Thread: Important Information for DC VA MD belly dancers

This is an email I sent out to every belly dancer I know of in my area, and I'm posting it here in case I missed anybody:

Hello Belly Dance Teachers, Professionals and Students in the Northern VA - DC - Baltimore area,

There has been some discussion on the DC pro dancers board about rates again. There have been no names given, but I thought I'd take this opportunity to spread the word to every body about the importance of respecting our art form, ourselves and our community.

In general the situation is that a dancer has gone into a restaurant and undercut the going rate in that establishment significantly. It has also been said that there is a teacher who is booking her students at this same very low rate as well for another restaurant gig. I don't know who these individuals are, but this is a story that we've heard far too often.

I'm not accusing anybody, but I would like to share and/or remind everybody in our local dance community that we as dancers need to support each other on rates.

Several professionals in our community have come together and formed a general consensus on what the going rates should be in our DC and Baltimore metro areas. The discussion is always ongoing and open to all professional belly dancers. All you need to do is join the DC pro dancers Yahoo group to put in your say. Here is the link to DC Pro Dancers:

dcprodancers : DC Professional Bellydancers

You need to be approved by the moderator Lucy to join (it is closed list so that professional dancers can feel safe discussing their concerns openly) her email is: lucydances@gmail.com

The rates recommendations were made based on what wages were in the past adjusted for inflation, what it has been proven the market can bear, what a large portion of the dancers are already making and on the expenses and investment required to be a working professional belly dancer in our area.

The recommended minimums should be adhered to by every dancer in the dance community. If you you are just starting your career in the professional belly dance community and don't think you are worth as much as a more seasoned professional, you shouldn't use that as an excuse to undercut. Most seasoned professionals are already making above the recommended minimum or going rate. If you have been working for a while at a place that hasn't raised the wages to the recommended minimum, please ask for a raise or look to work someplace where the pay is better. We shouldn't be supporting venues that continue to pay wages that are inadequate for the requirements of our profession.

Now to the rates for our area:

Washington DC and Baltimore, MD:
** Parties $200 and more per 20 min show ** Restaurants currently are $70-$150 per 20 minute show. New venues
should be started at a minimum of $100 per show.

You will always find these posted on Samira Shuruk's site here:

belly dance rates

Quite honestly there are dancers making more than $150 per dance set at a restaurant show in our area these days and more than $200 for 20 minute shows at a party. The above recommendations also don't include added expenses for travel, or gigs that have special requirements like weddings or holidays. It is standard practice that dancers ask for double their usual rate on holidays such as New Years Eve, Christmas and Valentine's Day when dancers are in high demand or their time is worth more.

If you are dancing for less than these rates, then you are being taken advantage of. If you are asked to split one show into two for the price of one show, your not being paid for your extra time and you are being taken advantage of. If you are charging less than $200 for parties, you are selling yourself short. If you are a professional, don't let yourself be taken advantage of in this way. If you are a teacher, please communicate this information clearly to all your students. If you are an aspiring performer, make a commitment now to always charge an appropriate rate for professional performance when the time comes. Please do not dance for less than the going rate at any professional venue, such as a restaurant, night club, private party, etc. The appropriate places for non-professionals to perform include student haflas and recitals and for friends and family. If you have any question about whether you might be inadvertently undercutting or what is a professional venue and what is not, please discuss it with your teacher.

If you don't understand why the rates are what they are, I recommend reading some articles about the subject:

Event Booking Belly Dance Entertainment - Shems - Professional Belly Dancer serving Washington DC & Baltimore

Standard rates and professional links and guidelines

Welcome to Morocco's Meanderings

Please forward this email on to all your students, professional dance colleagues and fellow teachers so nobody will be ignorant of this subject.

Thank you, Shems.

i like how you guys organized it

Quick question, does this include the Qantico area? I hear that it is a more small/quite town, we are plaining on moving there I want to know if this applys to me. thanks

also have you posted this on myspace? there are several groups on there, maybe where the nipple tassely girls hang.......

You are brave. I respect what you're doing here.

Originally Posted by Lauren_

You are brave. I respect what you're doing here.

I know what you mean, Lauren.

But if I found out that my teacher had garnered $ for me at a gig when I could get $$$ as the going rate, I'd be pretty peeved and want to know why I wasn't getting paid appropriately!

Deborah

Originally Posted by annwyn

Quick question, does this include the Qantico area? I hear that it is a more small/quite town, we are plaining on moving there I want to know if this applys to me. thanks

hey, may as well keep than info..............oh, and welcome in advance! can't wait to finally meet you!

we worked pretty hard in the whole tri-state area to get those rates, and damn if we'll let it drop!

you know...I should have mentioned that if you are getting a job at a venue that already has dancers, it would be a good idea to find out what the other dancers are making, so you can make sure to negotiate for at least that amount, or better.

oops, oh well...

Thanks so much Shems. This took time and courage.
There is quite possibly an owner or two right now intent on bringing down the "greedy, uppity dancers".
Putting things in perspective, though. Some owners are trying to get the rates back down to what they WERE for FIFTEEN years. Let's see how that looks on paper.
Dancer A drives 50 miles to gig and 50 miles home. At the government rates of just over 50c mile- that's over $50 in mileage. This owner is offering her LESS THAN $10 for what amounts to THREE HOURS of her time.
I believe we are being gracious in being so polite in the face of an "offer" that is truly quite an insult.
Owners DO pay more when dancers realize what our craft is worth. It only works if we are fair with ourselves and realistic about OUR investments and OUR time. We are not greedy to think of dance as a business and that we should be able to afford to work on our craft, pay our bills etc. There are NO dancers out there buying multiple houses or chains of expensive coffee houses in Egypt.
I'm happy to support businesses that support the dance. I think it's important to support venues in various ways. I like many owners and think they are very nice. I don't like being lied to or being used and it saddens me to see that it works on other dancers because they really want to get out there.

Originally Posted by Lauren_

You are brave. I respect what you're doing here.

You've totally hit it on the nail.. Shems you kick ass.

-Mina

Samira, Shems...any time you want to move to Boston to raise our rates here, feel free. What you have done down there is amazing. Applause.

Originally Posted by Nepenthe

Samira, Shems...any time you want to move to Boston to raise our rates here, feel free. What you have done down there is amazing. Applause.

the biggest thing was living by example...............getting most/all in the community on the same page......and practicing what is preached

it's HARD to say no to ANY gig, but once you decide what you're worth, you stick with it..............THEN the rates go up.......that's what happened with one 'problem child' in baltimore...........they lost 1/2 their good dancers and almost lost another good one before they doubled their rate............

it's amazing what a community can do.......all venues were pretty much hearing the same quote from every dancer..........so any community can do it just by agreeing on a base rate and EVERYONE quoting it.............

Originally Posted by Nepenthe

Samira, Shems...any time you want to move to Boston to raise our rates here, feel free. What you have done down there is amazing. Applause.

Oooh, yes! If you could make a pit stop in Connecticut on your way, allow me to wine and dine you. We really need more "uppity" dancers like you in my neck of the woods....too much shawarma going around.

I mean, don't get me wrong: shawarma sure is delightful. Unfortunately, the tax man doesn't seem to think so at the end of the year. .p::

Kudos, once again, for raising the bar!

Originally Posted by Lauren_

You are brave. I respect what you're doing here.

Not really...what can happen, I lose gigs that don't pay enough anyway?

I've learned that when I respect myself and my art, I can win respect and reasonable compensation in return. I'm in a good position to be honest as are several other dancers in my community who regularly speak openly to everybody about wages and ethics.

We love our art, we respect it and we respect ourselves. All we want is enough compensation to continue doing it well and pay the bills and we want that for everybody.

I just want to give the opportunity to other dancers in our community who might not be so connected to get on the same page.

Originally Posted by SatinWorship19

Oooh, yes! If you could make a pit stop in Connecticut on your way, allow me to wine and dine you. We really need more "uppity" dancers like you in my neck of the woods....too much shawarma going around.

I mean, don't get me wrong: shawarma sure is delightful. Unfortunately, the tax man doesn't seem to think so at the end of the year. .p::

Kudos, once again, for raising the bar!

I'm actually not raising the bar, just informing people about the bar. Raising comes later when we can get more dancers communicating.

I will do everything in my power to keep this up as I start working more in the area. I feel that its so important for a community of dancers to work together to make sure they are getting what they deserve for the what that they do.

I wish everyone could realize that working together and communicating will only make us more successful.