Thread: Pipe dream?

So...is dancing for actual pay somewhere besides a restaurant a pipe dream in this economy when you don't live in New York, Miami, LA, or some other large city? I feel like I'm busting my a## and I don't know if I'm getting anywhere. Not to mention the investments I'm making in costuming, etc... And, I've found out recently that someone local is undercutting everyone, so some of us are losing jobs to this person. ..cr.:

I'm getting worn out over it. Maybe I should sell the costumes & have a baby instead..w.:

Heck, I'd even like to dance in some other people's shows/haflas/etc..., but can't afford the travel!! And, can't take the time off work!

How does everyone do it???..c::

And, to top it off, I haven't even got a decent video of me doing a solo performance--all the video footage I have is either grainy and barely visible, or with other people.

Well, you could organize and put on your own shows of various kinds. That is what we do here. Other paying gigs are extremely rare.

Organizing your own events is a great thing - or you could do what we're trying to do here in our little corner of the world... open new/different venues and other areas of performing (other than the traditional ones we all know/do)

I'm really just getting started, but will def post progress as an if make it work.
I beleive that the more the gp is exposed to our art, the more will want to learn, and see it.

Originally Posted by Sonja2

How does everyone do it???..c::

Well when you figure it out please let me know. I feel like I'm going nowhere fast...cr.:

Originally Posted by AngelaDiCaprio

Well when you figure it out please let me know. I feel like I'm going nowhere fast...cr.:

Sounds like we can commiserate together, then.

Putting on my own show would be a great thing....if we weren't already saturated here with everyone else putting on their own shows. Some of the them are great, some not so great, but either way, it's pretty covered up----and I've noticed all we seem to be pulling to the shows are each other......c:: In other words, we get our small Arab community, a handful of people who like the art, and a big gaggle of the same 50 or so bellydancers and their families--and because there are so many opportunities (which is great, mind you) to attend shows & workshops, even that is falling off because we all have to make choices on how to spend our money.

I guess I'm just feeling discouraged...spinning wheels. I get so much JOY out of performing for other people, and making them laugh (!!) I go through withdrawal ,r:; Oh well. I guess I'll just keep going to therapy ..l;,..cr.:..l;,

I'm not sure how bellydancing outside restaurants goes down in your neck of the woods, but can you try to promote yourself to schools, councils, nursing homes, colleges, etc? Plus, can you look at offering combined performance/workshop packages? Just to give some ideas, here's a list of some of my recent non-restaurant/private party gigs:

- Performance at Town Hall, hired by council health service for Mental Health Week
- Performance/workshop package for IT department at a university, as part of their health-in-the-workplace initiative
- Peformance for international students at university, as part of their multicultural night dinner
- Performance at a house for young adults with acquired brain injury, hired by their management
- Performance at nursing home for their 'Arabian Nights' day
- Performance for Vietnamese seniors group, based at a community centre, for their Mothers' Day celebratory lunch
- Performance/workshop package for Corporate Christmas party
- High school workshops as part of their fitness program
-Workshops for primary school holiday care program
- Hen's party workshop package
- Kid's party workshop package

The most common way I get these gigs is through my website (I put lots of downloadable info on there so it gets ranked higher), but I've also developed marketing material specific to lots of different types of gigs - for eg, I've done mailouts to nursing homes, schools, advertised in the party section of parent's magazines. The hen's/kids parties make up a large proportion of my gigs, and they really started happening once I came up with a well-defined package offering. OK, they're mostly teaching, but I still get to do a short performance at each one!

I've also found that once you've been hired by a local council/community centre in one department, the others hire you too, so sending a promotional package to local councils and centres might help.

(NB: a lot of these gigs for councils, nursing homes, workplaces, etc, happen during day)

PS - It's been a few years of slow-going on the performance front to build up a reputation and have this amount of gigs come my way. It's kinda like the snowball has to start rolling and develop a momentum of it's own. I hope your own snowball starts rolling soon!

Originally Posted by jewelbellydance

I'm not sure how bellydancing outside restaurants goes down in your neck of the woods, but can you try to promote yourself to schools, councils, nursing homes, colleges, etc? Plus, can you look at offering combined performance/workshop packages? Just to give some ideas, here's a list of some of my recent non-restaurant/private party gigs:

- Performance at Town Hall, hired by council health service for Mental Health Week
- Performance/workshop package for IT department at a university, as part of their health-in-the-workplace initiative
- Peformance for international students at university, as part of their multicultural night dinner
- Performance at a house for young adults with acquired brain injury, hired by their management
- Performance at nursing home for their 'Arabian Nights' day
- Performance for Vietnamese seniors group, based at a community centre, for their Mothers' Day celebratory lunch
- Performance/workshop package for Corporate Christmas party
- High school workshops as part of their fitness program
-Workshops for primary school holiday care program
- Hen's party workshop package
- Kid's party workshop package

The most common way I get these gigs is through my website (I put lots of downloadable info on there so it gets ranked higher), but I've also developed marketing material specific to lots of different types of gigs - for eg, I've done mailouts to nursing homes, schools, advertised in the party section of parent's magazines. The hen's/kids parties make up a large proportion of my gigs, and they really started happening once I came up with a well-defined package offering. OK, they're mostly teaching, but I still get to do a short performance at each one!

I've also found that once you've been hired by a local council/community centre in one department, the others hire you too, so sending a promotional package to local councils and centres might help.

(NB: a lot of these gigs for councils, nursing homes, workplaces, etc, happen during day)

PS - It's been a few years of slow-going on the performance front to build up a reputation and have this amount of gigs come my way. It's kinda like the snowball has to start rolling and develop a momentum of it's own. I hope your own snowball starts rolling soon!

Thank you, this is great information! You are right. I do need to work on some things on my website, some reorganization, now that I have been monitoring traffic comings and goings for a bit. I'll check out your website...sounds like it must be a great one!!

Retirement communities are a rich source of gigs, especially in areas outside major cities. Most of ours have a rather low budget -- pay is about the same as restaurant, or even a bit lower if you include the free meal you'd be getting at the restaurant! But they're usually more spacious than restaurants, with a more attentive and appreciative audience.

Bridal showers are also a popular lesson-plus-performance venue around here, but like Jewel said it's more about the lesson than the performance.

Multicultural days at colleges and multicultural festivals are still paying venues (unless your local volunteer brigade has already gotten hold of them) BUT I always feel obligated to present a specific country and represent folk dances from that country. Showing bellydance as a vague representation of 'middle east' smacks of the worst kind of orientalism, sends a very inaccurate message to an audience that believes it's getting educated, and wouldn't make the average Middle Eastern person very happy.

These are all great ideas ladies. I just wanted to add that if you are looking to make money,producing your own event is not the best way to go about it. I live in LA and have been producing my own professional shows here for about a year now. Im lucky if I break even. It's a lot of work, which I don't mind, but if I were in it for the money I would not be very happy. Good luck with finding more in your area. These are all great places to start.

Originally Posted by Kashmir_LA

These are all great ideas ladies. I just wanted to add that if you are looking to make money,producing your own event is not the best way to go about it. I live in LA and have been producing my own professional shows here for about a year now. Im lucky if I break even. It's a lot of work, which I don't mind, but if I were in it for the money I would not be very happy. Good luck with finding more in your area. These are all great places to start.

Yes, I agree, our troupe shows just barely break even. I'm not really in it for the money, so much as I am looking for opportunities to dance, but I do want to be paid for my gas & time...not looking to live off of it...but also don't want to undercut anyone else.

Originally Posted by Kashmir_LA

These are all great ideas ladies. I just wanted to add that if you are looking to make money,producing your own event is not the best way to go about it. I live in LA and have been producing my own professional shows here for about a year now. Im lucky if I break even. It's a lot of work, which I don't mind, but if I were in it for the money I would not be very happy. Good luck with finding more in your area. These are all great places to start.

I've produced Market at the Casbah in Orange County (CA USA) for 10 years and I usually make money at it -- not much, but I do come out in the black.

Everything else I've produced? Not so much . . . but I think I'm getting that figured out -- finally!

Event production is definitely not for the faint of heart!

Deborah

Not sure how you feel about belllygrams, but there used to be a dancer in my area who advertised in the "nickel ads" and the like and got tons of bellygram gigs.

Originally Posted by dunyah

Not sure how you feel about belllygrams, but there used to be a dancer in my area who advertised in the "nickel ads" and the like and got tons of bellygram gigs.

'Grams were my bread and butter for the first 5 years of my "pro" career . . .

Deborah