Thread: Hafla 101 - How too?

Hi everyone!

I wasn’t too sure where to post me question but here goes....

Here in Montreal (Canada) we don’t really have any events that resemble Haflas, so how does it work?! How do you put on a successful hafla?
Do you do it in a restaurant with food or just a hall with sitting space (seams less expensive for the public), do participants pay? Can a bazar where vendor rent tables be incorporated? Etc...

We are trying to raise some funds for a future dvd project...
Do you have any suggestions?

Thanks!

Define Hafla first.
For me it is a big party with live drummers and food. Everybody dances and relaxes and no one "performs". Very social and informal.

Ohoh! This is going to be harder then I thought then! ..l;,
I thought it was a small event where anyone can perform!?

It varies from community to community. here, if it is a more "performance style" event, an entrance fee is charged and the organizer prays that they make the venue rental charge back.

Our haflas are usually in a hall or large dance studio, with tables and chairs and a buffet (which can either be a full dinner or substantial nibbles). The evening is mostly performances to recorded music, though there may be time for open dancing in between.


We don't typically have a raised stage or a curtain, it's all very informal.

Admission is usually $10-15 and includes the food. Beer, wine, and soft drinks are available for an extra charge. (if beer and wine are served, they can raise a substantial amount of money, but you need special insurance to serve them which may cost more than it's worth. The solution is often to have the event at a hall that has its own liquor license, like a VFW hall, but then they keep the proceeds from sales).

Our haflas usually have a mix of students and teacher/pros. Honestly, it's the students who fill the place. Every friend and relative will turn up to see Suzy's first performance. But when Suzy's been dancing for a few years, everyone's tired of it. But of course you wantyour audience to see what the dancing looks like when done by pros, so you want a mix of performers.

Our haflas are rarely limited to just the studio sponsoring them (although mine are, because they're held in my tiny dance studio and I can't fit any more people in there!).

Hafla performers are never paid in my area, but sometimes get in for free or a reduced price, unless a substantial meal is being served.

Usually the show isn't very intricately planned. Dancers are given a time limit and bring their music on CD that night. A simple program is printed just giving the dancers' names in order.

Occasionally there might be some door prizes, a raffle, a small boutique or swap meet, etc.

Call me. I have beaucoup hafla experiences. ;0)

Thanks ladies!!!

Originally Posted by Azhia

Call me. I have beaucoup hafla experiences. ;0)

Well do, ma chère!

Hafla`s that I put on are medium sized studio events. Anyone can perform, students, amateurs, pros, etc.

I either provide food or ask it to be potluck and have all performers bring food. I do not charge performers and volunteers to attend, but all other guests pay for tickets.

I charge an entrance fee.

After the performances there is time for free dancing.

Depending on what I offer in the show part of the Hafla will be a partial determinant in how much I charge for tickets ahead of time and at the door.

I do like to provide some live musician and or drummers when possible.

Really to me, a Hafla can be what you want it to be, but in the end, it should be a fun experience for all, provide people with performance opportunities if they want, and be a relaxed environment.

That`s me :)

Thanks Caliana!

I think the most economical haflas are generally at either a hall or a dance studio. The MECDA model is a carry in dish and $5. Sign up to dance at the door (although many choose to have the dancers sign up ahead of time.) Dance slots are usually 5 mins for soloists & Duets, 7 - 9 for troupes and people are encouraged to only perform once so that many people can have a chance to perform.

Vendor tables generally rent out for $25 - 50 each, depending on the venue. This helps to recover costs which can vary considerably. I know that some of the community centers around here charge in the area of $125 per hour plus staff fees and insurance binder. Since the haflas usually are 3 hours plus set up and tear down, it can be costly.

Also, are you going to need to use a kitchen? What other areas of the facility are you going to need to use?

Do you have volunteers who can help with set up and tear down? This will help cut down on costs and allow for a timely start for the hafla and exit of the building.

I am sure that Azhia will be able to help you with this as well.

{{{HUGS}}}

Bring a dish or Jacob's Join , as we call with a low entry fee is one way. But I have grown to dislike this. Most people spend more time and money than they would on the catered part of a ticket fee, a few slip in without contributing. There is trememdous waste ( I hate throwing food away..I was brought up with food rationing) and you have to do the clear-up. Get a good caterer, pref one who is in the community and they clean-up and it's one less thing to worry about. Have no food or a no food option. Here in the UK if we hire a social club, the rent is often very low or free as they make the money on the bar. I've run haflas for 8 years and they are hard work even at the small local level. You need to make sure you have someone willing to do the door, the music and announcing, the catering is someone else's baby and a few to do a genral tidy up. You need to think about suitable dance space, space for bazaars and access to them and the bar as well as can the audience see the performances. You need to control the timing if you have a lot of performers and cope with the odd diva and stage-fright case.You also need to have the nerve to tell people to behave themselves! GRIN.

Originally Posted by lizajuk

Bring a dish or Jacob's Join , as we call with a low entry fee is one way. But I have grown to dislike this. Most people spend more time and money than they would on the catered part of a ticket fee, a few slip in without contributing. There is trememdous waste ( I hate throwing food away..I was brought up with food rationing) and you have to do the clear-up. Get a good caterer, pref one who is in the community and they clean-up and it's one less thing to worry about. Have no food or a no food option. Here in the UK if we hire a social club, the rent is often very low or free as they make the money on the bar. I've run haflas for 8 years and they are hard work even at the small local level. You need to make sure you have someone willing to do the door, the music and announcing, the catering is someone else's baby and a few to do a genral tidy up. You need to think about suitable dance space, space for bazaars and access to them and the bar as well as can the audience see the performances. You need to control the timing if you have a lot of performers and cope with the odd diva and stage-fright case.You also need to have the nerve to tell people to behave themselves! GRIN.

..l;, Thanks Liza! Guess I'm gonna have to fing a bellysiter!!

I'm hostessing a hafla this next Sunday. It's a semi-formal hafla, meaning the performers are volunteer, are a mixture of pros and multi-level students, there's no cover charge, and there will be open dancing. Technically it's open to the general public, but we usually fill the place with friends and family of the performers.

This hafla is at a local Lebanese restaurant, where I dance regularly. They are thrilled to have us bring in business during an otherwise slower time - Sunday afternoon. Like I said, there's no cover, we just ask people to spend a minimum amount per person at the restaurant ($10). Both times we've had a hafla there, the owner has decided to bring in a band, which has been such a treat.

I have seen the restaurant setting work elsewhere, too. A Greek restaurant on a Wednesday night, a hookah cafe on a Tuesday - if you are volunteering your time to organize and promote the event, it's nice to have someone else take care of tables, chairs, and clean-up!

Originally Posted by lizajuk

Bring a dish or Jacob's Join , as we call with a low entry fee is one way. But I have grown to dislike this. Most people spend more time and money than they would on the catered part of a ticket fee, a few slip in without contributing.

While I agree with this, there is also a bit of an illusion that it doesn't cost as much. After all, if I do my world famous seven layer bean dip casserole which I have all the ingredients in the cupboard for and tortilla chips, it feels as though it really isn't costing me any more than the $5 ticket. But if I have to put out $20 for a ticket for a catered hafla, chances are, chances are lower that I will go. And if you stick to the $5 cover but have a food vendor who is giving part of the profits to the organizer, there is still a chance, depending on my financial situation, that I may or may not buy from them.

Just some more thoughts on food. . .

Of course, there are also hafla's where there is no food, just water, soda and juice and a contribution basket or even someone who is taking a $1 for every drink.

{{{HUGS}}}

I have noticed that food in the US is often cheaper (depending on where in your vast country that you live) than food in the UK. So perhaps this explains why we are less likely to try to add it in to the ticket price than our American cousins. Not sure what the story with food prices is in Canada, but I await your esteemed opinions on the matter :-)

The basic thing to remember about all these very valid ideas for hafli is that your venue is going to dictate a lot of what you do. There's the obvious -- if you have it at a restaurant, clearly you don't have a potluck. But there's the less obvious: we had our first haflas at a building owned by the city parks department. They had no objection to a potluck... but we were not allowed to have vendors without an expensive permit. We inquired about using an outdoor park shelter once only to find there was another expensive permit to set up any kind of a sound system.

More than anything else, I suggest you figure out what the PURPOSE of your hafla is. Showcase local pros? Give amateurs a chance to shine? Have a loose party where everybody dances communally? Is there a local band who would really set the tone, or are they out of your price range? After you know what you're trying to do... then make a plan and go for it! Good luck.

I've been meaning to write an article about this- I just gave up the monthly All Seasons Hafla in Baltimore after running it for two years. It's continuing with someone else- I took it over after 7 years and 3 previous organizers, and it has been a huge community resource. Our spirit of community has been one thing that has made Baltimore area dancers better paid than some of our sisters in other cities, too.
The way ours works: Negotiate with a restaurant to let performers in free ( a certain number, 6-12, whatever you can get). The restaurant either has a buffet or a minimum, and I DO charge a cover that goes to me! That's how I pay my headliner, who gets $100- if you want to contribute to your community, consider paying your headline dancer! We charges $22- $8 to cover my costs, and $14 to the restaurant who had a buffet (but I like the minimum idea, too)- bellydance is not free! I paid for promoting it (started a meetup.com page, made flyers, etc) and worked my butt off herding bellydancers- I came away with 100 - $300 myself, net. I usually performed as well. It's a hell of a lot more work to do this than to go dance 20 minutes at a party for $200, but it is a gift to the community. Getting paid is important if you want to have a long running, well organized hafla.
I too, objected to the term "hafla" meaning "belly dance show", but hey, that is the common usage these days in English.
It's also important to be clear to the public, if the public finds its way to your show, that this is an ALL LEVELS show- do not pass off student performances as a professional show. And to me it was quite important that alllevels be allowed to dance. My first 5-6 slots were first come first booked, and then I looked at my show and determined that if I had 5 white Egyptian style female soloists, I better reach out to people of other colors, genders, styles, or my show would not be representative of the community- I always try to have some tribal dancers. Certain headliners have a following, but yes- ask the local dance teachers for students to perform- they pack your house, but then another reason for that paid headliner? One of the objectives of our hafla has always been as a field trip destination FOR students to see what Real Belly Dancing can look like. Hire your retired dancers when you can get them to come out, hire the fatter and darker dancers who might not be getting hired by the local venues (sorry, but racism and sizism is alive and unwell) because they have stuff to show that might not be getting seen!
I LOVED running the hafla. I'm ready to do other stuff now, but I'll be supporting ours!
All Seasons Hafla featuring MASANI NOOR!!! - Baltimore/DC Belly Dance and Music of the Middle East! (Baltimore, MD) - Meetup.com

There are so many ways to create a "hafla". I'm also interested in the "food" option in various situations. I've not had the most favorable experiences with dinner shows. I made a whopping $4 on one I did once. Hahahahha

Very interesting... Thanks ladies!! Keep it coming!

Originally Posted by Samira_dncr

There are so many ways to create a "hafla". I'm also interested in the "food" option in various situations. I've not had the most favorable experiences with dinner shows. I made a whopping $4 on one I did once. Hahahahha

..l;, Wow!

I've been doing some 'studio parties' that are like mini-haflas.

I'm charging a small admission for friends, family, and students in levels 3 and below. They understand that this is necessary fundraising for the studio. Level 4 students (who are the troupe members and feel a sense of ownership in the studio) are invited to bring a dish and don't pay at the door. Most of them would have brought something anyway.

Next time, I may offer a $1 discount to anyone who brings his/her own folding chair!

p.s. I got the great idea of having the troupe members bring the food and the rest pay admission here on Bhuz in a similar thread that I started ages ago, and it's worked out GREAT!! So huge thanks to whoever suggested it.

Hello Salomé, is it your shared producer part you want to finance or the whole production is it? If it is the whole production team in the process, It could be a Showcase of dancers participating on the DVD, since every dancer is in the production of the DVD, nobody will ask to be paid in an other way

-A restaurant event could be easier, you sell tickets and a part of the monney goes to the restaurant and it takes the place setting, soundsystem location, food preparing, ... load off your shoulders and just think about the show components, publicity and tickets selling that is quite enough to manage... Just like many danceschool shows does in the area...

-In a community center (we don't have that much in Montreal that could participate to this) or any blank rented place, you have to think about room setting, soundsystem... Maybe you could offer only simple refreshments such as water, mint tea and sweets, after the show and then let the free dancing start, everybody chat, celebrate and be a part of the event. If you want the event causy, you can ask people to bring their own sitting cushions... a bazaar could be fun tooo, but I don't know if enough people would look to buy to make it worth the energy of managing it...

Maybe you could ask Marthyna for a few hints... I know she prepared a few Haflas for Tribalement vôtre events... Her dancing is a different style, but preparation could be similar and she may give you some feedback about DOs an DON'Ts... in Montreal's community...

Good luck! Can't wait for the finished product...