Thread: Hosting my very first hafla!

On Saturday I am hosting my very first student hafla. I am so excited, but nervous too. I've planned other events, but it's usually as some part of a committee. This one I am doing all on my own. I think the turn out is going to be great too.

I had an anxiety dream about it last night and so now I think I've forgotten everything. Ick...

Anyway, so what was your first hafla like? Anything that you would do better or differently? Any day of tips for maintaining your sanity?

It seems like we just started having our little informal haflas, but the one we're having on May 7 is in fact our 9th! So let me think a second...

Things I wish I'd done differently...
**realized that the air con in the hall was not going to handle the summer heat + dancer radiation. We had to have fans going, and if somebody came out with a veil we scurried around and turned them off!

**made it absolutely clear to the dancers what was okay (tea lights in containers, sword dancing) and what wasn't (uber sexy costumes). I developed canned text afterward to send to all potential performers that explained everything better.

**adopted a relaxed attitude. Things are going to go wrong. Somebody will be late. Somebody's CD won't play. Somebody will decide to do a full restaurant set instead of the five minute performance they proposed. Eh, so what? None of it is the end of the world. Go with the flow.

**gotten a microphone. We had no mic at the first hafla and nobody could hear introductions (we did not have a program). Since then I've made my big-voiced husband do all the announcing and everybody can hear him!

**delegated better. At the first hafla I felt like it was all on me to make everything go well. At later ones I got much better at letting people pitch in and use their creativity. (For example: "TigerB, can I help with the decorations?" "Sure, here are strings of flowers and tape. I thought maybe some over there." "Can I put some on the light stands?" "Sounds great, go for it." Rarely does anybody do anything utterly disastrous that can't be fixed.

Best of luck!

Nothing to add except

Congratulations and good luck!!!

Congrats, so much FUN!

I 2nd getting people to help!

Thnings I would have and did differently:

Had students sign up to help set up and clean up, I'd love to think the teacher can do it all but you really can't!

Had thought more about what to say! Maybe little cards to help. I got better with this!

Tooted the horn of the studio more, at the first one I felt funny doing it.

give students some dos and don'ts, I gave some but some pretty (what I thought anyway) clear things of what NOT to do I guess for some need to be spelled out.

Had more fun! I was so stressed I think I forgot to the first time!

Good luck and have some fun with it. It really brings your students together, that is a really nice side benefit of having one.

OH take MORE pictures! Get someone to do that for you.

Thanks ladies!

How wonderful for you and your students! Congratulations!
In January I started running a monthly hafla. They take a lot of work! I'd say one thing that helps IMMENSELY if you can is to have all your music on ipod ahead of time.
I have a playlist for the first half, a playlist for the second half and another one for intermission.
I type up a more detailed lineup for the person running music. It includes name, number of tracks for each dancer, titles of the tracks for each dancer (as they are titled on the ipod), and if they start on or off stage.
This eliminates scurrying around for CDs the day of. I bring backup CDs of the playlists just in case.
With her new students, Artemis Mourat always does an in class "dress rehearsal" for the participants at least a week ahead of time. This helps eliminate costume issues (such as Shapoopie not wearing undergarments) AND helps students be more comfortable.
Organize someone to take lots of pictures and video. :)

The term hafla as you probably know means simply "party" and thats how they were in my early days, just a bunch girls dressing up and dancing together or showing a new choreo. Very informal and always at someones home.
Today though all haflas seem to be end of term recitals/concerts. Quite a different thing, I think.
Just relax and I'd encourage the audience to participate by explaining first to them that as bellydancers you want them to be spontaneous ié; clap hands and shout out. Give the audience a little practice session by giving them encouraging words such as Aiwa! Opa! and give them a little zagareet lesson, make them say it too by telling them "now its your turn" it'll help loosen them up. And definitely ask for helpers and a someone to film it all.

[QUOTE=tigerb;657993]**adopted a relaxed attitude. Things are going to go wrong. Somebody will be late. Somebody's CD won't play. Somebody will decide to do a full restaurant set instead of the five minute performance they proposed. Eh, so what? None of it is the end of the world. Go with the flow.

This is probably the most important thing that I have learned!!..g.: