our June recital. It’s such a fun sneak peek into what we’re planning for the big show and a great way for families to share in the excitement!

Join the Fun Online

If you don’t already follow us on Facebook and Instagram, now is the time! Each morning during Costume Week, we post a sneak peek of a few costumes before classes begin. You can guess which class the costumes belong to, and then at the end of the night, we reveal all of that day’s costumes. It’s such a fun way to be part of the excitement, even if your dancer’s class isn’t that day. The comments and guesses are always so entertaining, and our community really gets into it!

We love how this online tradition has turned into something that connects our entire PSD family. Even alumni, grandparents, and friends near and far join in to see what our dancers will wear on stage this year. You don’t want to miss it!

How We Choose Costumes

Behind all the fun and excitement of Costume Week is a thoughtful, detailed process that begins months in advance. Each costume is chosen by the instructor, who knows that group of dancers best. They consider what makes the dancers feel confident, and what colors and styles complement their music and choreography.

Once a teacher makes a selection, our leadership team reviews it carefully along with the music. We make sure everything meets our studio’s high standards for age-appropriate, family-friendly music, movement, and costuming. Every decision is made with care for our dancers, their families, and our audiences.

We also check for conflicts between classes, ensuring that siblings don’t have overlapping costume colors or themes, that we don’t reuse something too recently, and that every class has a look that feels fresh and unique.

Shared Styles, Reliable Sources

This year, we’re continuing to navigate a challenging costume landscape. With fewer reliable costume companies than ever, and potential significant challenges with changing tarrifs, we’ve chosen to work with a small number of manufacturers that we trust. These few companies have proven to be consistent in quality, communication, and delivery.

With over 80 classes each week, it is possible that some costumes may be used by more than one class, or a costume from a previous recital may be used again. We have taken great care to ensure that no dancer will have a costume repeated in multiple classes they participate in, that no two classes in the same show share the same costume, and no dancer will have a repeated costume. While we’d always love to have every costume be entirely unique, using a few styles across different shows is a small price to pay for the peace of mind that comes with ordering from companies we know will deliver on time.

Shipping, tarrifs, and supply chain challenges continue to affect everyone, and the dance costume industry is no exception. We are working carefully to make sure these issues never affect your dancer’s experience or our recital events and performances.

The Details Behind the Magic

You may have seen some veteran dance parent helpers in the lobby this month, taking measurements for costumes. We use measurement kits and size charts provided by the manufacturers to determine the best size for each dancer. Accurate sizing helps us avoid delays and ensures that every costume looks its best on stage.

Your monthly costume payments cover much more than the costume itself. They include the time and care that go into selecting, sizing, ordering, and processing each one. These payments also include shipping and any alterations that may be needed in the spring to make sure every dancer feels confident and comfortable when it’s time to perform.

Costumes for a June performance are a full school-year-season-long process! Here's a timeline showing where all of the behind-the-scenes work happens throughout the year:

A Week of Celebration

Costume Week is one of those special moments that brings together all the parts of our dance family. Teachers get to see their artistic visions come to life, dancers get to imagine themselves on stage, and parents get a glimpse of the magic that’s to come. The excitement is contagious, and it’s a wonderful way to kick off recital season.

Thank you for celebrating with us, both in the studio and online. We can’t wait to see your dancers’ creativity this week and to share all the beautiful costumes and music that will light up the stage - for our TENTH recital - in June!