Dance studio website: the classes, costs and policies parents look for

A parent on a dance studio's website wants a few things fast. Which class is right for my child's age? What does a month cost, with every fee? When does the season start, and what is the recital? Can she try first? Ballroom visitors want the first lesson, the price of a package and the wedding dance.

In October 2026 we read 28 independent dance studio websites in 20 states: children's schools, competition teams, adult classes and ballroom studios. Most listed classes well. Few put tuition, costumes and policies in words, and only 3 had a phone number you could tap on the first phone screen.

Your studio software (Jackrabbit, Dance Studio Pro, Studio Director, Akada or another) runs registration, billing and the parent portal. Your site shows the classes and the money in words, and sends people to the right place.

Show every class, with age, level, day and time

People search "dance classes for 3 year olds" and "tap dance classes for adults". Several sites kept the schedule in a PDF, a picture or a widget that shows no words.

1. Click Lists, then Edit events, then Add event. Type the Event name (like "Ballet 1, ages 6 to 8"), the Date of the first class, Starts at and Ends at.
2. Under Repeats, pick Every week and add Skipped dates for holidays. Type a Category (like "Ballet"), and the teacher in Led by (optional).
3. Add an Events section to a "Classes" page. It shows each class once, with its pattern ("Every Wednesday · 5pm – 5:45pm"). See Events and Group events by category.
4. Say each class's youngest age, and how you place a child by age and level.

If your software has a live schedule, add a button or an Embed code section under yours. See Add embed code.

Put tuition and every fee in one place

Only 14 of the 28 sites showed tuition in words. Six showed no price at all, and two put the table in a picture. Only 7 showed a costume price.

1. Click Pages, then New page, and make a page called "Tuition and fees". See Add a page.
2. Add a Price list / menu section. Make a group called "Monthly tuition" and add one item per row: Name like "2 classes a week", Price like "$125 a month".
3. Make a second group, "Other fees", and list the registration fee, costume fee per class, recital fee, late fee and any card fee, with Description saying when each is due.
4. Use Fine print for autopay, family discounts and refunds.

Type the numbers as text. A picture can't be searched or read aloud, and costumes at $70 to $90 each, shown only at checkout, read as a hidden fee.

Link your parent portal

1. Click Menu, then under Footer links click Add footer link. Type a Label like "Parent portal", choose Another website… under Goes to, and paste your software's sign-in link.
2. Do the same for Register in your Header button. See Change your menu and footer links.
3. Say who to call if a parent can't sign in.

Don't sell tuition through payment links or the online store. Your software keeps billing, the class roster and the portal together.

Say when the season runs and when you're closed

Tuition is often for a whole season or split into ten payments, so give the dates.

1. Write the first and last class, when registration opens, and the recital date on your classes page.
2. Add closings under Business info. See Add holiday hours and closures.
3. Use the Announcement bar for "Fall registration is open" and take it down when classes start. See Announcement bar.

Only 9 of 28 sites gave office hours. Fill in Regular hours and a Note under hours like "Front desk: Mon–Thu 3–7:30".

Offer a trial class, and say what happens next

About half of the sites offered a trial class or a first lesson; none said what happens after it.

1. Make a page called "Try a class": what to wear, whether parents may watch, how long it lasts and what comes next (the price of a season, or nothing owed).
2. Add a Booking section. Set Booking service to This site (the Bookings add-on) or Other and paste your software's trial link. See Take bookings on your site and Connect a booking calendar.
3. Point your Header button at it, with Button text like "Try a free class".

Test every button. A free class that sends visitors nowhere costs you the family.

Publish your policies

Nine of 28 said fees are non-refundable; only 3 mentioned weather closings. Put these on a "Policies" page and in your FAQ:

• Missed classes: are there make-ups, and how far ahead to tell you.
• Withdrawing: the notice needed, when billing stops, what is non-refundable.
• Autopay: whether tuition is drafted automatically, on what day, and how to cancel it.
• Weather and emergencies: how you tell families (text, email, this site) and whether classes are made up.
• Dress code: shoes, tights, hair, per class.

Use the Announcement bar on the day you close for weather, and We’re closed today in the Today panel. See Close for today.

Give the recital its own page

The recital is the biggest cost after tuition. Make a page with the date, the place, ticket prices, when costumes are due and what each costs.

1. Click Lists, then Edit events, then Add event for the recital. Fill in the Price.
2. Open Add a tickets or RSVP button, type Button text like "Get tickets" and paste your ticketing link under Another website…. See Add a tickets or RSVP button.
3. Put the costume deadlines in the event's Full details.

Playing recorded music at a ticketed show usually needs performing-rights licenses (ASCAP, BMI and SESAC). Check yours; that is for the studio, not the site.

Explain the competition team

Say who may audition, the extra monthly and competition fees, the travel, and the time each week. Dance Works, for one, says its member fee excludes choreography, rehearsals and coach travel, so families know the rest is extra. Don't promise results or a career.

Introduce your teachers

No state licenses dance teachers, so the training is the proof.

1. Click Lists, then Edit team, then Add person. Fill in Name, Role and a clear Photo.
2. Type their training in Credentials, like "Trained at the School of American Ballet; 12 years teaching". See Your team.
3. Say "background-checked" only if every teacher has been.

Be careful with photos and video of children

None of the 28 sites said how it uses photos of students. Get a signed photo release at registration, don't put a full name beside a photo, honor an opt-out at once, and say all that on the site.

1. Click Pages, then New page, and pick Photo release (or Waiver for a child). Change What they agree to to fit your studio, and have your lawyer check it.
2. Link the page from your registration and policies pages. To have trial-class or workshop sign-ups sign it, open the event under Lists, turn on sign-ups and pick the page under Form they sign (optional), with the Signed forms and waivers add-on. See Signed forms and waivers.

Don't collect health information on your site. See Don't collect health information.

Ballroom, adult classes and wedding lessons

Ballroom studios sold a $45 first lesson, a $179 starter package or a wedding dance, but often hid the rest behind "contact us".

1. List private lessons, group series, wedding lessons and dance parties with prices on a page, using Price list / menu.
2. To book private lessons on your site, turn on Bookings & RSVPs and add an appointment. See Add an appointment.
3. If you sell packages, put the total price, the price per lesson and how to cancel next to each.
4. Show a first-lesson photo of a couple's feet or a floor, and keep guests' faces out unless they agreed.

Know the rules before you post your terms

This isn't legal advice, and rules vary by state, so check yours. In October 2026 we read four states' dance studio contract laws:

• Illinois, California, New York and Arizona each regulate dance studio contracts, which can cover prepaid lessons and ballroom packages: a written contract, the total price near the top, a right to cancel with a refund, and in some states a bond. Illinois also covers competitions and showcases.
• Whether a child's monthly tuition counts depends on the state's wording. Ask a lawyer in yours.
• Autopay: California and New York have strict renewal rules; say when tuition is charged and how to stop it.
• Gift cards can't expire within five years under federal rules, and prepaid packages may count as gift cards.
• A ticketed recital may fall under the FTC's rule on showing the full ticket price; show costume, recital and ticket prices together.
• Preschool classes where parents drop off may need a child-care license in some states. Call it a class, not childcare, unless you've checked.

Show your reviews

Twelve of the 28 sites showed testimonials, and only two showed a rating with its count.

1. Add your best Google reviews to Lists › Reviews, with the date and source.
2. Add a Reviews section to your home page, and a Highlights line like "4.9★ · 120 Google reviews".
3. Under Social links in Business info, paste your Google review link into Leave-a-review link.

Don't offer a free class or costume that depends on the stars. See Reviews and Ask customers for reviews.

Gift cards and class packs

• Gift cards are their own add-on, for a season or a lesson package. See Gift cards and coupons.
• Class packs, like "10 classes for $140", come with Bookings. Say when a pack expires, or choose No end. See Class packs.

Answer the questions parents ask

In Lists › FAQs, add the cost, other fees, season dates, a trial class, which class by age, what to wear, missed classes, withdrawing and refunds, weather, costumes and tickets, the competition team, adult and ballroom classes, access and parking, and photos of students. Suggest questions drafts more. See Use suggested questions.

Tips

• Give your home page a search title with your town and what you are, like "Dance classes for kids and adults in Duluth, MN", and your tuition page one with "dance studio tuition". See Set a page's search title and description.
• Each season, update the dates, prices and costume deadlines, and remove an old banner.
• Skip photos of children's faces unless a release covers them. Free photos has empty studios and barres. See Free photos.