Thread: Stepping out of restaurant work for a while

I'm taking a break from my restaurant gig for a while. Right now I can't be around the smoke--doctor's orders (it's a hookah bar, and they allow cigarette smoking). I'll miss it!

Any advice for how to deal with my "regularly scheduled performances" withdrawals?

I'm guessing it'll be nearly a year before I return (that is, if it's still appealing in a year ).

I don't perform in restaurants at the moment and I have to say I don't really miss it LOL! You get your nights and weekends off to relax or do whatever you want to do. Of course, I've never had a good owner to deal with, so the whole experience of restaurant dancing just wasn't fantastic to me.

Use this time to practice, learn a new trick/prop, whatever you've always meant to do but never had time for. I found my dancing has improved a LOT after not doing regular gigs since I can devote time to doing what I want to do rather than rush to put together a 20 min. set that I *hope* the GP likes.

Do everything you ever wanted to do on a free weekend.

Then sleep.

and come visit friends:)

Thanks. I guess I'm feeling insecure because there aren't many other opportunities to do pro work around here. The occasional party (not sure how many came from the restaurant vs. my website) and the occasional show, and that's about it. I have a closet full of beautiful costumes, and now no where to wear them. ,f::

On the upside, I start teaching a new class in the spring, and as Amira knows, I won't have much time in the future to worry about it....

What about starting a monthly hafla in your area? They don't have to be very expensive and can be simple. That way you can still get out and perform every month (sans the smoke) and wear those beautiful cossies. I know you like to work for charities so why not donate to a different charity each month. It may help you to get new students and also be a chance for some community building as well. Might be good to hook the date up to whatever workshops are going on each month and do some cross promoting of events too. Just my morning musings:)

I dont really dance at the hookah lounges, we are lucky here I guess that we have restaurants with stages we perform in a regular base.
but I would do all the following which are in my list:
- setup monthly workshops with interesting subjects ( i have been teaching my specialties Turkish Romani, Turkish/Greek Chiftetelli, then more to come)
- Monthly shows with students/other dancers/musicians at the local venues
-improve website, make fliers, postcards for advertising
-find free advertising websites for your private event promotion
-take workshops, online courses like Suhaila's at home to improve.
-how about new choreographies for future projects
-and just have fun with loved ones....and watch lots of dance videos.

Just enjoy the time off and use it to improve your dance and to learn. After 30 + years in the business, I frequently took a Hiatus off,to regroup, refresh and renew. It's part of the process.

And yes, you do go through withdrawal. It's like an addiction. But I always tried to use my time of to re-invent myself.

Thanks. It's more ego talking as a performer wanting some attention that anything else. I AM enjoying finally getting some time to really focus on drilling some movements that have gotten a little "wishy-washy", and beginning to revamp some improv that had probably begun to get stale (not to mention learning some new music).

It's hard not to be jealous of the girls still at the restaurant though, especially knowing that I could still be on the schedule were it not for the lousy smoke (it's mostly the cigarette smoke that is the problem, rather than the hookah smoke). I wish wish wish we had a no-smoking restaurant in town that would hire some dancers to do complete 25 minute shows.

I'm no longer restaurant dancing either, and I'm not missing it. But then, I haven't had many pleasant experiences there to miss. In my experience there was so much stress to always have fresh material and enough to fill the time, pay negotiations which were always the worst, the wear and tear on my costumes, and the loss of my Saturday nights. Yeah... don't miss it, but I did go through a stage where I felt completely invisible because I wasn't performing regularly so I understand where you're coming from.

I used my energy to form a troupe, and it's so much more rewarding. It's not a professional troupe, just a group of 8 (former students or dancers I've worked with in the past) that just like to dance, create, and make our own rules. :-) I still get the occasional bellygram, and I'm teaching once a week. But right now, my biggest focus is on getting my troupe-mates as geeked out as I am on the dance.