Family Fees

[playintheleaves]

I know a lot of people are really lucky in that they don't have to personally pay for their competitions, lessons, etc.

However, as a 23 year old dancer, everything I do in Irish Dance comes out of my own pocket. At the beginning of the summer, it was costing me about $25-30 for a feis. I was dancing in Prelims, and I always go by myself, or with other dancer friends that go with me. I don't bring a family member with me, because I can drive myself.

Now it is costing me anywhere from $40-55 for the same exact thing. There is a new "family fee" that is getting slapped on to cover family members that come with you to the feis (I suppose because people were sneaking in). That's a huge bummer to me because now I am paying out the wazoo for a feis that I could barely afford in the first place on top of rent, gas, bills, insurance, food, etc. Going to a feis was a privilage for me, and now I can barely go out all because they are so expensive!

I don't know about you, but I think that forcing dancers to pay extra money when they aren't bringing family members with them is pretty ridiculous. It has (at times) DOUBLED my entry cost for a feis... and just over one summer!

I'm pretty upset about this. How does everyone else feel?

[Irishismylife]

I deffinately think that is unfare. So many dance schools however are introducing all of these fees that make absolutely no sense at all. I understand how frustrating it is. We just have to kind of bight our tongues and do it.

[Heidegger]

In your situation, family fees don't make sense, but for my family, it's great. There are nine of us, four dancers that compete, and five people that need to stay home or pay admisson. So it saves us money to pay family fees instead of five admissons.

[luv2jig]

I am in the same boat as you! I have to pay the 15 dollar "family fee" when I register even though I go to some of them by myself! $28 to enter, $15 family fee is ridiculous! That's $43! In prizewinner it's $47! I don't mind paying up to $10 for my husband to come watch me but if I'm going by myself it is quite unfair.

For families with multiple children, maybe they could have a "Max family fee" like they have a "max entry fee." It could be 10$ per non-dancer for the first 3 spectators and free after that? Do you think we would run into the problem of people sending their kids with other families to get in free?

Argh, it seems like there's no answer.

[AmghiniStar]

I think it is crazy how many extra fees there are. For some familes the max family fee works out great, but I don't think that single dancers should have to pay them if it doesn't apply to them.

[Reese]

If you don't have family with you. You shouldn't be forced to pay it. It's that simple. What they are doing is ridiculous.

[AmghiniStar]

I totally agree.