Thread: Do you pull the curtain?

Inspired by the "Blooper" thread...
If you are running a show and a performer is unaware of a costume malfunction, do you close the curtain? How bad would it have to be to do that? Would that embarrass her or him even more to pull the curtain?

PULL THE FREAKIN' CURTAIN!!!!
A few years ago I was watching a troupe of belly dancers on stage in a mall. One woman was dancing a solo - and her boob fell out of her bra. Over the top of the bra cup. She kept dancing. And dancing. And dancing. And the very male audience cheered her on. She was unaware she had fallen out. Blissfully unaware. And her fellow dancers were gathered about off stage with hands over their mouths in slightly amused horror assuming she would realise. She didn't. Finally on of the troupe rushed on stage to halt her dance. It was terribly embarrassing for everyone (apart from the male audience members.)
Better, I think, to have a 'stage hand blooper' or 'technical mishap' and let the dancer get herself/himself together than allow a more humiliating result!!

Whoa, what do you do if the stage has no curtain?? Send out the costume malfunction first responders? A hook?

You know...if it happened to one of my troupe mates...I would have been out there in a flash and danced her off the stage. You cant just stand there and let that happen and not help a girl out. I would worship the person that pulled me off.

Originally Posted by anala

You know...if it happened to one of my troupe mates...I would have been out there in a flash and danced her off the stage. You cant just stand there and let that happen and not help a girl out. I would worship the person that pulled me off.

Ditto.

I'd say if any body parts are showing that really shouldn't be showing, that's grounds for immediately pulling the curtain or whatever.

Recently, I was dancing a folkloric number (El Haggalah), and my headpiece started sliding off my head, even though I had 7 bobby pins in the thing. Eventually, before it fell to my feet and tripped me or something, I pulled it off and tossed it into the wings. Something like that--not grounds for stopping the number. Bra pops open, boob falls out, skirt comes off (depending on what's underneath it -- if it's harem pants, it may not be a big deal)--immediate stop, I'd say.

One time, at the Woman's Show, a dancer stepped on her skirt and pulled it right down off her as we were climbing the stairs onto the stage right at the beginning of our number. Needless to say, we stopped, helped her get readjusted, and restarted the music.

However, another time, a dancer's bra came open right at the very end of our number. In this case, it opened at the back and she was able to clamp her arms to her sides to hold it in place and not expose herself (although it did limit her bowing ability *g*). So, I guess the exception would be if it is right at the end or so close to the end that intervening wouldn't really make any difference.

(And please, pin, pin, pin--even if you think the fasteners are secure.)

Originally Posted by khalida777

Ditto.

+1.

Even though being a male has its advantages in this department - I'm still not "oops proof" although I'd like to think that I'd know about it. But if it happens, throw a veil over me if you have to! Please... (!)

Originally Posted by zorba

But if it happens, throw a veil over me if you have to! Please... (!)

One more vote for the "stop me at all costs" camp!


This wouldn't do any good for solo work (unless you travel with an assistant), but for a multi-dancer show or a troupe gig, it wouldn't hurt to have a plan for that situation: maybe two people with an *opaque* veil and some diaper pins keeping an eye on the show. It the problem is severe, they could drape it over the dancer and escort her off stage in a very ceremonious, "we meant to do that" kind of a way. If it's just a matter of tucking herself back in or a quick pinning, they could hold it up as a curtain while the dancer fixes the problem, smiling sweetly, and maybe doing something like shimmies or hip drops or whatever fits the music.

It wouldn't hurt to rehearse this process. If they're quick enough to notice the problem, and it can be done with enough poise, the audience might not realize what's going on.


And pinning is definitely essential, but don't pin your skirt to your underpants! If you do step on your skirt, it would do more harm than good. :)

Originally Posted by anala

You know...if it happened to one of my troupe mates...I would have been out there in a flash and danced her off the stage. You cant just stand there and let that happen and not help a girl out. I would worship the person that pulled me off.

Me three!

If it was something embarrassing, yet minor, like an underwear tag or a hanging headband, etc - I'd let it go (though motion to her side stage to tuck in the tag if possible). But heavens - if someone's naughty bits are exposing themselves - SOMEONE stop it. Anyone.

Originally Posted by jmdruadh

And pinning is definitely essential, but don't pin your skirt to your underpants! If you do step on your skirt, it would do more harm than good. :)

I never even THOUGHT about that...

Thanx for the education!

Cut the lights if everyone else is sitting in the dark and get her off stage. Whatever you can do tactfully, get her off the stage. She will thank you for it later!

And Nadira, in response to:

And pinning is definitely essential, but don't pin your skirt to your underpants! If you do step on your skirt, it would do more harm than good.

I so agree. I was taught in one of the troupes I was in to do this but never did it for two reasons. The main one is because I have backed up momentarily on a long skirt before, luckily nothing showed. But I was glad not to have all that pinned. The second is that if you need a last minute bathroom stop, what a job to use bathroom!


Lisa

1) Use the Bait & Switch technique.

Send another performer dancer out to stand directly in front of & facing the performing dancer. While she shimmies state "Your breast is out. Step off stage and fix it." New dancer then turns to face audience, continuing dancing. Once the costume issue is fixed, original dancer takes over.

The original dancer may be too embarrassed to return, so the person you send out, should be professional enough to wing it.

2) Use two dancers & double veil between them as shield between dancer and audience.

3) Walked out wearing my abba and shielded a dancer just by opening it.

4) If there is a curtain pull it.

Whatever you chose, do it quickly. Friend's don't let friends flash.

Originally Posted by tink

Whatever you chose, do it quickly. Friend's don't let friends flash.

love it! ..g.:

Originally Posted by tink

1) Use the Bait & Switch technique.

Send another performer dancer out to stand directly in front of & facing the performing dancer. While she shimmies state "Your breast is out. Step off stage and fix it." New dancer then turns to face audience, continuing dancing. Once the costume issue is fixed, original dancer takes over.

The original dancer may be too embarrassed to return, so the person you send out, should be professional enough to wing it.

2) Use two dancers & double veil between them as shield between dancer and audience.

3) Walked out wearing my abba and shielded a dancer just by opening it.

4) If there is a curtain pull it.

Whatever you chose, do it quickly. Friend's don't let friends flash.

These are great ideas!

what do you guys do if there is *almost* a costume malfunction, but no private parts are showing - yet?

During my first student showcase three years ago, we had a dancers who's top kept creeping up her breasts during her dance. Only a bit of "under-boob" was showing but everyone in the audience was holding their breath waiting for the nipple to pop out....it didn't, thankfully. But it was a group number, and I felt bad because the audience was obviously watching the boob. I didn't know about any of this until after the show was over, but even if I had, I'm not sure I would have pulled the curtain because (a) there was a whole group up there that I would have been pulling a curtain on and (b) her boob wasn't techincally out.

WWBD in that situation?

I was performing with a group when I felt the dreaded "pop" in the back. I was not sure if my top had come undone so I quietly and elegantly danced off stage. i found out that one of my hooks had popped but the other was ok. Once confirmed, I danced back onto the stage.

Also - as a rule, we always had tape, safety pins, and extra veil to wrap around you back stage in case an issue started up.

Also - we always had a discussion about this before every performance. We would explain that you should walk off stage no matter what. When in doubt - walk out!!

As for pinning to the underwear, my teacher gave me great advice.

First, sew a circle of skirt elastic to go under costumes. You can pin directly to the elastic and if you lose that, at least you'll still have your knickers.

I have one costume under which I wear a pair of underwear, then a second pair with the elastic band and I pin the costume to those. The skirt is so heavy that it creeps down, and then I lost a little weight. So even if the costume defeats the band, it has two pais or underwear to contend with!

I know its been said, many times and many ways, but it bears repeating:

If people knew how many pairs of underwear, bands of elastic and dozens of pins we have holding ourselves together, how could anybody equate BDers with strippers???!!!

Deborah

Hmmmm, WWKD, what would Khalida do. . . . ..g.:

Well, I like to have a dress rehearsal the day of the performance just to prevent this sort of thing from happening, as much as possible anyway, i.e. someone might not have checked her costume/s for fit and secure fastenings.

If I noticed a slight degree of "underboob" in a group number at a student showcase and it wasn't distracting, I would *probably* let it slide (pardon the pun), and address the issue later. Same as for a lock of hair hanging over the face, a twisted belt, snag of veil on hairpiece halfway through a group number, etc. Small underboob is just that, a wee bit of flesh playing peek-a-boob. Mishaps can occur at anytime and they're all part of our learning experience. You can't pull a dancer/dancers offstage everytime something minor goes wrong.

In the case above, if someone's bra is so loose that the audience is clearly distracted, that would be enough for me to literally or figuratively pull the curtain. Why wait for the nipple to show? It also demonstrates to your audience that you and your dancers have performance standards.

It's a matter of degree: Major underboobage with risk of double exposure? Curtain!
Buttcrack? Curtain! Nipple? Beaver?? Double curtain!!

I think it''s a good idea to discuss this with everyone long before the show date so that, should a costume mishap arise, everyone knows what to do, same as for a sound system malfunction, etc. After a couple of minor unfortunate incidents last year, I spent some time with my troupe discussing potential performance glitches and actually rehearsing various strategies to deal with them.




Khalida

Outing myself...

Purchased a stunning costume from Kasha (thank-you) and wanted to wear it the following weekend. Agreed to be full time grandma that week for our three month old granddaughter who cat naps, five minutes here, five minutes there.

Thought I had done a great fitting it. Zero opportunity to practice my music or costume rehearsal.

Arrive for the show, put on costume, the bra is two inches too big around and no time fix it. Expand rib cage and make best friend swear she will signal if something shows. Dance & pray to every higher entity in the vacinity, "Please don't let my boobs fall out. Please don't let my boobs fall out."

Make it through, sans disaster & best friend says, "You looked so peaceful up there. Were you praying?"

i was offstage when i saw a dancer's bra come unhooked. She was wearing an opaque body stocking that was shaped like a leotard (so contained her boobs) - THANK GOD it was opaque. Little by little the bra creeped up and her boobs creeped down. It was excruciating to watch. She knew it had come undone but did not leave stage until the number was over. It was the only thing the audience could look at and must have been terribly embarrassing for her.

I think these suggestions are really good to have; we don't really discuss what to do around here

If you dont have a curtain, fade the music. If there is an announcer, have them say "Thank you (name) beautiful job" that way the dancer knows she is finished. She may have a puzzled look on her face but as stated previously, will thank you for it later.

Definite curtain. You don't want someones photos of a malfunction all over the net forever.