What a year of Bharatanatyam classes costs

Parents enrolling a child at our studio often ask what a year will cost beyond the monthly fee. Here is a realistic budget for a junior student aged nine to sixteen, attending twice a week, with prices from this year.

The main cost is the fee: ₹2,600 a month for the junior batch, or ₹31,200 for twelve months. Paying quarterly brings this down, because the fourth month of each quarter is at half fee, saving ₹3,900 over the year. Missed classes can be made up in any batch the same month, so there is no extra charge for those.

Clothing comes next. Two cotton practice sarees or salwar sets cost about ₹1,500 to ₹2,500 together, and last about a year. A pair of salangai, given at the ghungroo pooja after the first year, costs ₹1,200 to ₹2,500 depending on the number of bells. A notebook and a small towel complete the kit.

If your child takes the state board junior grade exam, there is an exam fee of about ₹1,000 to ₹1,500 and a few extra practice classes before it, at no charge from us. Our annual day in March needs a costume, which we arrange on hire for about ₹1,500 including jewellery, plus about ₹800 for make-up on the day. In all, a junior student’s year usually comes to between ₹33,000 and ₹40,000, depending on whether you pay quarterly. Adult beginners pay ₹2,800 a month and usually spend less on costumes. Fees are paid monthly by UPI or card and are not refundable once a term starts.