Thread: What have I do to find a job overseas?

Hey! I have experience in working at local venues, but I'd like to work overseas.Could you please share your advices ? I have pictures, videos( I am not very happy about them). What else? Thank you!

Please define "overseas". Continent? Country?

MEISSOUN

"Please define "overseas". Continent? Country?"

I'd prefer to work @ hotels in the countries of Middle East (safe areas), or in London, or in Malaysia or India.

You need to be in the place where you want to work, and you need to get yourself a reputable agent there. Once you've got yourself an agent, he/she may be able to get you additional work in other overseas locations.

Originally Posted by Dilnaz

Hey! I have experience in working at local venues, but I'd like to work overseas.Could you please share your advices ? I have pictures, videos( I am not very happy about them). What else? Thank you!

Network with dancers who are performing in those locations now or who have done so in the past. Ask them for their advice and guidance. Depending on the specific country, you will need a work visa, licensing, agent, and much more to perform professionally in countries other than your home country. You should also be an absolutely fantastic professional level dancer. It won't guarantee you a position, but it will certainly help. Most of these countries already have plenty of good, competent dancers to fill the performance positions, so you will be competing against all of those dancers and will need to be able to convince them that you are worth hiring despite the legal hassle of hiring a non-citizen.

Do you speak the local language of the countries where you want to go? If you don't, this can be a huge barrier to finding and keeping reputable employment.

Do you have a current instructor or dance mentor? If so, talk with them to see if they believe you could make it in your chosen location. If they don't, ask them what you should work on in order to get ready for the future.

Thank you !
I didn't mention one very important thing: I'd like to work with an agent: I won't have time and money to find a place to dance by myself. I am looking for good agent, who will not bring me in troubles. On what things do I have to turn my attention, when I speak to him or sign a contract?

Originally Posted by Dilnaz

Thank you ! Do I have to understand you that all of the countries that I've mentioned here, have their own fantastic bellydancers and the rest of good places are full with foreigners, who speak local languages (a dancer, who danced in India and Malaysia for 3 months must have speak both of the languages)?

It's not *necessary* to speak the language in every case, but, without speaking the language, you are at risk of signing contracts you don't understand or agreeing to things you didn't intend. You can be treated less well if you are unable to understand the business people you work with in the entertainment industry. I'd highly recommend either knowing the language or having a trusted interpreter with you at all business dealings.

At this point, nearly every country has their own thriving belly dance scene, complete with fabulous dancers and stars. This can make it very hard to break in to the business depending on your experience, connections, price, and performance capabilities. In many cases, it is less expensive for a company (hotel, cruise, etc.) to hire someone from in-country because there are legal restrictions in most countries for the work that is available to those from other countries.

Like I said, my recommendation is to contact and talk with the dancers from your country who are already working in the areas where you would like to work or who have worked there in the past. They can help you understand the legal and social requirements for getting a job as a dancer in those areas.

I don't know about all the other countries you've mentioned but the UK has stiff immigration requirements, and I've known of several teachers/dancers who have been deported/turned away at the airport/had visas revoked/been banned from applying for visas, because they didn't have the right paperwork, or they lied on their visa application. This applies to dancers who were only visiting to teach at weekend festivals, as well as dancers who were hoping to live and work here on a more permanent basis.

And yes, we have plenty of talented dancers here! There's no shortage, quite the opposite! So it's *very* difficult to get a working visa as a professional bellydancer, unless you have a good sponsor here.

I can also comment that a friend of mine did go to India to work as a bellydancer, but there just wasn't enough work there (she was based in Goa), and actually she ended up doing a lot more work as a singer, rather than as a dancer. And that was with an existing sponsor.

Originally Posted by Dilnaz

Thank you !
I didn't mention one very important thing: I'd like to work with an agent: I won't have time and money to find a place to dance by myself. I am looking for good agent, who will not bring me in troubles. On what things do I have to turn my attention, when I speak to him or sign a contract?

I'd like a pony.

You really need to work on establishing your local/online/and even national reputation before an agent is going to see that >you< have the potential to make >them< money. You also need to build up your business skills (first in your native language) to protect against the chances that an agent is going to use you in a way that is detrimental to your economic/physical/emotional state of being.

Maybe you should look into the world of being a cruise performer first. That will also help you network with the more "nomadic' world of international performing.

ahum, i actually looked into being a cruise performer. unless you also sing/play bridge/dance with gentlemen/give lectures about stuff that interests them/teach aerobics/teach children anything classes.... not going to happen...

i only found jobs that didnt pay (where they pay for performing was taking the cruise), or where you had to be able to do a whole array of jobs...

just saying...

I've never worked overseas personaly, so I'm just pondering...

But if this was my goal, I'd save up some money and research the top dancers and markets in the country of my choice. Then I'd visit for a few weeks (three or four) on a tourist visa, stay in a cheap hostel or apartment and take many hours of private lessons every day from the top local dancers. (perhaps also language lessons in the evening?)

I'd show up for my lessons looking striking every day (star presence) and do my very best work in those studios, hoping to impress the hell out of those instructors (while keeping an open mind and hoping to learn as much as possible too, of course). I'd be a humble and enthusiastic student but try to showcase myself as someone THEY want to hitch their wagon to. I'd invite the instructors for lunch/coffee and talk to them about my goal and ask for their advice/opinions/help.

At the very best, I'd hope for recommendations for an agent, or an introduction to an agent or club owner, or an invitation to audition. Even a job offer! But the worst that could happen would be that I'd have an amazing trip, improve my dancing tremendously through intensive study, and broaden my language skills.

If I were going to Cairo or Istanbul or Beirut, I might try to time my visit so that it ended with one of the major dance festivals. Perhaps already having a relationship with Raqia or Aida or Tayyar or Amani, they might nudge important folks to give me a look while I'm dancing at the festival?

Dilnaz:
Toroz office is a good place to contact and send your pic´s and videos to(3 friends have worked for him and his family)
...BUT ask yourself first:
1.Are you ready to leave everything behind(family,friends,job,pets etc)
2.Do you have integrity to stand up for yourself,yet are flexible enough to change your dance style,costuming and even hair color on demand?
3.Are you used to working with live musicians,and can adjust to them?
4.Do you have a large repertoire that covers most MENA countries?
5.Are you super duper healthy,strong as a horse?(stomach illness,high fever or bad tooth ache are not excuses for breaking contract)

Here´s a docu that Sabriye has filmed(she also works for Toroz Siranossian,since many years)

It's also worth watching Yasmina's Journey of Desire DVD, which includes a LOT of info about what you need to be able to work in Cairo (the getting of the job, the interminable visa/work permit paperwork, the continuous tax and residency paperwork). It also has some lovely dancing in it!