This isn’t the Pit. Knock off jabs like this.
The principal can’t stop you from starting a Facebook page. You just have to make it clear that it is NOT affiliated directly or representing the school, etc. In my town we have a “Schools and Community” page that was started by someone affiliated with the PTO and it has a clear disclaimer that there is no formal link to the town or the schools. It is well-used and a good resource for parents. Lots of questions, lots of reminders and general information sharing.
Can the dance dept do a special performance/recital as a fundraiser for new costumes?
There are many free ways you could publicize this. You could create a FB page for the dance dept, like others have suggested (with the disclaimer.) You can search FB for all the prior students of your school and invite them to “like” that page. Put a notice on the page about the fundraiser. You could sell 2 levels of tickets - one for the general public just for the show, and a higher level one you promote for alumni, particularly dance alumni. The higher level tickets would be “VIP” tickets (higher price) that would get them a reception (like a mini-reunion!) with food and beverages before the performance and where they could meet the current group of dance students (and dance teachers and principal.) Make sure that big businesses (like banks & the power company, etc) get the opportunity to buy VIP tickets for their bigwigs - they like to be seen at events like this. You could also go on your local tv stations’ community events segment of the noon news to talk about it -they’ll really talk it up. Bring a couple of students in costumes used in one of the dance numbers. The station may give them time to do a little part of a dance on air. Also you can send a press release to the local newspaper - they will print it. Basically, they appreciate “news” stories written for them already. Almost all the media have “community events” calendars that you can submit the performance info to. Oh, almost forgot, on the FB thing, you can ask people to “share” the performance announcements (do more than one, but don’t be obnoxious about it.)
Yes, you’ll need to let the principal know at some point. She won’t appreciate people congratulating her about it and her not knowing anything about it. And if she’s “political” or “attention-seeking” at all, she’ll want the opportunity to rub shoulders with the community bigwigs who attend the reception before the show. (Be sure to send real thank you notes to the VIP attendees after the performance - this will help you build a good list for future fundraising needs. Saying thank you is really important.) And post a “thank you it was a great success” post on the FB page after the event.
If you do it all right, you could actually raise a few thousand dollars pretty easily. People really do want to help out - they just need to be told when, where, and how much. You might be surprised how successful something like this can actually be.
Hope this helps, and good luck on your fundraiser!