Thread: Restaurant Dancing - Advice?

Hi,

Tonight I was asked to start dancing at a local restaurant in town, and I was wondering if anyone had any advice? I have absolutely zero restaurant dancing experience! I have done a few choreographies in haflas at restaurants, but I've never had an actual job doing this kind of thing. I am very nervous that I will mess this up somehow! Especially since I am not very comfortable with my improvising.

I'm kind of spazzing if you can't tell! ,r:;

How do these gigs usually go?

How long do you typically spend dancing at one time?

What is the pay like?

If you dance on a stage, is it a good idea to get down and dance around the tables awhile, or should you just stay up there?

Is it possible to do choreography?

How much in tips is the average to make?

I did try to ask some of these questions of the restaurant owner earlier, but it was a big group of us and we kept getting sidetracked in our conversation.
Anything else you can tell me would be great to know too!!

Thank you!

Here's a great thread to get you started: http://www.bhuz.com/forum/belly-danc...estaurant.html

From your questions Sarah, I'd say you'll feel much more confident with more experience under your belt as well as with a mentor helping answer all your questions and steer you in the right directions. Do you have a local teacher who might help you by mentoring?
You want to create a good first impression both with venues and with the local belly dance scene. Understanding that dancing in restaurants in part of a business is a good first step. Maybe re-ask this question in the "business of belly dance" will help you find more answers. :) In addition, peruse the business section- there are TONS of helpful threads on there.

Even for those of us who have been doing restaurants for years, all of the questions you asked above will have a different answer on any given night. Some spaces are conducive to working the tables, others will have a stage. Some nights, the Tipping Fairy is generous; other nights, she skips town. Restaurant dancing can be fun, but it can also be highly unpredictable

I'd second Samira's recommendation to work with a mentor. While one can theoretically master "The Business" on her own, a trusted teacher can help you ease your way into the scene with minimal SNAFU's.

If you want a little more in-depth advice, you can check out a blog I wrote on the topic:

So You Want to Be a Professional Belly Dancer… | Carrara Nour

Good luck!

I'll echo the advice of others to get a mentor. You'll need one. I would also recommend you have a meeting with the owner to discuss the show length, frequency, pay and other details BEFORE you start dancing there.

In regards to improv vs/ choreography, you really need to be comfortable with improving. You can try to choreograph, but I can almost guarantee it won't work out the way you practice. A lot of things are out of your control when dancing in restaurants (patrons, waitstaff, music/sound system issues, floor layout, etc etc). You need to be comfortable "winging it" when the unexpected happens.

I have a mentor who will help me, thank goodness! I don't know how I would do it if I didn't. I just wanted to ask on here as well! I want to know as much as possible, that way I am prepared.
Luckily, I have a month until this starts since the restaurant is undergoing renovation.
Thanks for the great links!!

If like me you love bellydance documentaries and visuals to get you inspired.. there s one volume in Michelle's Secrets of the Stage series on restaurant dancing, accepting tips featuring Californian/Bay Area bellydancers and their views on restaurant dancing, live music, performance tips..
I love that series.
It made me want to perform ;)

Of course blogs and threads are better if you do not want to spend money before you've even earned it :)

How long do you typically spend dancing at one time?
Depends on the venue, but 20-25 minutes is a typical set unless there's a large Arab clientele.

What is the pay like?
Pay varies widely by region, but it's VERY important to the community in general to not let the minimum rates of pay decline. If you undercut the other dancers in your area and drive down the pay rates, you will probably not be forgiven later! Even a beginning pro should get the base rate -- more experienced dancers with a following should get more. Don't depend on one mentor to advise you on rates, ask around and check out Samira Shuruk's article on regional pay rates. (don't have the link handy, but it shouldn't take much googling)

If you dance on a stage, is it a good idea to get down and dance around the tables awhile, or should you just stay up there?
It is a good idea to dance around the tables and interact with the guests. Usually the dancer plays with the guests, clowns around, invites them to dance with her a bit, poses for Kodak moments, and otherwise interacts with the audience for at least one song out of her set. That may vary in a club with a stage, though. Going to see lots of different dancers in your area would give you a better idea of what's typical there. While you're at it, make friends with them, invite them out for coffee and ask them if they'll share info on typical rates of pay, etc.

Is it possible to do choreography?
No. I've managed to put in a snippet of choreography here or there, but no more than a phrase or two. I've also had to dance entire sets to music I've never heard before because of technical difficulties. *shrug* In a restaurant, anything can happen. There are always waiters in your path, the place gets busy and the owner sets up tables in the space where you usually perform, etc. I've never been in a restaurant situation where I could do even one choreographed song.

How much in tips is the average to make?
That varies so widely, depending on the venue and the night. Many nights I don't make one single penny in tips. Other times, I've made over $100 (though that was a club rather than a restaurant, it's different). I wouldn't go in assuming there's much to be made in tips.

Read the business threads on Bhuz. You need to know that it's really common for restaurant owners to take advantage of new dancers, and you need to know the ways they do that in order to protect yourself.

I haven't seen you dance, so please don't be offended --- but if you're not comfortable with improv and not very familiar with restaurant shows, you may not be quite ready for this opportunity just yet. Think hard, and get some honest opinions from dancers you respect. Because if you come on the scene before you're ready, you'll get yourself labeled as 'that not-very-good dancer' and it could take years to get your career started again.

If you decide you ARE ready, though, keep asking questions and we'll keep trying to help.

To Lauren's point about the psychology of restaurant owners, I strongly advise you to have a quick look at this article by Artemis Mourat. It was written years ago, but still sadly resonates today. It's called Top 20 Club Cliches:

Top 20 Club Cliches

Please bear in mind that most club and restaurant owners are good-spirited people. Don't get scared! But giving a universal benefit of the doubt isn't always a good solution, either. There's always that "minus one."

If there are any other dancers at this place, please have some contact with them to make sure you're getting the same pay. I stupidly subbed in for a house dancer at a nightclub once when I was a baby-dancer, and found out later that the owner gave me half her rate. To this day, I feel terrible about it because I could have prevented the situation in the first place if I knew it was OK to ask.

Here is the link for Samira Shuruk's article, I looked it up!
belly dance rates

Thanks for all the advice

If there are already dancers at this restaurant, I second Satin's suggestion to talk with them, and not just about pay. The owner may think s/he owns the restaurant but the dancers may think they own the venue, and if so they will not take kindly to a new dancer being added to the lineup without their 'approval.' If you are any good, they will bad-mouth you for years. In these situations you cannot assume that the owner hiring you = acceptance by the dancers. Contact them, talk with them, and find out what you might be getting into. Then make your decision.