Thread: Birthday Parties?

One of my students asked if I would consider doing a "belly dance" birthday party for her 8 yr old daughter.

What would you charge for 1 to 1-1/2 hours of playtime??

I thought I'd do a mini lesson with the girls (including fun stuff with veils), and then play some games like Simon Says, statues, follow the leader, etc - but in dance mode. I'm supplying the music, veils, a hand full of hip scarves, and a thobe for the hostess to wear.

ps. as an extra - I offered to do the girls' eyes in exotic/glittery egyptian style as they arrive (for $5 a child)

wow - I will be watching this thread. I have thought about "marketing" the same package out there but was not sure what to do for an event like this :-)

In my area, where prices run fairly low, children's birthday party entertainment usually runs between $125-200. Prices go over the $200 mark only when the entertainer is providing 'extras' like a take-home goodie bag for each child.

The entertainment usually doesn't last more than an hour, though. 30-45 minutes is more typical (and more in line with kids' attention spans). Most parties last about 2 hours, but there's time for cake & ice cream, singing the song, opening presents, and often a game or two in addition to the entertainment.

I used to publish an annual director of birthday party options in my area, but it's been a few years since the last one so prices may have gone up.

For regional reference/comparison, a typical gram in my area is $125-150.

Thanks Lauren.
I may just do some research today and see what other kinds of birthday themed packaged are going for in our area. I'm quite familiar with the going rates for "dancers", but this is a different - she's not really asking me to come and dance as much as facilitating the theme.

I'm actually a bit excited about the idea.
We live on the edge of a rather prestigious neighborhood and my own children attend very elaborate parties. BUT when it comes to their turn, I come up with some kind of really cool, interactive theme party (at our house) and the kids all have a blast. Last year one little girl told me it was the "best part ever!"

It's not a contest between the moms (oh yeah, it is) but I win hands down every year. It would be nice to help someone else do that too.
..l;, ..l;,

I'd definitely check out the price of clowns/magicians/etc -- sounds like your area is more upscale than mine, which means higher expectations & higher prices. Some of those moms who put on elaborate parties every year could be a great resource, they've probably shopped all over.

I don't know about your area, but in my area I charge $300 for a performance/lesson party geared towards adults (one hour total). I would charge at least that for a party like what you are describing. I think that keeping children engaged for an hour and a half will be quite a challenge.

Originally Posted by tamrahennatx

I think that keeping children engaged for an hour and a half will be quite a challenge.

YES! And in my opinion, that's a whole different service than just being the 'entertainment' -- and requires a whole different set of skills & experience -- and I'd want to be very clear where my responsibilities start & end.

As I said above, the party entertainers in my area typically arrive, entertain for 30-45 minutes, then depart, leaving the hostess to coordinate games, cake, etc.

I realize now that you're talking about delivering an entire themed party package, and for that I'd most definitely charge extra. In my area, that would start at about $225-400, but might include invitations, paper products, cake options, etc. and usually cleanup afterward.

Be very clear about your responsibilities.

(long term, if I chose to do this, I'd contract with a themed party provider who offers a variety of packages to be the entertainer portion of her belly dancer package)

This web site doesn't have pricing, but for those of you aspiring to do theme party planning for kids it may give you some ideas:

https://www.glass-slipper-entertainment.com/

I'd charge more than for a party show- as it's taking up a whole lot more time- and entertaining 8 year olds for an hour and a half? Um...as cute as they are, I'd go with the hour option. :)
My regular show rates (just for comparison): $225/20 minute show (plus more for travel).
Adult age party with lesson and show: $225 (show) plus $150 for about 30-40 minutes of teaching. A lot of people simply don't want to do to a party to "work" for a long time. A fun, upbeat "taste" of the dance is great.
Children's party with lesson and show: $200 for a fifteen minute show plus $150 for about 30 minutes of instruction. With getting hip scarves on and off etc you're really keeping them busy about an hour.
If I were to just teach for an hour with no show? I'd charge at least $250 (so still more than my 20 minute show price). They're still taking a lot of your time, there is still prep time - you're not getting in full costume, but you're still getting dolled up, you're still creating CDs, you're still packing up hip scarves, veils etc.

I've thought of doing the same thing too, but the sad fact is I don't like to be around that many young children all at once. Heck, I outsource my own daughter's birthday parties every year because I just can't have 10 little girls running all over my house, hopped up on cake and punch. I'd go bananas.

Most of the parties we've done for her (Libby Lu, Build-a-Bear, YMCA Pool Party, diva fashion shoot at a local photographer) have charged by the child, and it's usually about $20-$25 per kid. This year she's probably going to have it at the local bead shop - it's $20 per child, and they each get to make a necklace and bracelet to take home. So if I were so inclined to do that kind of package, I'd probably charge $25 per child and keep it to no more than an hour.

Originally Posted by laura 2

I've thought of doing the same thing too, but the sad fact is I don't like to be around that many young children all at once. Heck, I outsource my own daughter's birthday parties every year because I just can't have 10 little girls running all over my house, hopped up on cake and punch. I'd go bananas.

Most of the parties we've done for her (Libby Lu, Build-a-Bear, YMCA Pool Party, diva fashion shoot at a local photographer) have charged by the child, and it's usually about $20-$25 per kid. This year she's probably going to have it at the local bead shop - it's $20 per child, and they each get to make a necklace and bracelet to take home. So if I were so inclined to do that kind of package, I'd probably charge $25 per child and keep it to no more than an hour.

There are two types of parties, "our location" and "your location."

'Our Location' parties like you're describing --Build a Bear, YMCA, skating, bowling, museums, zoos -- usually charge by the child and get a little more because they're providing the facility & ALL cleanup before & after -- Mom doesn't even have to vacuum. So you can use that pricing structure if you're going to have the bellydance party at your studio.

'Your Location' parties fall into two types -- pure entertainment and full-service theme. A full-service theme party will also charge by the child, because they're providing food, party favors, plates & cups, party hats, noisemakers, etc. But less than if you were coming to their location.

Pure entertainment (clown, magic show) charges for a show, usually 30-45 minutes.

I'm sure there's a way to do a hybrid party, where you do entertainment and some games but Mom provides the cake, plates, games, etc. Pricing would be a hybrid, too.

There was an article on either the Gilded Serpent or The Hip Circle by a woman who does kid's parties in an all-kids dance club in New York. I'm sorry I don't remember the URL, but I think you'd find some good tips there.

I've been thinking of doing kids parties, but it has never come up.

One thing that occurs to me: sticky little hands on delicate costumes. Plan your wardrobe accordingly. :)

we this type of party.there are a lot of hispanics here, the little girls dance to shakira etc.
the face painting/make up is a good touch !
we once got one of our fire people booked for a super sweet 16
yep, she got their attention with fire fans, then lead them out to the new car with poi.
thank you, cable tv!

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I've thought of doing the same thing too, but the sad fact is I don't like to be around that many young children all at once. Heck, I outsource my own daughter's birthday parties every year because I just can't have 10 little girls running all over my house, hopped up on cake and punch. I'd go bananas
********* we love you ********

I've seen these kinds of parties marketed as "Arabian Princess Parties". If you're going to go after this market, it might make parents feel more excited about hiring you if you have this kind of "kid-focused" title. Some parents might feel strange about having a "belly-dance" party for their little angel.

Mira

Yup - I'm definately thinking the hybrid version...

I'd provide:
the lesson
music
props (veils, thobe for hostess, extra veils to drape the walls?)
games
eye make-up (maybe some temp henna tattoos)
name tags with their arabian princess name (chosen during eye makeover)

The mom provides location, cake, invites, goodie bags, and clean up crew!!

Depending on the age, if you don't want to mess w/eye makeup, I vote for bindis.

Oh, and speaking strictly as a mom who's done a few of these parties...do the entertainment *before* the cake, ice cream & presents!

for sure - I've done LOTS of themed parties for my own kids - cake and such is always the last item.

Oh yeah. Jasmine princess parties are a hit. You can easily tie it into an Aladdin theme.

I have been thinking about this market too. I love kids so I think I would be good at it.

Anyway you should probably add that you will not be the "babysitter" during the parties - the parents need to be in attendance as you will not be responsible for discipline and such. I saw that on a clown's website.

Face (eye?) painting is a good way to pad out the time-frame if you want to create a total party package (and charge more!!), as I agree with the others - 1 hour dance time is a maximum with littlies! I used to work for a kids party business and we would do 45 mins of activities (incl. dance) then face-paint for the remaining 45 mins. Face painting is really time consuming, so limiting the area painted (like just to the eyes) is an excellent idea to ensure ever child gets done. My boss used to bring along a photo album showing the different styles she could do, so kids could point to it and say "that one!"

The more you add to the package the more you can charge, so bindis or other small gifts for each child can be good. I buy cheap fabric scarves whenever I see them in discount stores and keep a big bag for kid's parties - tieing them on is another good time-filler! I also have a dress-up costume for the birthday girl, which consists of a fabric scarf for hips, a small tie-up crop top and a decorated headband, plus a coined scarf for her to keep. But often here, the kids will already be in costume if it's a theme party.

One word on veils - yes, excellent for little girls, but don't use adult-sized ones, especially on polished wood floors! They'll trip over them. You can make kiddie-sized ones by cutting maybe 50cm length across standard width fabric (say, 112cm).

I have a special kid's party bra-and-belt costume that I made out of beaded curtains, so the really little kids are welcome to feel them without me having to worry too much about their sticky fingers.

A final thing - yes, what Nepenthe said! Parents can expect you to look after all the kids without their help - hand 'em over and disappear off for a stiff drink! I will usually say I can handle about 10 kids by myself if they're littlies, but any more and there has to be another parent in the room.

This is a great idea! I'd like to see more of these kind of parties in my town!

Originally Posted by CFerhat

Depending on the age, if you don't want to mess w/eye makeup, I vote for bindis.

I think the bindi idea is great! My instructor used to do kids parties and the B-day girl would get to keep her mini-veil (she bought cheap sheer material and cut 2 yard pieces).

Good Luck!

Please check out my friend's Web site. She's been doing this for awhile. She has hip scarf projects and she does temp tattoos and bracelets as party favors.

Services

I'm very interested in how she "makes" beaded hip scarves with the girls??
caasi@raqabellydance.com

I'm guessing she cuts non-fraying fabric into rectangles that are "kid sized" and then has trim and stuff available for them to attach. I wonder what she has for them to attach the stuff with??? The fabric glue I've seen doesn't dry very quickly...

I think I'm going to borrow the idea... it's so cute!

I've been doing the 'make your own hipscarf' arabic princess parties for two years now and it works really well. It sets me aside from other bellydancers.

I buy burned out velvet (2 euro per meter) and cut it into triangles. I bring craft supplies like felt flowers, stick on gemstones, glitter glue and sequins and let the kids go wild. The scarfs will not be ready for wear right away, but I have them stand together and hold up their scarfs, then take a picture.

After that we practice some dance moves and a little routine to show to the parents. If you tell the children that the glue will dry faster if they spread it out or use less, the scarfs can be ready for use within an hour. Don't forget that all the glue has to be easy to clean up with water.

Originally Posted by caasious

I'm very interested in how she "makes" beaded hip scarves with the girls??

She buys colorful fabric, with designs and usually a lightweight or sheer synthetic. The she glues on fringe and coins. I think she buys it by the yard at Wal-mart or JoAnns. Nowadays you can find lots of fashion beaded fringe. She uses regular fabric glue. I am not sure if she lets the kids glue it on themselves or not. I also think she finishes the edges before she brings the project over, that way there is no fray.