Westchester High School Student Creates a Dance Costume Drive

“Give your dance costume a second life for a dancer who will shine in it just as you did”

Isabel Lavery, a junior at Croton-Harmon High School has created a dance costume drive she calls “Star2Star” to collect new and gently used dance costumes to help dedicated dance students in need look great and feel more confident when they perform.

Isabel has enlisted the support of Repertoire Dance Shop at 65 Garth Road in Scarsdale and Ms. Dancewear & Footwear Boutique at 1870 East Main Street in Mohegan Lake as collection points where parents and dancers can drop off costumes that they want to donate.  

Isabel is looking to collect lightly used dance costumes for all genders from child to adult sizes and she is also collecting leotards that are in good shape.

As Isabel says, “So many dancers and families have old costumes that are barely wore, sitting in their closets for years. By donating these costumes, you are giving them a second life, and helping others in the dance community!”

Isabel has partnered with ArtsWestschester, Westchester’s leading non-profit organization to support the Arts in the area, to help coordinate the distribution of the donated dance costumes to dance schools located in Yonkers and Mount Vernon.

As the pandemic disrupted life and made finances challenging for so many families, and with inflation on the rise, increasing the cost of costumes and dance gear, Isabel’s goal is to help students perform without worrying about typical costs, landing them a dance costume before they take the stage. Isabel says, “I remember how excited and confident I felt trying on costumes for my first performance. With Star 2 Star, I hope to help others and give back to dance which has been such a big part of my life.”

Isabel has also set up an email address where she can be contacted to answer any questions that parents or dancers might have. She can be contacted at star2star.dcd@gmail.com. If dance schools or dance companies have large donations, they are encouraged to contact the shop first, or reach out to Isabel directly via her email address.

Isabel’s dance costume drive is running now through Wednesday, May 25th, so that costumes can be distributed before year-end recitals in late Spring.

As Isabel says, “I have danced since I was 4 at schools in Westchester and in the city and have seen how costumes can make the production. I decided to start this project because I have many costumes hanging in my closet that I will never fit into again that have accumulated since my first performance, when I was dressed up as a sequined puppy! Donating these costumes gives them a second life and helps others who will use them. I hope that the future stars who get these costumes love them as much as the stars who donated them!”