Thread: finding jobs

I have listings in several places. have cards. where to put them. where to find work. I want to work. heck I need to. HELP !!!!!!.w.:

My number one source of gigs is my website, so that's the first thing I suggest a dancer investing in.

right now I have a myspace page just for potential clients.

Originally Posted by Devona-Ankhsunamon

I have listings in several places. have cards. where to put them. where to find work. I want to work. heck I need to. HELP !!!!!!.w.:

What about giving some to wedding/event planners and putting some at bridal boutiques?

Originally Posted by Devona-Ankhsunamon

right now I have a myspace page just for potential clients.

I'm just speaking from my own experience, but when using common search engines like Google/Yahoo/MSN, I tend to not see a lot of myspace pages come up high in the rankings. Especially in a really competitive market like Chicago, it's hard for people to find you if you're way back on page 35. In fact, I Googled your dance name specifically, and your myspace page didn't show up at all.

You could try entertainment sites that have high search engine rankings, like PartyPop or GigMasters, but again, in such a competitive market, even a paid listing is going to be rather lost in the shuffle.

Also, another thing I'm seeing myself is that gigs are really down for me. I'm not sure how it is down in Chicago, but up here no one seems to want to spend the money for a Belly Dancer with the economy so bad. The last two summers, I was very busy, but this summer has resulted in very few gigs.

If you study with someone, perhaps your teacher could help out? Several of the established belly dance instructors in our area have long-standing "connections" which could prove helpful. What types of gigs do you want? I would think weddings might be hard to find. I got a gig a long time ago by becoming friends with the owner of a sari shop on Devon. I was into making my own costumes back then and found some lovely fabric in her shop. I know that the Indian community often hires belly dancers for events. You might also try making some connections in Greektown.

:o)

I agree with Laura. You need a website. I get lots of requests that I can't fill - I often refer the clients to two dancers, one with a website and one without. Invariably, the clients are more interested in the dancer with the website.

Originally Posted by Devona-Ankhsunamon

right now I have a myspace page just for potential clients.

Though there is no substitute for a beautifully designed, professional website, I've gotten three gigs recently via MySpace - one is shaping up to be a regular gig at a very upscale Indian restaurant! I definitely wouldn't rule out the possibility of lucking out on there. You just have to tailor your site to the needs of those who are looking for you.

A lot of nightclubs send out their feelers through promoters who lurk on MySpace, Facebook and other social networking sites. They're not necessarily looking for entertainers, per se, but for people to invite to their events and network with. They love to see that I have several pictures of myself performing in lounges and clubs and that I have a look that's very conducive to those venues.

Do bear in mind, however, that MySpace and social networking sites only seem to work for 1. audiences of a younger age group, 2. venues of a younger, clubbier nature looking to create ambience, and 3. those who are savvy enough to figure out how to navigate MySpace for business networking. (Everyone's on MySpace, but not everyone really knows how to use it!)

As far as private parties and other gigs, get thee a PartyPop listing and a website. If you can't afford a website for now, get a GooglePages or Yahoo site (free hosting), make it as simple or elaborate as you wish, hook up with some agencies and event directories, and refer all inquiries back to your "official" corner of the Internet.

hubby been promising for months to help me do web site. getting to point of hitting him with frying pan.