Thread: Er...

How to Start a Belly Dancing Studio ~ Be a Belly Dancer

o...k....

did i miss it.... where did it mention that either of these authors is a bellydancer?

They never seem to mention that it takes years of training, just like all other art forms.

also... lucrative my a$$!!!!!..l;,

"Depending on the types of classes held, you can expect to earn anywhere from $2,000 to $8,000 per month."

any studio owners agree with this statement???

not only that but the 2000-8000 a month is going to be very misleading for a lot of people

Hey, I know about 10 different ballet moves. Can I open a ballet studio?

Originally Posted by catwomyn

Hey, I know about 10 different ballet moves. Can I open a ballet studio?

..l;,..l;,..l;, Go ahead!!!

Wow....well, since I am making $2000-$8000 per month belly dancing, I'm just going to go down the hall and turn in my 2-week notice at this job right now.... riiiiiiiiiiiight.....idiots.

well at least they clearly said bd is not stripping. (trying to find the positive lol)

*snort* I'm not even sure if some of us make $2-8 G's in one year! LMAO. At least, not unless this is your full-time job, you're gigging several times a week, and you haven't burned off 75% of your dance income on workshops and new costumes

I've seen a couple episodes of Law & Order. Can I start a law firm?

well, well, well, now we know where "they" learned how to be a bellydancer !
you know, every town has one of "them" ...of the "theys".

Originally Posted by SatinWorship19

I've seen a couple episodes of Law & Order. Can I start a law firm?

Only if I can be an a-hole doctor, thanks to my countless hours of medical training via House M.D. ..l;,

Ahhhhh, yes. CLEARLY they must be graduates of Suzy Nippletassels Academy of Dance.

Must be a national franchise chain, cause we've got a couple here, too. ,r:;

Originally Posted by zamora

well, well, well, now we know where "they" learned how to be a bellydancer !
you know, every town has one of "them" ...of the "theys".

..l;,..l;,..l;,..l;,

If I had another couple classes that I could reasonably fill, I could see *grossing* up to $2000 per month *during peak season* but that doesn't account for rent, advertising, licensing, taxes, continuing ed, costumes, off season expenses (no one wants to commit to summer classes, but I have to maintain my 'presence'- tho thankfully not rent!) last year I grossed about $8500, but I don't have time to teach more classes than I am. I do wonder how another dancer here locally does- her classes are a bit fuller than mine & she has 2 University classes in addition to her studio work, so I imagine she is closer to the minimum amounts stated here, but she works her butt off & $8000 is a pipe dream... My friend who runs a more traditional studio that offer multiple styles for all ages might come close to that, but she's also got a year round mortgage & really, *really* works her butt off! I can't imagine personally teaching 20+ classes a week in multiple different styles (which she pulls off amazingly well! but she also depends heavily on the 4 year old princesses to foot the bill, which I don't think I can pull off!) I know she is constantly struggling to do things like fix a leaky roof & keep the floors waxed- she loves it but it is NOT an easy 8K a month!
The initial synopsis of what belly dancing is wasn't bad & the guide could prove useful for someone with existing training, but yeah, it would be nice if they put that in there- I also didn't see anything about doing a market study in that guide to see what your local economy can support- one of the first things covered when I did my prenatal dance class training.

Originally Posted by zfejzic

well at least they clearly said bd is not stripping. (trying to find the positive lol)

Yes - and the EVEN mentioned that MEN Belly Dance!

$8K/Month? Where do I sign up?.w.:

Originally Posted by emtink

also... lucrative my a$$!!!!!..l;,

"Depending on the types of classes held, you can expect to earn anywhere from $2,000 to $8,000 per month."

any studio owners agree with this statement???

I haven't had to get a real job yet... but then, I teach yoga too.

Yeah, I agree you can gross over $2000 a month.. but then, you'd have to just to pay your rent, utilities and advertising.

$78 for this???

Man, we should be charging admission on Bhuz!

It's not just belly dancing. There are e-guides for "careers" in all sorts of fields. I found one for being an Art Curator (my job). Hil-f'ng-arious! To think I spent all that time and money on graduate school when I could have just shelled out $150 for the guide and been on my way to a lucrative career in the art industry.

As Barnum said, "There's a sucker born every minute."

Originally Posted by SatinWorship19

*snort* I'm not even sure if some of us make $2-8 G's in one year! LMAO. At least, not unless this is your full-time job, you're gigging several times a week, and you haven't burned off 75% of your dance income on workshops and new costumes

I've seen a couple episodes of Law & Order. Can I start a law firm?

Yeah well, how about most politicians? They NEVER know what they are doing.

Originally Posted by emtink

"Depending on the types of classes held, you can expect to earn anywhere from $2,000 to $8,000 per month."

any studio owners agree with this statement???

Maybe somewhere in that range...IF:

* You have a very strong history and marketing in the right place so that you draw several large classes.
* You run multiple classes simultaneously (e.g. more than one teacher in the studio/school.)
* Your class sessions/income is spread realtively evenly month to month (as opposed to having spikes around the start of sessions.
AND (here's the kicker)
* You're talking gross receipts, NOT net!!! ,r:;

Seriously...there have been months my school brought in numbers in that range...but the next month would be part of the same session, and given that a more than half of the students people pay for a full session or punch card upfront, the next month income is muuuuch lower....then take out the costs for insurance and facilities and marketing and other teachers wages and reinvestment in equipment etc., and, and, and.... No, I've never netted anything like $2000-8000 in a month from my school.

Maybe they're following something like a ballroom model (where students generally take more private lessons and pay more for them), but even there...it would take really the right set of conditions to net anything like that.

Part of me is morbidly curious about what that list of moves and the wholesale costuming bit say. I wonder what the amusment level in reading that would be. Not enough to actually plunk down the money, just that same kind of curiousity that makes everyone look at the fender bender ont he side of the road when they drive by.

If anyone gets the "manual" let me know, I'm curious to hear what it's all about :)

Hey, if just 15 of us plunk down $5 each (I'll pick up the difference), we could pass it around to each person in the pool -- kinda like a pay-per-view library . . .

Deborah

I just did a search for one of the women listed as an author...and although I didn't find specific reference to her plagiarizing, the conversation was about how the main publisher (stylecareer.com) had plagiarized websites. So check your own websites!

Originally Posted by Viv

Part of me is morbidly curious about what that list of moves and the wholesale costuming bit say. I wonder what the amusment level in reading that would be. Not enough to actually plunk down the money, just that same kind of curiousity that makes everyone look at the fender bender ont he side of the road when they drive by.

I am thinking the same thing. I really want to read the Pro's And Cons to Going Pro section.

"Con: Other dancers will give you mean, nasty looks every time you show up at their venues unannounced in the fine outfit you bought at the Turkish Bazaar. People will talk smack because they're just jeluss h8ters."

Sweet... Maybe this is step one to the series "How to be a professional bellydancer for Dummies"? 8k, huh? On which planet?

what currency? lol

Originally Posted by david

what currency? lol

..l;,

Egy pounds, perhaps?


Khalida