Thread: Troupe membership - expectations and responsibilities

For our state BD organization's newsletter I'm attempting to put together an article, or series of articles, on what it means to belong to a dance troupe, both from the perspective of the troupe members and from the perspective of the troupe director. I've posted on my own troupe's group, and on a couple of IN BD boards, but I'd love feedback from bhuz members as well.

Here are some of the issues you might address. I'm basically asking
what you expect to have to commit to as a troupe member (and what you would want your fellow troupe members to be willing to commit) AND what you expect of the troupe director. Troupe directors, I'd like to hear your perspective on these issues too.


attendance at practices;
attending classes and/or seminars;
dancing in a group vs. dancing solo at a performance;
performance opportunities and responsibilities;
reliability;
responsibility to your fellow troupe members;
responsibility regarding costs (dues, obtaining music, video and costuming, even travel costs);
Exclusivity vs. belonging to more than one dance troupe;
Responsibility regarding learning more about the cultures of the Middle East;
Responsibility regarding learning more about the ethnic styles of Middle Eastern Dance (even if you don't perform those styles);

Troupe directors -- could you also let me know the following:
Is the troupe a student troupe or a invitation-only troupe?
Are you also the main instructor for most of your troupe members?
Are you the main choreographer and if not, where do you obtain your choreographies?
Do you perform in the troupe choreographies with the rest of the troupe?
What style (if any particular style) is your troupe?
What types of performance opportunities does the troupe have (haflas, local festivals, staged shows, etc.)
Are you in a rural area, small city, or metropolitan area?
Are there other BD groups in your locality?

Any other information, comments, questions any of you would like to add would be very welcome. You can post your responses here, or e-mail me off board directly at katlebo@aol.com.

Thanks!

Kat

Originally Posted by kat

Here are some of the issues you might address. I'm basically asking what you expect to have to commit to as a troupe member (and what you would want your fellow troupe members to be willing to commit) AND what you expect of the troupe director. Troupe directors, I'd like to hear your perspective on these issues too.

attendance at practices;
attending classes and/or seminars;
dancing in a group vs. dancing solo at a performance;
performance opportunities and responsibilities;
reliability;
responsibility to your fellow troupe members;
responsibility regarding costs (dues, obtaining music, video and costuming, even travel costs);
Exclusivity vs. belonging to more than one dance troupe;
Responsibility regarding learning more about the cultures of the Middle East;
Responsibility regarding learning more about the ethnic styles of Middle Eastern Dance (even if you don't perform those styles);

Troupe directors -- could you also let me know the following:
Kat, please note: the following is info on a troupe I will be organizing in the next 6-9 months, but does not yet exist, except in my happy imaginings!
Is the troupe a student troupe or a invitation-only troupe? Invitation/Audition; this is a pro-level dance company
Are you also the main instructor for most of your troupe members? No
Are you the main choreographer and if not, where do you obtain your choreographies? Main choreographer
Do you perform in the troupe choreographies with the rest of the troupe? Yes, although not necessarily every piece. As this is a high-level performance group, I do not lead from the front except to initially teach the choreo
What style (if any particular style) is your troupe? We mainly use Arabic music and follow an Americanized Egyptian vocabulary (my own background is AmCab/American Classic/American Vintage with very heavy Egyptian influence); will also do folkloric pieces such as saidi, ghawazee, etc
What types of performance opportunities does the troupe have (haflas, local festivals, staged shows, etc.) All listed plus professional work when available
Are you in a rural area, small city, or metropolitan area? Metro
Are there other BD groups in your locality? You betcha! (greater Los Angeles)

Any other information, comments, questions: I have a contract which specifies the responsibilities and expectations for both troupe members and the director. I'll email it to you.
Thanks!

Kat

See text above for info!

Deborah

There's an article on my web site that talks about some of this:

Joining A Belly Dancing Troupe: Is It Right For You?

--Shira

PS: I've sent you a private message about this.

Kat, I will email you my troupe rules and guidelines, which should address your questions in the first part of your post. As for the rest:

Is the troupe a student troupe or a invitation-only troupe?
It is a student troupe, but you must be enrolled in my Level 2 class to participate

Are you also the main instructor for most of your troupe members?
Yes

Are you the main choreographer and if not, where do you obtain your choreographies?
I am the choreographer, and the choreographies are all my own original creations

Do you perform in the troupe choreographies with the rest of the troupe?
No

What style (if any particular style) is your troupe?
AmCab/Egyptian

What types of performance opportunities does the troupe have (haflas, local festivals, staged shows, etc.)
Mostly BD shows and haflas where other students will also be performing. They did do one performance at a charity event, a Relay for Life.

Are you in a rural area, small city, or metropolitan area?
We are in the suburbs of a metro area

Are there other BD groups in your locality?
Yes, both student and pro

I will send you a PM with some of my perspectives as a troupe member.

I'll email our troupe policy manual. Would love to see you post a follow up with the finished product!

I have very strict guidelines for The NDC. Although, I would be happy to follow up privately (NDC members are contractual), maybe a few NDC members can help answer some of your questions above. Makeda here on Bhuz wrote an article for the Chronicles that journaled being a member of a professional bellydance company.

Hopefully public, as well as private postings will be helpful to others seeking the same answers too!

Lotus Niraja

Thanks to everyone who has posted or PM'd me so far -- I really appreciate the information. Keep it coming!

Well, given that *gentle* prodding from my director , here's my thoughts on the issues you've raised:

attendance at practices;
Attendance at practices is mandatory. The NDC meets for rehearsal at least twice a week, more if we are preparing for an upcoming performance. Our rehearsals focus on technique - learning and refinement of moves - as well as choreography. As troupe members, we also are required to have continuous education - we take weekly group classes with Lotus, have private lessons with Lotus (to refine our technique as solo artists, which we all are, in addition to troupe members), and also have a required number of hours we must participate in workshops and/or private lessons with other teachers.

attending classes and/or seminars;
I answered this in the above section. I did just want to reiterate that this is required for membership in The NDC. We cannot choose not to continue our education - I think that is vitally important. None of us have stopped learning or striving to be better. Also, each of us has individual goals to reach as dancers - so we don't all attend the same workshops/classes/lessons, though there are instances where we attend as a troupe, either because it is a teacher whose instruction Lotus believes we'd all benefit from or because we've all traveled to the workshop event together.

dancing in a group vs. dancing solo at a performance;
We do both. There are instances that, at the same event, members have performed both as troupe and as an individual dancer. In fact, I think there will be more of that, in the future. Also, there are events where only one or a couple of the members may be dancing, but 9 times out of 10, you will see the rest of us in the audience. We make it our business to support one another in individual endeavors.

performance opportunities and responsibilities;
We each bring something to the table in this regard. Lotus does, of course, have events where she expects us to perform and these are mandatory events. However, we also have a beginning of the year meeting in which we discuss upcoming performance opportunities and we come to a group consensus on our scheduling for the year.

As for our individual dancing, we do bring performance opportunities to each other, either from things we've heard about through the grapevine or whatnot. Our website does have the option that, when hiring a dancer, the client can choose the entire troupe or can hire one or more dancers for the event.

reliability;
Reliability is key. We expect that each of us puts our 100% effort into the troupe. The NDC is Lotus' baby, but it belongs to all of us now. We have each put in blood, sweat and tears to make it successful. We all labor hard together and reap the benefits together - that's only fair.

More ...

responsibility to your fellow troupe members;
A troupe is a business arrangement, essentially. We are co-owners in this. As such, we have to think about our fellow members and do what is good for them as well as ourselves. We've worked hard at making our relationships personal ones, instead of just professional. It's a lot harder to let down your friend, then it is to let down a "fellow troupe member". We've become friends and family and we take this seriously.

responsibility regarding costs (dues, obtaining music, video and costuming, even travel costs);
If you wanted to, I'm sure you could talk more to Lotus about this privately, but we do have set guidelines regarding costs. As Lotus said, NDC membership is contractual and all of this is spelled out.

Exclusivity vs. belonging to more than one dance troupe;
NDC membership is exclusive - none of us belong to more than one dance troupe. Before I became full-fledged member, I belonged to two troupes and it was pretty darn impossible. We have a rigorous rehearsal, class, and travel schedule and I don't think it can be done.

Responsibility regarding learning more about the cultures of the Middle East;
As I stated above, continuing education is required. And not just about what particular style might interest us, but also about the culture and the history of the dance and the countries of origin.

Responsibility regarding learning more about the ethnic styles of Middle Eastern Dance (even if you don't perform those styles);
See above.

I hope I've helped. If you need any more detail or if I've not answered a question in a way that was helpful, let me know!

Makeda pretty much covered it.

Well, I have nothing left to say. Makeda did say it all and I agree that being a part of a troupe is a business arrangement and should be treated as such. There should be contractual obligations that are agreed upon by everyone and expectations that are clearly stated up front so that the troupe can be run in the most organized, effective way as a business. If all of that is agreed upon up front, it makes it easier to enjoy everything that comes later for instance travel, new performance experiences, making new friends, etc...

LOL! I can't believe it - I've left my fellow troupe members speechless. Wow!

I'll p.m. you the guidelines for my troupe, Jewels of the North. It is an amatuer troupe, but we perform about 12 times a year, so I had to set up some "rules." I just don't like to use the work "rules." .w.:

Well I'm not a member of NDC and I'm left speachless. Great job Makeda!

I'm new to the troupe thing. In-fact I've been trying out for one of our local professional troupes so I don't know if I can add anything, but I will try to give my personal experience to date.


I feel that if your going to be a part of a troupe that the troupe should come first. In my mind it requires a dedication to set your dance goals as second place on the priority list. The reason I say this is cause there are other members and their time and efforts need to be respected. Part of that respect is giving your 100 percent to the troupe and making as many rehearsals as possible.

When I joined this troupe I had workshops that I previously signed up for and I stated that up front. That way the director could decide right there if I was going to be a good fit. I only attend about two workshops a year cause they are expensive to attend and they are a week long in duration. If it had not been for that I would have not missed the two rehearsals that I feel guilty of missing.

Our director also has an advanced Egyptian class that she teaches right after rehearsals. She does not make it mandatory for troupe members to attend, but I found out that my troupe mates respect me more for taking this class on my own, and they have spoken about this to me directly.

Since our director is teaching the choreo with modifications to her advanced students the technique still applies to our troupe. If I did not take this class then my troupe mates would not respect me as a troupe member. It is important to have the respect of your troupe mates. I think our director does not make this class mandatory so she can determine which members are serious and which are not. The choice is ours if we want to attend this class.

I feel that as a troupe member we should also support our troupe mates. We have another gal who is also trying out for the troupe and she is currently unemployed so she cannot afford to take this advanced class and she is having difficulty with certain technique. As a troupe mate I am practicing with her to improve her technique. If it were me and one of my troupe mates noticed I was having difficulty it would be my hopes that they would offer to help me. We need to support each other.

okay thats all i have to say.

No wonder the NDC rocks!!!

If I were running a pro troupe, it would be set up much like Makeda describes. I think we'd have three or four members and I'm not sure I could line up enough paying work to make it worth the time investment I'd demand. Part of me (the perfectionistic part that wants to see what's possible to achieve) wants to do it anyway!

I call my performance group a 'student repertory group,' but some people would call it a student troupe. I avoid the word 'troupe' because of the blurry lines between student and pro.

attendance at practices;
Students who take repertory class are required to also be enrolled in my level 4 class, so they're meeting twice a week. I usually set the practice attendance requirements prior to each performance, depending on how demanding that particular performance is. Often it's 5 out of 6 rehearsals leading up to a show.

attending classes and/or seminars;
Above. I don't require seminar participation, but encourage it. I am thinking of insisting that performing group members at least ATTEND a set number of shows per year so they're at least watching some pro dancing. It's a pet peeve of mine when they only come to shows they're in.

dancing in a group vs. dancing solo at a performance;
Those who want to dance solos are always welcome to do it, but we have to juggle available slots.

performance opportunities and responsibilities;
I'm VERY picky about where my student group performs because we accept all ages, shapes, sizes, and levels of ability. It's a no-cut group. I don't want to put these women out there in a situation where someone is expecting to see lithe young beauties and risk them being mocked. We perform at events where other student-level performers appear, not pro venues.

reliability;
Hasn't been an issue, knock wood.

responsibility to your fellow troupe members;
Show up. Work hard. Support the group's goals of looking good by putting in rehearsal time on your own. Be courteous and supportive of each other. Try to open your heart to new members, even if they're very different from you.

responsibility regarding costs (dues, obtaining music, video and costuming, even travel costs);
My students pay for the extra weekly class (at a 25% discount) to cover rehearsal time, etc. There are some demands for costuming expense, but I try to keep it minimal (maybe $100/year). Travel is always optional. We vote on anything involving cost. When the group receives a stipend for a performance, one troupe member holds that cash. When there's enough, we spend it on something that benefits the whole group (props, a party, etc.)

Exclusivity vs. belonging to more than one dance troupe;
I wouldn't have a problem with a member belonging to another troupe or pursuing a solo career. If other responsibilities (of any kind) interfered with availability for rehearsals, etc. we'd try to work around it. If it couldn't be worked around, the student would have to make a choice at that point.

Responsibility regarding learning more about the cultures of the Middle East;
I don't have any set criteria for this, but I teach some of it in my classes of course.

Responsibility regarding learning more about the ethnic styles of Middle Eastern Dance (even if you don't perform those styles);
As above.

Troupe directors -- could you also let me know the following:

Is the troupe a student troupe or a invitation-only troupe?
Student

Are you also the main instructor for most of your troupe members?
Yes, but not because I demand it. I require 2 classes per week, but my students are welcome to take as much as they want from anyone else. In fact, I would encourage it.


Are you the main choreographer and if not, where do you obtain your choreographies?
I am the main choreographer. I'd love to share that responsibility with a student or two if/when they're ready or interested in trying it. We also have one choreography that came from a workshop.

Do you perform in the troupe choreographies with the rest of the troupe?
Less than 10% of the time. Usually if I'm needed to fill a hole in the staging, but sometimes for other reasons (closing our student show together with all the primary dancers on stage, for instance)

What style (if any particular style) is your troupe?
American Mongrel. We do several Egyptian style numbers, including Saidi and Melaya, since I lean that direction. But we also do sword, veil, etc.

What types of performance opportunities does the troupe have (haflas, local festivals, staged shows, etc.)
Haflas, workshop shows. Events featuring other student dance groups (like the National Dance Week kickoff or a local theater's variety show fundraiser). Nursing homes/retirement homes (we get a stipend for these). Our own annual student show. I may branch out as the group becomes more and more professional in appearance.

Are you in a rural area, small city, or metropolitan area?
Small city that's close enough to a metropolitan area to be considered a distant suburb.

Are there other BD groups in your locality?
Within the larger metro area, yes. In our immediate area, no. It's wonderful to be part of a larger community, yet separate.

Whew.

My biggest challenge has been getting everyone to agree on costuming and getting everyone to do something with their hair and wear appropriate make-up. You may want to add something about attending a make-up workshop and then actually using what they learned for performances.

Some of this is what is expected me as a member of my troupe, and all if it is what I expect of myself as a troupe dancer AND what I expect of my troupe-mates.

attendance at practices
Mandatory, unless advance notice is given. Inform the troupe director as early as possible if you cannot make it to a rehersal/practice one night, and don't make a habit of missing too many (ie: a missed rehersal once every few months is okay, but every two or three weeks is unacceptable). Your placement in performance pieces or chances of being included in paid/hired gigs will depend partially on attendance.

attending classes and/or seminars
(Assuming once a week rehersals) Must attend at least one class with a technique focus on the appropriate level. Seminars and workshops are optional, as they can be difficult on the pocketbook and on the schedule. Attending workshops, events, etc is encouraged as it helps to develop the dancer.

dancing in a group vs. dancing solo at a performance
Dependent on the skill of the individual at solo routines and improvisations.

performance opportunities and responsibilities
Fair opportunity to be offered performance opportunities, BUT this depends on the overall skill of the individual and their reliability.

reliability
Extremely important. Unreliable dancers do not support their troupe. Taking a long time to learn choreography is one thing, but not knowing it at all by the performance date pulls everyone down. If you say you are going to be somewhere at a certain time, be there. If you cannot attend, notify people in as far advance as possible. This will affect the placement of the individual within performance pieces as well as being offered performance opportunities.

responsibility to your fellow troupe members
As above. Assist troupe members wherever possible, help them learn choreographies, help them pin on their costume bra when it explodes before a performance. You cannot take responsibility for your troupe members' actions (this is something I have trouble getting through my head - I'll often blame myself for other people's foibles) but you must take complete responsibility of your own.

(continued from above)

responsibility regarding costs (dues, obtaining music, video and costuming, even travel costs)
Dependent on the amount of profit that performance opportunities receive. When possible, pay should be distributed and costs covered. Choreographer or troupe leader should ensure the relevant music is distributed. Dues are acceptable and should be paid on time and in full (unless provisions have been made). Videos, extra music, books, and other personal study materials are the responsibility of the individual dancer alone. Costumes should ideally be supplied by the troupe, unless dancers have agreed to supply their own. Costuming budget should come out of troupe revenue and dues. Dancers should join the troupe and attend rehersal with the knowledge that they probably won't make much money, likely won't make any, and may even incur costs for doing this. That statement is dependant on the sort of troupe, however. For full-blown professional and regularly performing troupes, fair pay and cost coverage should be expected.

Exclusivity vs. belonging to more than one dance troupe
Depends entirely on the director. If they would rather have exclusivity, the dancer should under no circumstances agree and then perform with other troupes. Should exclusivity not be a requirement, than giddyup. Regardless of exclusivity agreements, troupe-specific choreographies or any choreographies created by troupe members or directors should never be shared without the express consent of the choreographer.

Responsibility regarding learning more about the cultures of the Middle East
Dependent on the troup. If the troupe claims to portray authentic Middle Eastern dance, cultural context should be studied so as to keep it as accurate as possible. Troupe members may need to be willing to study this on their on, as there is never enough dance time in rehersals!

Responsibility regarding learning more about the ethnic styles of Middle Eastern Dance (even if you don't perform those styles)
Learning ethnic styles will help to improve the dancer and should be encouraged. Should the troupe never perform ethinic or folkloric styles, than this is not necessary. If the troupe claims to perform authentic ethnic/folkloric styles, then all dancers should study folkloric/ethnic dances.