Thread: "Different" Type of Gig for Me, not sure how to costume, dance, etc. Help!

So some friends of mine want to hire me for this nice old guy's 64th birthday party/4th of July party/biker rodeo event. I went last year as a guest and it was really fun... camping, biker rodeo, fireworks, good food for a whole weekend.

What I'm wondering is, where would I dance? There are about 60 people who come and camp at this guy's house/ranch, so it'd definitely be outside, either on the roofed deck or the grass. There are always plenty of women there and the biker guys are really respectful so I'm not worried about that, but I am worried about what style to dance, what type of music to use, and what sort of costuming (colors, style, etc) they might appreciate or might be appropriate for outside. I dance with zills too usually. I'm wondering if I should have a small boombox going on the porch while I dance for bday guy and his wife and then do another couple performances in the grass restaurant style through the crowd.

Anyway, I was kinda thinking outloud. If you have ideas, I'd really appreciate them! I've got a while to think about it anyway.

Oh I'm a cabaret dancer (not tribal but I have some tribal style cossies) if that helps.

Just a couple of suggestions from personal experience:

I personally won't step foot on grass or any other uneven surface - I did it once and nearly broke my ankle in a hole some critter had dug. I have it in my contract that the client must provide a "flat, stable surface free of any debris" in order for me to perform. If I hurt myself on someone's bumpy lawn, that's going to mean classes I can't teach and gigs I won't be able to take while I'm healing, and it's just too much of a risk for me. I've passed on a couple of gigs because they didn't have anywhere except the lawn for me to perform on.

I'm not sure where you're located, but if it gets super hot in July where you are, try to get them to agree to a short set, like just a couple of songs. There's nothing worse than trying to dance for 20-25 minutes when it's 90 degrees and the sun is burning down on you. Or if it's in the evening and cooler, but you're eaten alive by mosquitoes.

As far as what type of music and costuming, I usually just go with what I would do for any other type of event, although I would probably not wear my most treasured and expensive costume. And since they are bikers (a group that from what I have heard tends to love Belly Dancers), it might be fun to tack a non-traditional song at the end - "Rock the Casbah" or "Magic Carpet Ride", perhaps?

I did a party just like this a couple of years ago. It was tricky because the party was on a hill, but it wasn't too bad. I even did sword. I definitely wore washable skirts with a bedleh, but they didn't get nearly as dirty as I expected. "Dirt" dirt is cleaner than "food" dirt, I guess. (Comparing it to a restaurant).
It was a blast! The people were fantastic. The outdoors atmosphere was really fun.
I used really upbeat music, but not western music.

I've done plenty of gigs like this. Keep the set short 10-15 minutes with time for audience interaction. I liked to use Gawaher from Dr. Samy Farag's Midnight Magic Cd. Great for American audiences.

I usually dance barefoot so grass not too big of an issue although it can be slippery and bumpy so you do need to proceed with caution. If you can do the majority of your show on the porch that would be your best option.

Wear comfortable costume. If you are wearing a 3/4 skirt, bring pins in case you have to clamp down to deal with wind and unwanted exposure. For the outdoors, I usually keep makeup to a minimum, especially if it is hot out. Nothing worse then black eyemakeup melting on your face.

I love big parties like this & outdoor events. My motto is Be prepared. They are challenging because of the weather & surface.I usually dance barefoot but always bring along gold or silver Egyptian dance slippers or spray painted ballet slippers, in case I decide against barefoot. Make sure you practice a lot in your possible footwear, and find somewhere to practice on grass.
I stay mindful of the uneven, holey, grassy, slippery, bumpy, etc. areas where I could go in a hole & trip. As Laura2 mentioned, holes are the enemy. I don't do any wild traveling or spinning. I do kinda firm shimmy walks, plant myself in one place, do some showy, specialty moves that work well for me; move to another area, dance in place, etc.
I almost always enter thru the crowd, & build up anticipation for the guest of honor, make my way to him/her, do the guest of honor routine, move thru crowd again, audience participation, pose for pics, return to guest for final honoring.
Upbeat bouncy, fast/brief slow/ folky/ fast/ drum solo / finale /exit music. Fair amount of tempo changes adds excitement.
A lot of big outdoor parties have a sound system with speakers around. Make arrangements ahead of time. If you must use boombox, place between guest of H and main portion of crowd. You can use batteries & move it around, I've done that in large places with no sound system. I always play my zills.
Be careful if you use veil : wind = trouble. But can be very entertaining/humorous if gusts make interesting veil stuff!
One time I danced at a huge hog farm for a large family gathering for a 40 yr birthday. The party area was under tents, it was windy, and had rained the day before. Yuck. I went all over, I even went into the farmhouse & danced for the kids (my contact had asked me to go all over & make sure the kids got to see). I had an assistant tho carrying boombox. But I have been alone at other times & hooked it over my arm and danced from area to area. Or I recruit someone. People love to be recruited as helpers! Anyway the family was so much fun and so appreciative. Got a bunch of repeat business, and 2 new students.

Thanks for all of the great suggestions so far... keep em coming, you're helping me think about this and get more ideas!

You've got me thinking about things that I didn't before, like time of day for the performance. I think they'll want me to dance in the evening (preferable in July) as that's when most of the people are done with the rodeo. Fortunately, mossies aren't bad around here!

Dancing in the grass won't be a problem either, I dance barefoot too. It'd probably be better than dancing on an uneven wood deck (even with aruba sandals).

I like the idea of doing something non-traditional at the end like Rock the Casbah. I have a fun version by Rachid Taha.

I might go with a bedlah with some harems or endless waves underneath for the wind.

Originally Posted by LiesaB.

I love big parties like this & outdoor events. My motto is Be prepared. They are challenging because of the weather & surface.I usually dance barefoot but always bring along gold or silver Egyptian dance slippers or spray painted ballet slippers, in case I decide against barefoot. Make sure you practice a lot in your possible footwear, and find somewhere to practice on grass.
I stay mindful of the uneven, holey, grassy, slippery, bumpy, etc. areas where I could go in a hole & trip. As Laura2 mentioned, holes are the enemy. I don't do any wild traveling or spinning. I do kinda firm shimmy walks, plant myself in one place, do some showy, specialty moves that work well for me; move to another area, dance in place, etc.
I almost almost enter thru the crowd, & build up anticipation for the guest of honor, make my way to him/her, do the guest of honor routine, move thru crowd again, audience participation, pose for pics, return to guest for final honoring.
Upbeat bouncy, fast/brief slow/ folky/ fast/ drum solo / finale /exit music. Fair amount of tempo changes adds excitement.
A lot of big outdoor parties have a sound system with speakers around. Make arrangements ahead of time. If you must use boombox, place between guest of H and main portion of crowd. You can use batteries & move it around, I've done that in large places with no sound system. I always play my zills.
Be careful if you use veil : wind = trouble. But can be very entertaining/humorous if gusts make interesting veil stuff!
One time I danced at a huge hog farm for a large family gathering for a 40 yr birthday. The party area was under tents, it was windy, and had rained the day before. Yuck. I went all over, I even went into the farmhouse & danced for the kids (my contact had asked me to go all over & make sure the kids got to see). I had an assistant tho carrying boombox. But I have been alone at other times & hooked it over my arm and danced from area to area. Or I recruit someone. People love to be recruited as helpers! Anyway the family was so much fun and so appreciative. Got a bunch of repeat business, and 2 new students.

Uh! I hope it doesn't rain for this event. I'm really thinking I might just do endless wave pants. They're so much easier than full skirts to clean and keep clean.

I'll have to ask about their sound system... I don't remember what they used to play music last year at the party.

Thanks for all of the advice ladies. I'm kinda a noob to the pro scene, so it helps to hear all of your experiences and lessons learned.