Thread: Yet another client horror story!

FEBRUARY, I get a call from an entertainment agency ~ They needed bellydancers & musicians for a HUGE client for a HUGE event for 1000's of people at BIG stadium.

quoted them my prices, got everyone's availability, etc.

Agency says, fine, we'll get back to you.

I wait a month, call back,

Agency: We ran it by huge client, they loved it, saw your site, etc., blah blah , called your references, blah blah , everything good to go, we're just waiting for huge client to sign the contract.

ok

A few months later - oh - around May, I start getting panicked calls from agency worrying themselves into an aneurysim about our costuming.
I reminded them that they contacted my references, seen my site, etc. I reassured them we wouldn't wear anything that would offend anyone of ME heritage.

Agency: wanted some pics of costumes we would wear.
Me: Sent them back,to my website, plus emailed pics.
told them we would wear dresses from Egypt that cost $$$, that everywhere I dance is owned by people from the ME, and they love my costuming, blah blah.

Here is what Agency decides is the HEIGHT of professionalism and beautiful costuming ~ they want me, and my other dancers to wear, at a HUGE GIG, mind you, in front of 1000's, for a REALLY HUGE client



.w.:

I called them back & let them know nicely: that the costume pic they sent me is a student costume - that the costumes I sent them were made IN EGYPT, by a famous Egyptian atelier, & they cost $600 + dollars, & that I would not show up in the costume they sent me.
I kept getting emails from them of their "Costume ideas", suffice it to say, I turned them all down.
The WORST was, they wanted us to wear tacky bra/belt combos with "flowing full material" ? around the middle and FACE VEILS!

I called them IMMEDIATELY and said, and I quote" "I don't wear a face veil for anybody ~ IF you're so worried about offending ME people in the audience with costuming, don't you think that they might be offended by the obvious oriental/racism implicit in that?

Them: "HUH, guess you're right,you know what you're doing".

They were so unbelievably unprofessional! the suggestions they had! I swear I thought it was Halloween in the 3rd grade!

Long story short,1 week before my contract deadline, which is 2 weeks before the event, which I require 1/2 down as NON-REFUNDABLE deposit, they called me up and decided that they were not hiring ANY of the entertainers they have been talking to at first, and decided to go in a "whole new direction"

Found out later that big name bands played for the HUGE company and that these name bands do not work through said agency.

In other words, they got fired, (which I suspected) and no surprise there!

oh, the picture isn't showing up, and I really NEED to see what their suggestion was!

What a pain in the a$$. Probably better you didn't end up working for them anyway.

Right click on it, go to properties and copy the link in a new browser, that is how I was able to see it. And... Eeeek!

Oy.....that's horrible....

uumm well. first breath thru a paper bag & uumm second i do think the GP looking at what WE call current up to date fashionable cossie would ask "where's the bellydancers??"

for that reason i still own skirts & harem pants. i'm even breaking out an old home made coin cossie & making a "gypsy" skirt cause we are doing a western themed event & they wanted "gypsies".

in short not surprised. tina

When I do a GP event, I tend to go more for a fringy bra & belt set and a full skirt, as opposed to a sleek egyptian costume. But it sounds like maybe the audience for this gig was to at least be partially Middle Eastern, since you kept bringing up your experieince with ME audiences and employers.

That said, the costume they suggested is inexcusably student troupe-looking, especially if they have been to your website and seen the lavish beading and structured fit of what a professional dancer would normally wear.

I have been asked a few of times to wear a face veil, and both times have politely but firmly set the client straight on how tacky and offensive the imagery is. I try not to get too upset, because the harem-girl fantasy crap is out there, and it's not necessarily someone's fault (especially out here in the sticks) if that's all they've been exposed to. But I'm still gobsmaked each time it comes up.

I don't know why, but it seems like whenever I hear stories like this - ignorant input, changing their mind constantly, freaking out about propriety out of the clear blue - it seems like an agency or party planner is involved in the mess. What's up with that?

I think my brain just broke. A unitard, skirt and hip belt? Ummmmm that's class or practice wear, not performace costuming. Sorry you missed out on a big gig and for the waste of your time before hand with these people but I suspect it would have been more of a pain in the arse than it was worth in the long run if it had come through, espeically if that's what they thought appropriate costuming is.

Hi all,
thanks for your input! I even sent them pics of all the bra and belt sets I own, and that's when they sent me another pic, which, I unfortunately deleted, (I'm an anal-retentive email deleter, that's the Virgo for ya)
but it was an incredible tackey UBDC bra and belt, and their suggestion was
the full flowing material in the middle, whatever that meant.
WITH the face veil.
Yes, their main concern was offending ME people in the audience!
HELLO!!!!!
edited to add:
oh, I also sent them pics of a midriff cover to wear with bra/belts, their main concern from the get-go was modesty, that's why I sent pics of dresses. Then they said the dresses were too "flashy", that's when I got the pic of that lovely above!
then they just kept making me crazy - let me tell ya.
They really did not know what they were doing, and I would love to know how they were making their other entertainers crazy too, which I know they probably were.
If I was the client, I wouldv'e fired them too!

Awww man! I can't see the picture. :-(
(There's nothing to right click on my PC as has been suggested)

Originally Posted by Adishakti

Awww man! I can't see the picture. :-(
(There's nothing to right click on my PC as has been suggested)

send me your email and I'll email you the pic if you really wanna see it, I think you need to

maria at oedata dot com

Originally Posted by *maria*

send me your email and I'll email you the pic if you really wanna see it, I think you need to

maria at oedata dot com

It sounds really funny! adishakti@adishaktibellydance.com

Sorry to hear you lost the gig, Maria. They sound like a pain to deal with anyway, though... so it's probably in your best interest. Can you imagine arranging deposits and payment afterwards? Ugh!

Originally Posted by Adishakti

Awww man! I can't see the picture. :-(
(There's nothing to right click on my PC as has been suggested)

http://images.kodakgallery.com/photo...0208_0_ALB.jpg

Enjoy!

Thanks Tahiradancer,
well, there ya go adishkati!

enjoy!

At least I lost the gig due to their stupidness, not undercutting! or dancing for free! LOL!

The link says it's forbidden!

Guess it wasn't meant to be! Ahhh well - I get what you mean anyway, Maria. I'm envisioning one of those cheapie "I dream of Jeannie" type costumes on ebay or something else equally horrid. ;-)

I'm quite sure the costumes you presented were appropriate!

It always blows my mind when people want us to come dance, then spend so much time second-guessing our costumes. As if we have no clue what we're doing and they somehow know better....

*sigh*

Maybe it was meant to not work out. Sorry for your hassel Maria. But on another note, if you still have the beautiful red costume where you are standing on a wooden bench over looking a lake, I want to be first in line for it. It's GORGEOUS!!! LOVE IT.

ah, so the real story comes out...oy that picture! ..l;, it was really funny, and sad they even suggested it. i guess i deleted it or i would've posted it for ya. omg, can you believe people! i was laughing hysterically lemme tell ya. i really couldn't believe it. i am delete button happy too...really should've kept those emails for the archives!

Jawahir and fellow troupe mates were privvy to all this lovely info while it was going on. SHe can attest to the aggravation they were putting me through.
It's a good thing I'm a businesswoman as well as a dancer, otherwise I wouldn't have been able to handle it!
Jawahir, tell them about Joanne and her take on the costuming that day she showed up for rehearsal. I think you were there, no?
Or maybe it was Jen "stump the stemp"????
OMG, I nearly died laughing.
edited to add: Jewl, just sent you the link, please repost though without the woman's head, after all, it is not the lovely lady in the pictures fault, tks Jewl!

Originally Posted by Adishakti

The link says it's forbidden!

Guess it wasn't meant to be! Ahhh well - I get what you mean anyway, Maria. I'm envisioning one of those cheapie "I dream of Jeannie" type costumes on ebay or something else equally horrid. ;-)

I'm quite sure the costumes you presented were appropriate!

Just sent you the picture via your email.......
let me know if you get it.
luv,
m.

Originally Posted by Michelle75

Maybe it was meant to not work out. Sorry for your hassel Maria. But on another note, if you still have the beautiful red costume where you are standing on a wooden bench over looking a lake, I want to be first in line for it. It's GORGEOUS!!! LOVE IT.

LOL! That's one of my "keepers"
One of my students took that pic at Suzanna del Vecchio's workshop, where I drag students to every year, so they can take me out late Friday night, get me ONE drink, and see their teacher become a blabbering drunk idiot.

God, we have so much fun at Suzanna's. If any of you guys ever want to see the Rocky Mountains, ya gotta go, and if you do, let me know, because I'll make sure to be there too, (as usual) with students in tow! It's so so so much fun....

Originally Posted by Adishakti

The link says it's forbidden!

Guess it wasn't meant to be! Ahhh well - I get what you mean anyway, Maria. I'm envisioning one of those cheapie "I dream of Jeannie" type costumes on ebay or something else equally horrid. ;-)

I'm quite sure the costumes you presented were appropriate!

dream of jeannie would have been a huge improvement, which you will soon see when you open your email from me! .w.:

hope this one works....

thanks Jewl!
Oh, and the entertainment agency wanted the costume above without the wings because they deemed the wings too flashy also, as they deemed my costume choices that I sent them.
what just kills me about above costume, is that our butt cheeks will be visible to all through the sheer skirt, yes, unitard covered butt cheeks, but please, come on! No wonder the agency got fired, if I was the client, who is a HUGE company, I'd have fired their a$$es way before July.

oh my God. that picture. i think i just threw up in my mouth a little bit.. blech

Originally Posted by latriamou

oh my God. that picture. i think i just threw up in my mouth a little bit.. blech

I initially thought it was a joke.

yeah it was joanne... she had a pair of pantyhose pulled up to cover her belly, a choli top, and petal skirt with biker pants and a scarf on her neck...and scarves attached to her wrists and shoulders i think...it was too hillarious!!! ..l;, ..l;, ..l;, ..l;, ..l;,

Originally Posted by *maria*

Jawahir and fellow troupe mates were privvy to all this lovely info while it was going on. SHe can attest to the aggravation they were putting me through.
It's a good thing I'm a businesswoman as well as a dancer, otherwise I wouldn't have been able to handle it!
Jawahir, tell them about Joanne and her take on the costuming that day she showed up for rehearsal. I think you were there, no?
Or maybe it was Jen "stump the stemp"????
OMG, I nearly died laughing.
edited to add: Jewl, just sent you the link, please repost though without the woman's head, after all, it is not the lovely lady in the pictures fault, tks Jewl!

Yes, that was it, it was HILARIOUS! Especiall the panty hose pulled up.
No one had a camera, otherwise a pic would have been taken, it was priceless.