Thread: WWBD..Relocating and your dance name?

If you are moving to a new area where an already established dancer has the same stage name as you, what do you do? Do you change your name completely? What if you have been using that dance name your whole career? Should you add a last name, or just keep it the way it is? I am concerned that leaving the name as is would create confusion between the two dancers. So, WWBD?

Don't change your name!! You have just as much right to use that name as anyone else. Maybe add a catchy ending that will distinguish you from her. I add ed "of Las Vegas" when I realized that there are Aradia fitness studios all over the US, and they specialize in pole and lap dancing, and offer belly dance, great!! So years ago I became Aradia of Las Vegas, also because I'm a native and there are so few of us, and only 2 other dancers I know of are natives of our town, ( lots of wannabe's ..l;, hehe). That has worked for me. So the question is, where are you from, any place that would make it interesting? Your profile says Fiji, that's very cool!! Or any other way of distinguishing yourself without losing your identity?

Look at Aziza, she now goes by Aziza of Monteal/Portland, because she moved to Canada well after she was established in Portland and the dance world.

Thanks for the help Aradia! LOLOL, I wish I was in Fiji..I'm in New England. Much crappier here, weather wise!

I agree with Aradia, don't change your name. I like the idea to add the location to your name - also, you could pick a "last" name and add that.

I agree with Aradia. Another example; David of Scandinavia. A few people in the states told him it was too long and that Americans wouldnt remember it.
That hasnt proven to be the case.
We now have in San Diego two very well known Sabrinas. One goes by Sabrina Fox and our Bhuz Sabrina is Sabrina.
Just a few examples for you. Good luck in your move too!

I guess it depends on a few things...like how far you're moving from your original location, how well known you are by your current dance name outside your original local area, whether you'll still perform sometimes within that original local area (if you're not really known by that name outside that original local area), how established/attached you feel to your own dance name, etc., etc.

I mean...if you were a newbie dancer just starting to look into gigging (so you weren't really well-known where you were coming from and certainly no one had ever heard of you where you were going), you hadn't had the name that long anyway, and you were about to move halfway across the country...it might be better to think about taking a different name or altering your name somehow lest you look like you were trying to capitalize on a more established dancer's reputation.

But, as that is not the case...like other's said, you have as much right to the stage name you independently chose as the other dancer does. Simply put, there are about a gadjillion Samiras, Amiras, Amaras, Aliyahs, Badirahs, Faridas...the list goes on. No one can claim a name entirely for themselves. That said, based on various factors, you could consider changing the spelling of your name, adding a surname that is meaningful to you, or adding a "tag" like Aradia was talking about. Any or all of these might help differentiate you and give you a little something to use in marketing yourself.

I have confusion problems and I don't even live in the same state as the famous dancer with whom I share a name!

So, I'm Tamra Henna of Texas, THTX, TexarHenna (a la Princess Farhana), or just Tex.

It doesn't eliminate all confusion - I still get emails obviously meant for her and she's gotten phone calls from my clients (THAT was confusing, lol), but it helps.

TexarHenna, I love that!..g.:

I also agree with Aradia. Find a way to distinguish yourself, but keep your name.

Well, Ms. TexarHenna, I believe you are well known enough even here in upstate New York that when I performed the *other* TH's choreo at a hafla, I made sure to state it was Tamra-henna of L.A., lest people be confused!

As an aside, I prefer the geographical nomenclature to the "add a second Arabic name" approach. Dunno why--it just seems more exotic to me.

When I first chose my name I could only find two other Samiras online. BUT because there were two, I wanted a last name- and a musician helped me choose, so it has significance to me.
The geographical reference is nice, too, although it doesn't sound exotic to me unless they're from somewhere other than the US or Europe. But that's just me. :)

Originally Posted by SamiraShuruk

When I first chose my name I could only find two other Samiras online. BUT because there were two, I wanted a last name- and a musician helped me choose, so it has significance to me.
The geographical reference is nice, too, although it doesn't sound exotic to me unless they're from somewhere other than the US or Europe. But that's just me. :)

I hear ya (Aziza of--Scranton?), but I think the "exotic" appeal to me is the implication that you are *the* So-and-So of Such-a-Where. Kinda like you're *it* in that locality, baby!

Originally Posted by SamiraShuruk

When I first chose my name I could only find two other Samiras online. BUT because there were two, I wanted a last name- and a musician helped me choose, so it has significance to me.
The geographical reference is nice, too, although it doesn't sound exotic to me unless they're from somewhere other than the US or Europe. But that's just me. :)

Yeah, I hear you. I've been Samira for 17 years now. I didn't know any others when I started and now it seems we are everywhere. I've also used the last name for ages as well, so it does all seem to work out in the end.

If you add a last name, try to keep it simple, your GP audience will not remember you if you have some crazy, long, hard to pronounce name. They would remember you for parties, etc as Amani Ali, or Yasmin -then your real last name, as long as it's simple.
I applied the same concept to my dance company, I didn't want something that only Arabic speaking people would get, yet I wanted to make reference to the ME so I chose Aradia and the RA Dancers, nod to the sun god, and Americans can remember RA Dancers.