Thread: if you don't use a dance name...

... can you share your experience with that? pros/cons?

i have been dancing under my real name (first name only). i had my reasons for it, but now i'm planning to create a website and i have been thinking about if i should change my mind on that. i guess i feel that by creating a website with my name on it, i am *really* putting myself out there and there's no going back... so i want to feel confident in my naming choice...

I use my real name. I use it on my website. I hope I don't regret it one day, either. Virginia Mendez uses her real name. My dance teacher, Alexia, uses *close* to her real name, Alexis, and has for 30 years. I don't put my last name. I'm interested to hear what other say...

If you're using only first name, I think it's fine.

If you're using both first and last name, think carefully. How would you feel if you apply for a mundane job 5 years from now and they google you and find your belly dance presence on the web? If it wouldn't bother you to have them find it, then go ahead and use it. But if there's some chance you'd prefer to not disclose that to a stuffed-shirt corporate employer, then that's something you should consider.

i use my real name because that is who i am.
it also respects my father who gave me this blood.
i do/can not assume another persona to dance..(used to method act, hated it ) when i dance, i NEED to dance..it is who i am...what you see is what is there.i am "me" with my art/gift.
it has never gotten my in trouble.my address is not printed anywhere.
in fact, if anything it has helped me in my life .

I use a version of my real first name, no last name. I'm very happy with this arrangement. It's simple, practical, and feels like me while still being just fancy enough for showbiz. It goes well with my stage personality, which my husband and friends describe as "you, amplified" or "you, only more so." For safety and privacy, my business phone number and website address are not (easily) traceable to my physical address.

I have friends who use their real full names and others who use completely different dance names -- there's really no rule. I would advise giving it a lot of thought and choosing to use a name that you'll be comfortable sticking with, because changing your name once you've become established can be a real pain. Other than that caveat, though, it's mostly just a matter of what you feel suits you best.

Suzana

I use my first name. I've never had a problem but I get annoyed with people who ask me why I don't have a stage name.

One thing that's nice is when I am paid by check, I don't have to have a DBA, I just add my last name (or not, sometimes I forget) to the check.

I use my real name. For me, it was a good choice. I think when using your first name only, it would be good to have an emergency 'stage' last name that you use, and start using that in your dance life whenever you are *forced* to write a last name (as sometimes happens on forms etc.)

I use to use a stage name different from my real name - it was "Sahana". When I first began dancing, most everyone chose a dance name, so I thought that I had to too.

But now that I've been dancing 5 years and since I was planning to move to Houston anyway, I thought that would be a good time to change it to my real name- Anna.

I always felt that using Sahana felt strange to me. And I always had problems knowing when to use it. I liked Sahana, but I felt like Anna, my truest self, was expressed on stage and not Sahana.

Does that make sense?

The character I was on stage was/is my truest self and not a character I make up.

I can understand that many people like to be "another" character, but I have so much trouble expressing myself in my everyday life, I long for those precious moments on stage when I'm free to express who I am, all the emotions and feelings...

I don't use my last names (2) though..for security reasons.

I use my real name, and I switched to it from a stage name about 7 or 8 years into my performing career (it was in the late 90s/2000 that I really pushed it). I was done with regular restaurant dancing, was starting to teach dance, was traveling more to Egypt, was really into studying Arabic, and just felt like it was all connected to who I really was and to the work I wanted to be doing. The fantasy aspect of having a stage name for patrons of foreign clubs was no longer a big part of my dancing (this was pretty much why my teachers and employers made us have them). I was also tired of people asking me if I was Muslim (not because I find the question offensive on its own, but because I felt like a poser!). It was a great decision for me, and I am happy about my choice.

I also asked my family how they felt about it, and got positive feedback (even from the old Mediterranean folks, somewhat surprisingly!). That was important to me, and they are proud and supportive of what I do.

My last name is connected to me as a dancer, too, and yes, when I am googled it becomes apparent what I do. I can live with that, though I have considered taking a staged last name at times. (If it ever happens, I am leaning towards Monica Zaki, as my dance name used to be Zakiyya.) But we'll see.

Anyway, using my given name it has been positive for me, and I respect those who choose differently (and hope I get the same respect back!).

I added an 'a' to my first name, I found that to be the case with most dancers. It seems to be easier for most people to pronounce a name with an 'a' at the end. I would not, however, ever give my last name out. Granted it is Mexican/Spanish but it is a name you surprisingly never hear in Southern California. And if someone does recognize it, it's usually because they know my rancho/charreria familia.
And that's a whole other issue in itself.

I am in concurrence with Monica and Anna above, I had danced under a stage name for a number of years, but felt a bit silly using an "arabic" name in some situations, then my real name in others. I know some dancers have truly embraced their stage names and basically always refer to themselves as such, but that wasn't me. I do not want to "act" as a bellydancer and that's what having a stage name was to me, personally. I prefer to be myself, "only more so"! As mentioned by others, I appreciate and respect all who put their names out there, in the public eye, whether it's an assumed dance name or their real life one.

I dance under my real first name, have it on my website, no problem.

Honestly, if you're publishing your teaching/performing schedule -- which you must -- it seems irrelevant. If a stalker wanted to find me, they'd go to my website or pick up my flyer, see where and when I teach/perform, and wait for me in a parking lot. Knowing my real first name wouldn't help or hurt them.

You can't look up a home phone number or address using just a first name anyway. And most restaurant staff, students, etc. know your real name and would tell anyone who asked them without thinking twice.

No problems here either. I definitely avoid using my last name though (which is quite difficult sometimes!).

I agree with what has been said!

Having a stage name never really worked for me so I gave it up. Some people absorb aka's really well and becomes who they are, others don't.

What worked well for me was keeping my first name, but changing the spelling. Mostly because my first name is so hopelessy anglo-saxon and personally it jarred with my self-image of me as a dancer.

I use my real first name for 2 reasons

1. I wanted to dance as me, it's a big part of who I am, I've always danced and it felt weird to give myself a dance name - like I was trying to create a different personae or divorce the dance from me as a whole and I didn't want to do that.

2. I'm as English looking as they come - it seemed a bit stupid giving myself an exotic or 'foreign' sounding name then this completely anglo-saxon looking dancer would turn up.

Anyway I quite like my name, might as well use it. It's never been a problem using my real name.

I use my real name, first name & surname, because that's *me*. I have very strong views about how my name & my personal sense of identity are connected.

I've always told prospective employers in my day-job (lawyer) that I teach dance and if they ask, I'm happy to tell them what kind of dance. So I don't need to separate my evening life from my day-time life.

And actually, the fact that I have a website which gives my real name has been helpful to me in my personal life (it's allowed friends I'd lost touch with to find me) and in the last couple of weeks it's helped, in a very minor way, the police with a potential murder enquiry (don't ask!- it's totally weird & random!)

I use my full name and have always done so. It is who I am and who I am when I dance. I have never had a problem and feel that even if I did use a stage name it would not stop any stalkers who were serious about it. I personally would feel very odd taking a dance name and have never felt the need to. I never made an issue of using my last name but for some reason it was always listed in programs (even when other dancer's names were not) so now that tends to be how I am billed. Restaurants tend only to know my first name but that is simply because no one has asked for a last name.

My legal last name (the one on my driver's license) is my husband's last name. I actually have had some issues with...erm...weird people calling me, following, etc., so I'm a little sensitive about the issue. Also, my husband is in a profession that exposes him to large numbers of people some of whom feel inclined to search him/our name online etc., and for different reasons, it may not always be the most comfortable thing--for either of us--for me/my website to be one of the first things that pops up. Also, I'm a very private person outside my "public" and social life. It may sound odd, but there are certain things/parts of myself that I really prefer to reserve only for my immediate family.

So, for these and other reasons, I have my dance business, a checking account, a P.O. box, etc. registered in my stage name (my Arabic name as my surname instead of my husband's last name.) Creating this bit of distance between our work and private spheres seems to have been helpful in our situation.

I don't think there's any problem with you just using your real first name, as you can see a lot of people do it (myself included).
But you should never use your real frist and last name for security reasons and all other reasons mentioned here. It's not necessarry anyways.

Ona side note: bellydancers in Russia and Hungary use their real first and last name, and I never understood how and why that trend became, but thre are a lot less girls using just one name (whether it's their real, fantasy or Arabic). I know of one girl who has an exitic full name, but everyone else sounds weird to me.

thank you for the advice, everyone! i've decided to keep using my name.

Originally Posted by AnnaTX

The character I was on stage was/is my truest self and not a character I make up.

I can understand that many people like to be "another" character, but I have so much trouble expressing myself in my everyday life, I long for those precious moments on stage when I'm free to express who I am, all the emotions and feelings...

thanks. this is one of the things that i was really feeling - i just didn't know how to express it.

eta: and i like my name :)

I use a stage name for many reasons.

1 - There are dancers out there that have my birth name already and that would lead to some confusion
2 - My dance name found me (in a dream) so I felt that I had to go with it - like it was calling me
3 - I have a business with the same name so I have people write checks to my business name "Ravena Designs"

This is a personal choice really. I - personally - like the idea of two names. I work in the IT corporate world and really would prefer that my employer(s) not know about my personal life. No matter how much I fight it - employers still judge.

For me - It is a character. There is no way I could carry off "Ravena" in the workplace. Nor could I carry off my "bulldog corporate life" in the bellydance world. I need that separation. Because what I do during the day and what I do in my free time are like oil and water. They would NOT mix well - LOL

I tried to take on a Middle Eastern stage name, but it just didn't fit, for a number of reasons.

I've been dancing with just my first name, but it sounds like it needs something to me. Something to give it some oomph. I have reservations about dancing with my full name, although I'm not someone who is fully professional, for several reasons. My last name, also, is something I've never really liked and is also as anglo as it gets. In addition, I don't necessarily have stalkers, but there are people whom I would prefer never to encounter again. For this reason, I was thinking of using my mother's maiden name.

Since it's part of my family and heritage, it doesn't feel foreign to me. It's Italian, so while it's not middle eastern, it still makes me feel a little more exotic than my super-anglo last name. But then I also go back to this: If I'm a good dancer, does it matter what my name is?

thoughts?

Originally Posted by rachelw

But then I also go back to this: If I'm a good dancer, does it matter what my name is?

thoughts?

I don't think it matters so much, especially if you are not going to go pro. I would say that if you ever do want to go pro, it may matter because of commonalities in names can cause confusion and a website may already be out there so you would have trouble with that. I have seen even exotic looking dancer with plain Jane names. For me, it is the dancing, the GP may expect, want something with more of an exotic flare. Like people have said, that is no reason to dance under a name that you don't want to, but it may effect things down the line.

Short story long, dance under the name that makes you feel comfortable and inspires you to dance.

Here's my dance name story...

David - I was getting too many biblical discussions out of it
DaVid the Male Bellydancer of Norway - then I moved to Sweden
DaVid the Male Bellydancer of Scandinavia - it was the longest stage name in the Rakkasah West program that year...

And then I ended up with
DaVid of Scandinavia - since DaVid is a man's name anyway I felt no need to include that part... I dance more than Middle Eastern dance and I wanted the versatility in the name as well.

Once in a while I wonder if I should drop of Scandinavia for my last name, but then I realize that most people cant say DaVid right (its Dejvid), so why make life more difficult for them. Also, DaVid of Scandinavia is very well established now... why mess with something that's already working.... I mean, if I was going by my humor it would have to be DaVid of Scandiego...but that sounds like I'm talking about something scandalous instead of playing on words mixing Scandinavia and San Diego.... and what if I move? Will I then be DaVid of Scandallas or DaVid of ScanFrancisco? nah, DaVid of Scandinavia it is! :)))

David was the name I was given by my parents - and if they gave me such an international name instead of a mile long Indian name... it's just wrong to mess with it. I mean, can you imagine having to announce the dancer Ramakrishna Jwaharlal Shivatanam Shrivastam Jaghatbramcharinam? *joke*

DaVid