Thread: Another way we get undercut...

Ouch - I feel so bad for the first set of brides. The guy (or gal) obviously had no understanding of lighting. I'm married to a former wedding photographer and I remember that even charging 2000-2500 for weddings, we barely broke even after considering all the costs. Jshane - for the record, I do see the huge difference, not only in lighting and color and quality, but also in posing and framing. You're clearly a professional and the other person is not. it's a shame because weddings only happen once in a lifetime and you hate to see someone not get the memories they were hoping for. I love in the second photo by the way - the way that the ruffles in the dress reflect the paving stones - gorgeous.

Similarly there is a new teacher in my town who is teaching at the same studio as my teacher. I noticed she was charging 8$ per class. My instructor recently had to raise rates to 72$/month or 20$ for drop-in - and that's so that she can pay the studio and make a living. I don't understand how the new teacher will be making a profit. (I also don't understand how she can claim to teach advanced dancers when she's never solo'ed before in a professional context, but who knows, maybe she's an amazing teacher with an understanding beyond her experience.) I don't even teach so it's no competition for me but it irks me for some reason.

i teach out of my home. i was teaching at a studio but by the time i payed a babysitter ,stduio fee gas and i was losing money.
so know i teach at home which just cost me a little gas in eletric. i charge the same as some people and 2-5 dollars less then others but i don't pay rent and my space is smaller. i don't have the room for more then 5-7 students at a time.

A different perspective on class-price undercutting....the community centers in my area offer BD, as well as Salsa, Hip Hop, and other styles of dance. BD is priced consistently lower than the other classes. This maddens me. One, why would BD be cheaper than other styles of dance, and two, why would any teacher accept this? Community centers here often pay a percentage of revenue to the teacher rather than an hourly rate - why wouldn't the teacher demand more if they KNOW the other teachers are getting more?

Has anyone else compared class prices in other styles of dance in your own area? I'm curious to know how BD stacks up against other classes.

Originally Posted by elljay

A different perspective on class-price undercutting....the community centers in my area offer BD, as well as Salsa, Hip Hop, and other styles of dance. BD is priced consistently lower than the other classes. This maddens me. One, why would BD be cheaper than other styles of dance, and two, why would any teacher accept this? Community centers here often pay a percentage of revenue to the teacher rather than an hourly rate - why wouldn't the teacher demand more if they KNOW the other teachers are getting more?

Has anyone else compared class prices in other styles of dance in your own area? I'm curious to know how BD stacks up against other classes.

At the comm. college where I teach, all the dance classes come out roughly the same. I would be absolutely outraged if they were charging less for my classes than, say, ballroom.