Thread: At what point in your dance career did you make a website?

I'm curious to know after how many months/years of performing did you all invest in making websites? I have a myspace page only, as I don't feel "pro" enough to make a website yet. Also, at what points in your careers did you hire pro photographers?

10 years.

BUT professional photos came right at the beginning; quite by accident, actually, but I realize in hindsight how crucial they are and have never had any non-professional photo of me out there during my 20 years at this professionally.

The first website that I had made for me (about 5 versions back) may have looked non-professional but I still had professional photos.

I made my first website one year after I started teaching and performing. At the same time that I started getting pro pictures.

The minute daughter started performing the website went up.
The initial pictures were mine, since the one pro photo session we tried didn't turn out well - great photographer but no 'feel' for the subject. I used a digital camera and one in every 100 pix were usable :) Since then we have been blessed with a large number of friends, pro and otherwise, who love taking pictures. Again, the pros don't necessarily capture the 'magic' better than the fan does.

I had been performing for about 3 years. Believe it or not, I was actually quite afraid of promoting myself! But I still did a lot of networking the old-fashioned way and had profiles on MySpace and other sites.

I had actually done a pretty good job of marketing myself entirely word-of-mouth. But there came a point when I started working with on bigger projects and with more high-end clients....and that's when I realized that I had do get some sort of professional-looking web presence. I FINALLY got my website up this summer.

As for photos? This came about a year before I got the website up. I was sick of having next to zero performance shots and really craptacular shots that a friend took of me in the backyard.

Like Azhia said, you take great photos for granted. I'm dating a photographer and have many talented photographers in my circle of friends. Somebody always wants to shoot me. LOL. So I'm lucky enough never to have a shortage of great images. But to make a long story short, several clients have cited "awesome photos" as a main reason why they hired me for gigs. While pictures certainly aren't everything, I believe they can give you an extra edge. It's definitely something to consider when you're ready to start taking on a pro career...

I made a website for myself before I was a professional dancer, but I was just into making websites. It eventually morphed into something to market my dancing.

I made my website after around 8 years of dancing. I was branching out on my own a bit more as opposed to only being booked by others.

Originally Posted by shems

I made a website for myself before I was a professional dancer, but I was just into making websites. It eventually morphed into something to market my dancing.

+1.

I guess about the same time I really started dancing professionally, I made my first website. It was the late 90's, though, and not many people had websites yet.

I don't have many pro photos, though - it's definitely an area where I could use more material, but it doesn't seem to have hurt my ability to be hired.

Originally Posted by tamrahennatx

I don't have many pro photos, though - it's definitely an area where I could use more material, but it doesn't seem to have hurt my ability to be hired.

You do have some excellent performance shots, though, and customers probably LOVE that. ..g.:

In fact, I wish I had more live action stuff! So many photos, so little time

I put mine up shortly after I started teaching, because it seemed like most people I talked to were looking for classes online.

I booked my first professional photographer when, after 2 years of sporatic paid gigs (being one of the go-to girls when you needed a gig covered and doing paid shows with otehr dancers) I knew I needed a good business card.

2 years of weekly gigs later I've contacted a webdesigner because it's gotten to the point where people are wanting to link to my website (and scolding me for not havign one) for show promotions, or for more info, or when I write somethign BD related and I don't have one.

I do have special bi-lingual needs for my website, but it is underway.

I've been perforimg for like 8 years I belive and I still don't have a websit... I have started three but I flake. Ha! One day I'll finish one ppfffff

I started dancing in 2003 & in May of this year put a website up. In June & again in September I had professional pictures taken, & in October was in a local magazine ad for the hookah place I dance at & have pictures from that. Performing more & starting to teach is why I started the website. Initially I just had MySpace, but now I have MySpace, a Facebook fan page (for performance updates, etc.) & Twitter - all linked to each other & links to them on my website.

This is interesting... such a diversity of responses! I guess it's not an "exact science" as I thought it might be.

I'm currently in the process of putting a web site together. My husband is a graphic designer, so he's been working on the look of it (it's great to have a designer who will work for free...but it's not so great to have a designer who can put other projects ahead of yours, so it's been a long time coming!) I've been teaching and performing for three years now, so it's overdue.

Our troupe just moved from MySpace to Facebook...it seems like most people are drifting that way now, and we didn't want to do both.