THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW BEFORE BOOKING A SHOW

A couple of the most frequently asked questions I get from students are "How do I turn professional?" as well as "How do I go about booking paying gigs?"

Negotiating gigs is a topic that will never get stale! This article is a re-post from December 2009, but the information is still pertinent now.

If you are on the threshold of becoming a working professional dancer, then without a doubt, you’ve been sweating in group and private classes, practicing your butt off at home, dancing with a student troupe and in dance show cases, honing your technique and stage presence… and you just bought a fabulous new costume.

Well, congratulations, girl, sounds like you’re about ready to go pro- all you need is a gig! Now might be the time for you to start working.

Exactly what do professional dancers know that you don’t? Well, for one thing, they know how to book shows.

Whether you’re donating your dancing to a charity event, performing at a private party or auditioning for a restaurant or club job, there’s “technique” involved before you hit the stage as well. The following information will help you book a gig like a seasoned pro… help you to determine the WHO, WHAT,WHERE, WHEN and HOW of your gig.

WHAT TYPE OF EVENT IS IT ?

Private party, wedding, birthday, corporate show, Arabic club, holiday festival…etc. Make sure to find out exactly what your gig will be, so you can costume yourself appropriately and plan a set of songs that will reflect the mood.

WHO IS HIRING YOU?

Club owner, bride or groom, a deejay, caterer, event planner…???

WHERE

How far is the event from your house, as well as whether the event is being held at a residence, restaurant, banquet hall, outdoor festival, etc.)

And "where" also includes your performance area; Is there a full theatrical stage, raised stage, dance floor, living room, patio or through a banquet hall, around the tables?

WHEN

Get specific performance times, and let them know that you are flexible, but cannot stay at the event for hours at their discretion

SOUND

Will there be a sound system w/ a deejay? Will you be using a CD or an iPod? Will there be other performers? Do they expect you to dance to a live band? If so- can you rehearse or do a tech check?

NEGOTIATING PAY

Depending on where, when and how long you will be dancing, state your rate, and negotiate your salary. It will behoove you to find out everything possible about the gig before stating a price- if the client asks my price outright, I stall around by blithely asking questions until I get more details...which makes it easier to come up with a price depending on what kind of an event it is! Keep all your prices in mind, or have it all written on a piece of paper that you can refer to when on the phone with a prospective client.

My friend Samira Sharuk, who is not only a lovely dancer, but a shrewd stickler on business issues, keeps an on-going log of regional rates on her website. See it here: www.samirashuruk.com/belly-dance-rates-by-region/

DO NOT

Undercut the “going rate”.

If you are not sure what the going rate is in your area, ask another local working dancer, or dance instructor. Start your price a little high, many people expect bit of bargaining. If you undercut the going rate in your area, you are literally depriving professional performers their livelihood.

Figure out if it is a tipping situation or not, this will affect the base pay you ask for… and also ask the host or person who hired you if they would like you to stay within your performance area, or if it is fine to dance among the seated guests. Some people consider this acceptable, others think it’s tacky.

DO NOT

Ask the person hiring you how much they wanted to spend on a dancer until you have stated your price. Everybody wants a “deal”, and will give you a lower figure. Know that it is fairly standard to charge not just for the party or gig, but the length of time it takes to get you there- think twice about accepting a gig that is far from your home base, unless you know it will be worth your time. And know that pretty much anywhere in the world, the “going rate” for New Years is triple whatever you would regularly charge.

GET DIRECTIONS

If you can’t get directions from the host, call the venue. If you can’t get in touch with the venue, look up the address and driving directions on the internet or via your GPS or on your phone.

GET CONTACT NUMBERS

Get both a cell-phone number as well as the number of the venue itself.

RE-CONFIRM YOUR PERFORMANCE

At least a week before the show, as well as the day before.

GET A CONTRACT AND DEPOSIT

These days, PayPal makes this part so much easier. Set up a PayPal account if you don’t have one already.

DO NOT FEEL “WEIRD” BRINGING ALONG A FRIEND- PREFERABLY MALE

Any decent people in this day and age will perfectly understand the concept of personal safety. If you are going into a stranger's house to perform, do not go alone, no matter who hired you...because you just never know what might happen! if anyone asks who the guy with is, tell them it is your "driver". However, it is totally inappropriate for you to be hanging all over your driver ! Be professional!

IF YOU FEEL UNSAFE AT ANY TIME, REMOVE YOURSELF FROM THE SITUATION IMMEDIATELY.

That's it, that's all. Don't even question yourself- trust your instincts!

SHOW UP ON TIME, READY TO GO

Arrive fully made up, and if it’s a private gig with no dressing room, arrive fully costumed with a cover-up.

FIND A SECURE PLACE TO KEEP YOUR BELONGINGS

This could be anything from a locked dressing room or office, to a cubby-hole behind the bar or a concierge desk at a hotel or banquet hall. Even if you have to change in the Ladies Room ( and this is a common “dressing room” , believe me) ...or have your "driver" watch them while you perform.

DO NOT

... leave your personal things- purse, costumes, etc. unattended!

LEAVE IMMEDIATELY AFTER YOU PERFORM AND GET PAID

No hanging around, you are an entertainer, not a guest.

BE GRACIOUS, CHEERFUL AND POLITE

... but firmly refuse anything you do not want to do…like perform a second time for free!

HAVE FUN AND YOUR AUDIENCE WILL, TOO!

Need I say more?

Food for thought: If you act like a professional dancer, you will be treated like one!

GETTING "PRO"-ACTIVE: THE MECDA PROFESSIONAL DANCE CONFERENCE AND RETREAT

It’s been about two weeks since MECDA Professional Dance Conference And Retreat.
This was not a “regular” dance workshop weekend; actually, there were no dance classes at all. It was more like Business College for belly dancers who were about to turn pro, or professionals who wanted to up their game. The first event of it’s kind in the belly dance community; this event is something that has been needed for quite some time. Most dancers are taught everything they need to know physically and kinetically, but there seems to be a huge lack of general awareness on how to conduct your artistic career as a business.

I would have actually written about this marvelous event sooner, but in truth I’ve been kind of too overwhelmed by the sheer volume of information that was shared at the event…consequently, I’ve also been too busy putting in to action everything I learned there!

There were lectures and classes covering a wide variety of material, and all of them were designed to assist dancers in reaching their career goals and increasing their income by improving promotional skills, running classes and troupes efficiently, learning cost-effective production tools, using social media for branding and marketing, preventing injury, negotiating for gigs and so much more.

Aside from myself, the teachers were: Zahra Zuhair, Julie Eason of The Belly Dance Business Academy, Angelika Nemeth, Amara, Devilla, Nadira Jamal, and Mesmera. Penny Collins held private coaching sessions, each day began with Lori Edwards guiding participants through an early morning yoga session, and photographer Lee Corkett of Weathervane Studios was on hand for those who wanted to book a full professional photo session.

The scheduling was done so that all of the classes repeated at different times, making it possible for those who were teaching to attend the classes that were scheduled concurrently. This was an awesome feature from an instructor’s point of view- at most events, many of the teachers don’t get a free moment to take any other classes, even though we would always like to.

I was particularly excited to take Julie Eason’s classes. Her online Belly Dance Business Academy is a fabulous resource, and she is a wealth of information!

The Conference was held at the lovely Hyatt Resort in Newport Beach, CA. The spacious rooms were spotless, the staff laid back and friendly, and there was a luxury spa on the premises. The workshops were mostly conducted in the conference rooms surrounding a beautiful garden patio, which also was where the meet and greet was held the first evening, under twinkling lights strung through the trees. The mixer was a great way for everyone to break the ice and get to know each other. The invited guests of honor were Mher Panossian of Hollywood Music Center, Suzy Evens of IAMED, popular dancer Heather Shoopman, and the legendary Harry Saroyan mingled with participants and shared their insights into the business side of belly dance.

From the meet and greet right on through to the Instructors Q&A on the morning of departure, I can’t even begin to describe the wealth of knowledge that was shared not just in the classrooms, but over dinner and drinks,on beds in hotel rooms, or at one of the three swimming pools, or the twenty five- person - capacity Jacuzzi, which was always chock full of belly dancers! Every night, the hot tub was crowded with women, sharing wine, sharing ideas, and on one occasion busting into a spontaneous belly dance water ballet!

In addition to the late-night Jacuzzi gab-fests, there was also plenty more time to have fun and to relax. There were many Conference attendees-only activities,including a beach bonfire with S’mores, a drum circle and a breathtaking fire performance by Luna Moon. The instructors all performed in a beautiful outdoor amphitheater located on the premises, equipped with professional sound and lights. It was such a joy to see the wide array of different styles of belly dance presented, not to mention the different “generations” of dancers who were performing.

Speaking of fun and relaxation- notice I did not say “rest and relaxation”- tireless MECDA volunteers the incredible Kaminga sisters, Trish and Lia, not only worked all day like Energizer Bunnies, but had the stamina to party like Raq Stars every night, too. They had a full bar set up in their room, where they held a rousing, cutthroat dominoes tournament every night!

For the last evening of the retreat, there was a pajama party-themed movie night, which included plenty of hot buttered popcorn and a smorgasbord of movie theater concession-stand type junk food, plus a pajama fashion show (See? I told you we were all mature, business-like professionals!) and a special screening of the incredible documentary “Afghan Star”, which was brutal and uplifting at the same time. There was also an impromptu screening of "Underbelly", the documentary director Steve Balderson made about my dance career in 2008. That was such a surprise-I had no idea they were even thinking of showing it! But considering how close all the participants had become during the course of the conference, I didn’t feel the least bit uncomfortable watching the film in a room full of people!

In fact, that magical, close-knit feeling and hyper-intense camaraderie were perhaps the best part of the entire weekend. I know that different degrees of bonding occur at most dance festivals, but this was somehow different. For the entire weekend, everyone let down their personal guards: the participants openly shared their secret hopes and dreams, as well as their innermost fears or feelings of frustration. The instructors shared knowledge and know-how that was mostly acquired through years of learning the hard way, through trial and error and without any sort of mentoring.

Throughout the course of the event, everyone became astonishingly candid with each other. At the very start of the weekend, many discussions focused solely on business, but in exponential magnitudes, the conversations became more and more personal. Similarities in life paths were shared, and not just as in dance being everyone’s chosen profession. Various dancers revealed their unique and intensely personal skeletons in the closet…yet the moment somebody mentioned something highly private, others chimed in about their own experiences, or with tales of their battles with same sort of issues. The amount of laughter, tears, and, as Oprah would say, “A-Ha Moments” were countless. During other events, I have never seen such open weeping during the saying of good byes as I did at the end of this weekend!

Belly dancing has been an art for many millennia, with the wisdom being passed down from mother to daughter… and in a modern way, this is exactly what the Conference felt like. It was beyond inspirational to see how Angelika Nemeth, Mesmera, and Zahra Zhair- true pioneers of our glorious dance form -coped with some of the issues that still face dancers today…but on their own, and without a support system! When I started dancing just over two decades ago, there was no internet, email, cell phones or social media sites…. and they all had at least fifteen years of experience before me under their bejeweled belts. This point was irrevocably driven home when Angelika casually mentioned putting on RECORDS at gigs without live music- the looks of astonishment on the younger dancer’s faces at that moment were priceless!

The original purpose of the Conference had been to bring together a small group of dancers, and nurture them along through the process of making positive life choices, and gaining the know how as well as the guts to take the leap of faith necessary for pursuing a career as a professional dancer. Mission accomplished: that basic principle was acted out in spades, at every moment during the weekend, and then some!


The MECDA Professional Dance Conference And Retreat had been a dream project for MECDA president Blume Bauer, who had been brainstorming it for the past few years. Finally, it came to fruition, through many hours of hard work put in by Blume and the many MECDA members who tireless volunteered, doing everything from co-coordinating schedules to making up delightful gift baskets for each participant.

But even though it was designed specifically for belly dancers, I could easily imagine this event growing to include to include dancers of all genres, as well as variety artists, circus performers and even actors, it was that extraordinary!

Though I’ve rattled on for quite a few paragraphs about this, I cannot even begin to stress how valuable this entire experience was. I am not sure if the dates have been set for the 2012 Conference, but you can check the MECDA website periodically for information: http://www.mecda.org/

In the meantime, check out Julie Eason’s Belly Dance Business Academy:
http://www.bellydancebusinessacademy.com/


Think seriously about The Conference attending next year… you owe it to yourself, and to this lovely art form!


PHOTOS:

Layla Soleil during her photo session w/ Lee Corkett
Luna performing at the beach burn
Mesmera, DeVilla, Angelika Nemeth and Princess, pre-show
The slumber party