Thread: Costuming for Those Lesson/Show Combo Gigs

I've got a bachelorette party gig coming up and wanted to survey Bhuz to see how you ladies prefer to dress for those gigs.

Do you wear fancy dancewear like Melodias and tie tops? Full costume for the whole thing? Costume for the performance and then practicewear for the lesson?

Talk to me!

If they do my full "Taste of Belly Dance" package, they get a fully costumed performance followed by a lesson. I do a regular gig costume/makeup/hair for the performance, then take a quick break and switch the skirt or skirt/belt for color coordinating pants and a hip scarf.

However, I also offer a lesson/performance out of costume for a slightly discounted rate, because getting all gussied up is so time consuming. I don't do a full makeup for the discounted rate, and put my hair in a half-ponytail instead of styling it. For those gigs, I wear a Galatea Middle Eastern Dance t-shirt and a simple circle skirt over yoga pants and hip scarf for the performance, and then ditch the skirt for the lesson.

I do a Sharifwear set with a noisy hip scarf. They love them some jingly hips!

I have 2 packages: the first is the full bellydance experience, complete with 10 minute costumed performance and then workshop in the same costume. I usually try to wear my most comfortable, non-irritating costume.

I also offer just a workshop package without performance and costume; for this one, I try to dress in nice fitness wear (yoga pants and cropped top) and a coined hip scarf.

Yeah, my client specified a costumed performance for this gig, but I'm definitely gonna throw a cute Sharifwear outfit into my gig bag. I never really liked the idea of galavanting around (and sweating) in a costume for an hour!

Jingly hips are a MUST for all the giggly girls ..l;,

Just a suggestion - teach them how to do a zagarheet at the end. Bachelorette party groups tend to be in a real party mood, and lets face it - what signals PARTY to you like a good loud zagarheet? I've had a great response to it.

I do glamed up but casual (for a belly dancer!,r:; trumpet skirt, wrap top with hip scarf) Don't forget the cheap hip scarf as a give away! I give the bride a cheap hip scarf! if I do not have a bride/b-day girl, I have them all pick a veil from my veil bag. Whoever chooses the short veil (the one I received with a costume that was unusably short) wins the hip scarf! They fell good about it and I don't spend much. I use it as a maketing tool when booking (The bride gets her very own hip scarf to keep..g.:)

I wear a full costume, and I do not change. If the customer did not want a performance, I would do it in workout wear for normal private lesson fee, or *slightly* less than my hour-long private party fee if it were on a weekend night. On a night with several bookings in different places, I'd be running around in my costume for several hours, so one doesn't bother me!

If they insist on a performance in full costume, I would take a little break and change outfits!

If it's not requested, I usually wear some glamourous practice wear... , I've actually been thinking about buying something like this for bachelorette parties : It looks so cute!

btw: which one do you do first? the lesson or the performance?
I've noticed that if you do the perfomance after the lesson, people are even more enthousiastic, because they know then how hard it really is ;-)

I wear the nicest, most shiny up-close costume I have. That's what they want to see. I usually go for a slim skirt partly because that's my preference, but big full skirts are also a liability in people's living rooms, I find.

I can't believe I didn't think of the zaghareet thing. That's awesome.

i do the same with a slight difference. for the "'full" package i bring an assistent, and while i get changed from bellydance costume to practice gear, she helps the girls in skirts, tops, belts i bring, helps put furniture aside if needed. she then might help out with the class too, and serves tea at the end while we sit and talk a little. i really dislike teaching in costume, and this fixes it. especially if it's a full class.

for the mini version (class only) it's no costume, and no performance, just a class,

for parties where they just want a "short taster", like 15-20 minutes straight after the show, i'll stay in costume. but that aint teaching, that's 15 minutes of following bouncing butt

Originally Posted by Teressa

I have 2 packages: the first is the full bellydance experience, complete with 10 minute costumed performance and then workshop in the same costume. I usually try to wear my most comfortable, non-irritating costume.

I also offer just a workshop package without performance and costume; for this one, I try to dress in nice fitness wear (yoga pants and cropped top) and a coined hip scarf.

I REALLY love those "glam-casual" outfits from BDStore, Luna! SO cute for low-key teaching gigs. Like Zum said, I like to wear my shiniest close-up costumes in tight quarters - but those are not the ones I prefer to subject to an hour's worth of sweat!

Now that I found an awesome supplier of cheap hip scarves on eBay, maybe I'll start giving one out to the GOH for free! That's a nice marketing tool.

And zaghareeting. Can't believe I didn't think of that, either. Cool!

Oh Satin! Would you mind sharing where you get your hipscarfs from?

luna, i buy mine in brussels, the cheap stuff either on the sunday market, or the shops behind brussels north. the loaner skirts and tops i've just collected here and there over the years, or bought on ebay.

Sure, Luna!

I order mine from this eBay seller:

eBay My World - i_have_too_have_it

You're not in the US, so shipping might take longer. But I received mine in 3 days!

They're nothing super upscale, obviously, but a great bargain and they're such cute colors for girly parties.

Originally Posted by artemisia_danst

i do the same with a slight difference. for the "'full" package i bring an assistent, and while i get changed from bellydance costume to practice gear, she helps the girls in skirts, tops, belts i bring, helps put furniture aside if needed. she then might help out with the class too, and serves tea at the end while we sit and talk a little. i really dislike teaching in costume, and this fixes it. especially if it's a full class.

for the mini version (class only) it's no costume, and no performance, just a class,

for parties where they just want a "short taster", like 15-20 minutes straight after the show, i'll stay in costume. but that aint teaching, that's 15 minutes of following bouncing butt

Nowadays I almost always bring an "assistant" who does as above. I also do mini & taster versions, but I like a bigger $$ package, who doesn't. [hmmm does that sound risque] I wear full on glam too. If I don't have an assistant, I pop in a dvd w/ bd warmup stuff for them to watch [arrange ahead of time], or give them a fun game/quiz [belly dance hafla game] while I change. I am super fast changer & plan according what type of costume I need to get OUT of fast..g.:
As an aside: You're a real entreprenueral type ! - you must have colleges in your area - have you tried marketing this: I do a lot of dance demo/short instructional 1.5 hr (total time) workshops (with Q & A at end) for dorm activities, clubs, etc. Most colleges have budgets for that sort of thing & are always looking for fun "educational" short activity programs for the dorms and clubs. PM me for details if you are interested in the LiesaB method. It's really fun too.
Laura2 - zaghareet idea fantastic - ! thanx

Thx satin! Saved to my favourites :-)

Originally Posted by SatinWorship19

INow that I found an awesome supplier of cheap hip scarves on eBay, maybe I'll start giving one out to the GOH for free! That's a nice marketing tool.

And zaghareeting. Can't believe I didn't think of that, either. Cool!

Noooo!!! Sorry, I hate the thought of the guest-of-honor hip scarves and teaching zaghareets. It's making me scream at my monitor, but out of respect, I'll take my threadjack here http://www.bhuz.com/forum/business-b...integrity.html.

Originally Posted by Tourbeau

Noooo!!! Sorry, I hate the thought of the guest-of-honor hip scarves and teaching zaghareets. It's making me scream at my monitor, but out of respect, I'll take my threadjack here http://www.bhuz.com/forum/business-b...integrity.html.

LOL! Love the title already, even though I have been known to indulge in mini-integrity. Off to go read your commentary! ..g.: