Thread: Audience participation without losing the floor

I have a difficult time with this one. At the restaurant I dance at, there's no "stage" per se', and we dance 3-4 "appearances" of around 8 to 10 minutes, rather than one 20 minute show, etc... In between appearances, there is a dance floor, and people get up to dance.

We're in a college town so there are a LOT of young girls who get up & jiggle in some way form or fashion. However, there are some who think they are the next Suzy Nippletassles, and they will get up and snuggle up to the drummer, dance table-to-table, and (not kidding) literally jump up and KNOCK THE PERFORMER OUT OF THE WAY during a set, if it's a song they like. In fact, I had one bizarre young Turkish woman get down on the floor in front of the drummer (during my set) and do a kneeling backbend while trying to shimmy. She looked like she was having a seizure to me, but the tables around clapped for her, which just aggravated her ridiculous behavior (she then went table to table).

I love audience participation and would hate it if people never got up to dance, so I tolerate ignorance on the part of some young girls who really want attention, and will sit down while they hog the floor, etc... But there are times when I have just really lost the floor to some of these people, and haven't been able to gain it back. What do you all do in that situation? Give up? Move to a different are of the restaurant (usually my coping mechanism)?

I'm really truly stunned by girls who think it's normal to go out to a bar/restaurant and, dressed as Joe Q. Public, dance table to table! I mean, when you're the performer it's expected..but if I were at dinner and some college kid came up shaking her pelvis in my face wearing her Levi's and Gap T-shirt, I'd wonder what on earth the problem was!!! ..c::

I dance at restaurants with no stage too.I am always concerned when I get some people up to dance at the end of the show and they stand there legs wide open pelvic thrusting etc ,they have have no way seen me doing this but this is their version of what I've done *sigh*.The GP idea of a bellydancer can be very odd and bears no resemblance to what they have just seen more to whats in their head.Sadly that takes some shifting.,r:;

Originally Posted by Sonja2

I have a difficult time with this one. At the restaurant I dance at, there's no "stage" per se', and we dance 3-4 "appearances" of around 8 to 10 minutes, rather than one 20 minute show, etc... In between appearances, there is a dance floor, and people get up to dance.

We're in a college town so there are a LOT of young girls who get up & jiggle in some way form or fashion. However, there are some who think they are the next Suzy Nippletassles, and they will get up and snuggle up to the drummer, dance table-to-table, and (not kidding) literally jump up and KNOCK THE PERFORMER OUT OF THE WAY during a set, if it's a song they like. In fact, I had one bizarre young Turkish woman get down on the floor in front of the drummer (during my set) and do a kneeling backbend while trying to shimmy. She looked like she was having a seizure to me, but the tables around clapped for her, which just aggravated her ridiculous behavior (she then went table to table).

I love audience participation and would hate it if people never got up to dance, so I tolerate ignorance on the part of some young girls who really want attention, and will sit down while they hog the floor, etc... But there are times when I have just really lost the floor to some of these people, and haven't been able to gain it back. What do you all do in that situation? Give up? Move to a different are of the restaurant (usually my coping mechanism)?

I'm really truly stunned by girls who think it's normal to go out to a bar/restaurant and, dressed as Joe Q. Public, dance table to table! I mean, when you're the performer it's expected..but if I were at dinner and some college kid came up shaking her pelvis in my face wearing her Levi's and Gap T-shirt, I'd wonder what on earth the problem was!!! ..c::

The classic restaurant owner answer to this is that you are 'too shy'

/bitter


Z

I do what I do with pushy men in a club - smile and dance with them for one song, give a shallow hug/back pat and say "thank you so much for the dance!". It usually gets them to sit down, but if they don't, usually the audience thinks it's funny that they didn't get the hint!

It is really obnoxious though and if they won't sit down, I just go on with my show, taking up as much room as possible and really projecting my presence. I think that to most people, these hijackers would look absolutley foolish.

Are you losing the floor to just one or two people, or is the whole dance floor filling up?

If it's the whole dance floor, you've obviously gotten the crowd energized and raring to go - good job! I'd just circulate and go with it.

If it's just one or two drunk chicks who don't know when they've overstayed their welcome I might try:

- going over to them, stopping, clapping and encouraging the crowd to give them a hand (Thanks for coming out, let's give this lady a hand, folks!), then I'd put my hand on the small of his or her back, gesturing with the other arm towards their seat, (Time to go)

- Dancing over to them and get them to copy you, doing increasingly HARD moves that they will not be able to do. When you think they've had enough, proceed to #1

Originally Posted by Candi

I dance at restaurants with no stage too.I am always concerned when I get some people up to dance at the end of the show and they stand there legs wide open pelvic thrusting etc ,they have have no way seen me doing this but this is their version of what I've done *sigh*.The GP idea of a bellydancer can be very odd and bears no resemblance to what they have just seen more to whats in their head.Sadly that takes some shifting.,r:;

I wouldn't be too concerned. While the GP's idea of a bellydancer can be rather odd...The GP as your audience before those pelvic thrusting booty babes get up has already gained the knowledge and understood from your professional presentation what a bellydancer is.

They see the difference very plain and clearly ..g.:

I usually get really friendly with these types - it tends to get the audience even more excited when they see someone confident enough to really do her thing (no matter what it might be). I'll dance with them, doing easy things like back-to-back shoulder shimmies but throwing in some more difficult things now and then to make it clear that one of us is a professional... And when I'm ready to move on I either clap until they sit down or take on another area of the venue if it's a big space. I think that, in general, people like to see other people having a good time (as well as a belly dancer who gets the women involved) and if everyone is getting down during your set you can usually consider it a success! Of course, I understand that since the sets are so short, it is more difficult to have time to establish your territory AND share the spotlight. In cases like that, I might just start the set with something really dramatic, slow, and mesmerizing, perhaps using a sword or candles even, which might discourage immediate participation, and then break into an upbeat number during which I could graciously open the stage to Suzy Nippletassels and all her coed cohorts.

At one of my venues I get a lot of drunk/stoned girls who are all dirty dancing with each other and giving me nasty looks while I dance. They also steal my tip money off the floor on the rare occasion that anyone there tips me. I just dance to the other side of the room and ignore them. A couple times I have danced over to the bouncer and had him ask the girls to have a seat.

Originally Posted by LeylaFahada

It is really obnoxious though and if they won't sit down, I just go on with my show, taking up as much room as possible and really projecting my presence. I think that to most people, these hijackers would look absolutley foolish.

I honestly used my hip to knock one of these girls out of the way one weekend. ,r:; It was the only "innocent" way to reclaim my turf. She got the hint. The others didn't. I agree....they do look silly to onlookers, but still get on my freakin' nerves!!!

Originally Posted by bellyfina

I usually get really friendly with these types - it tends to get the audience even more excited when they see someone confident enough to really do her thing (no matter what it might be). I'll dance with them, doing easy things like back-to-back shoulder shimmies but throwing in some more difficult things now and then to make it clear that one of us is a professional... And when I'm ready to move on I either clap until they sit down or take on another area of the venue if it's a big space. I think that, in general, people like to see other people having a good time (as well as a belly dancer who gets the women involved) and if everyone is getting down during your set you can usually consider it a success! Of course, I understand that since the sets are so short, it is more difficult to have time to establish your territory AND share the spotlight. In cases like that, I might just start the set with something really dramatic, slow, and mesmerizing, perhaps using a sword or candles even, which might discourage immediate participation, and then break into an upbeat number during which I could graciously open the stage to Suzy Nippletassels and all her coed cohorts.

This is usually what I do. I do truly love for people to dance, and would be depressed if they didn't (i.e. would think I had failed to do my job for the night) and usually leave a dance floor full of people at the end of the night. It's when I've just started a set and haven't invited anyone up that I get irritated. And the table-to-table thing just bewilders me. Oh well.,r:;

Originally Posted by Asra*

- Dancing over to them and get them to copy you, doing increasingly HARD moves that they will not be able to do. When you think they've had enough, proceed to #1

I like this idea.

I also think you should draw attention by moving to another part of the restaurant. Maybe start doing veil on the other side of the restaurant or balance a sword. That will put focus your way and will make the "suzies" realize that they are NOT the attention.

Now - I think props are a good distraction. People like to see shiny things. An out of this world shiny costume with a prop - everyone is gonna look your way.