Your dancer has been taking class for a while, and is ready for their first performance or competition! Please use this page to determine what they will need, and to learn how to purchase. If you have any questions, please reach out to us!
How to Purchase:
Every year, we have our dress/shoe sale in early December. This is the best time to purchase everything your dancer needs for the upcoming season. The date will be announced around September/October, so keep an eye on the newsletters!
If you need something at another time of the year, please email rocirishdance@gmail.com and we will help you. You may also look in the "RAID Used Irish Dance Items" Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/share/g/EGufT31EHY36SJcM/ (please DO NOT post items for sale or ISO posts in our main Parents & Students of Rochester Academy group).
Shoes:
We maintain a supply of used shoes at our studio. We are generally able to find a pair for our beginner dancers here. The best place to purchase new shoes is at a feis. We are also very fortunate to have one of the most popular brands of shoes in the world, Rutherford’s, right here in Rochester. You can check out their website here, and contact them if you are looking to purchase new shoes.
All dancers will start with soft shoes. These should be purchased a few months after your dancer starts taking classes. Please ensure you have BLACK laces, as these will be required for all dance outs.
Around the time dancers reach Advanced Beginner, they will begin learning hard shoe dances. We will let you know when it is time to purchase hard shoes. Any white straps will need to be covered with black electrical tape for dance outs.
Costumes:
Girls Will Need:
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Dress
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Gold Bow
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Black Kick Pants/Bloomers
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Dance-Out: Black Tights
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Feis: White “Popcorn” Socks
There are 3 types of dresses that Rochester Academy dancers wear: Beginner, School and Solo dresses.
Beginner Dresses:
This is the first dress your dancer will wear. They are worn by our Beginner dancers and our new/younger Advanced Beginner dancers. A new Beginner Dress is made custom to the dancer’s measurements. We also have many used dresses available for purchase each year. New dresses cost $100, and used dresses generally range from $50-$75.
To order a new Beginner Dress, use this form.
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School Dresses:
Our school dresses are worn by our Advanced Beginner-Championship dancers. They are also worn by all of our teams. New school dresses are made custom to the dancer’s measurements by Prime Dress Designs in New Jersey. The cost of new school dresses are as follows:
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Youth- $575
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Junior- $600
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Misses- $645
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Crown- $35
**Historically, our Rochester Academy Parents Association has been able to contribute approximately $200 per new school dress order. Please note that this contribution is not guaranteed for future orders. However, this contribution has meant that all used dresses that are currently for sale range from approximately $300-$400, depending on the size and how much it has been worn.
New school dresses may only be purchased when the school is placing a group order. We will usually place one in December, after the used dress sale, for delivery in time for St. Patrick’s Day. We may place an additional order over the summer for delivery before the Oireachtas, if needed for our teams.
When an order is made,
Measurements may be submitted here: https://www.primedressdesigns.com/forms/
Deposits may be submitted here: https://www.primedressdesigns.com/product/payments/
Solo Dresses:
Solo dresses are worn by our more advanced dancers for competition. Each one is unique and special to that dancer. We recommend dancers look for their first solo dress around the time that they are fully in Prizewinner and have begun earning the placements required for moving up to Prelim. There are many used solo dresses available, and we recommend this option for most dancers. All solo dresses must be approved by the teachers before they are purchased. Styles change quickly and we want our dancers to have a dress that is going to compliment their dancing.
Boys Will Need:
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Black Dress Pants
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Black Dress Shirt
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Black Socks
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12 & Under: Gold Bowtie
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Over 12: Gold Formal Tie