Thread: Wedding receptions: length of performance?

I'm talking to a bride in a couple of weeks about our troupe (4 dancers) dancing at her wedding reception. Is there an average length of time for dancing at those? I know every one will be different, but I'm trying to come up with a ballpark figure to propose to her in case she says she has no idea what she wants. I'm guessing about 20 minutes?

30 mins for an event in a reception hall is pretty standard. I do a shorter set for smaller house parties - 20 mins. I recommend NOT adjusting you price based on length of set - connect it to venue and scale of event (assuming price is even an issue). I occasionally have people ask for 40-45 mins and I just answer that what I offer is a 30 min show which is a standard nightclub style length - and I don't do longer shows, but I always give a "full 30 minute show."

Occasionally I've heard of dancers doing a slightly longer, more Egyptian-style set for Arab audiences....but I agree with Nadira that a 30-minute set is more than enough for a reception. Longer isn't necessarily better. But absolutely do charge more because it's a wedding.

If they're looking for a spectacle, then you can always glam up your set with some fire and wings!

20-30 minutes sounds good. Try to find out if there is a wedding planner getting involved in the wedding planning at some point. Or inlaws, or outlaws, or second-cousins-twice-removed. If so, get your contract and deposit asap. Those darling planners and etc will try to talk your bride into something cheaper... for whatever reasons.... and they don't care if the change hits at the last minute...

Even 20 minutes is quite a long time. People think they want 20-30 minutes but at the actual event, they want to get on with the party and can only focus their attention for about 15-minutes.

Even after 10 minutes I see people getting shpilkes.

Originally Posted by Azhia

Even 20 minutes is quite a long time. People think they want 20-30 minutes but at the actual event, they want to get on with the party and can only focus their attention for about 15-minutes.

This is one reason why I figured 20 minutes was about it. The bellydancers are not there to be the main attraction. The bride and groom are, and the point of the reception is socializing with them, not watching some other show. I'm all for doing it because it's a paying gig, but I don't feel like we should hog a lot of time since most of the people there are only going to stay a short time anyway. They would already have been there awhile for the wedding ceremony and have started looking at their watches by the time they get to the reception after.

They say the human attention span is 20 minutes, after all ..g.:

I've always had trouble on "selling" clients on any set shorter than 25 minutes. Maybe this is because a few people in my area seem to offer exceptionally long shows (45 minutes) at the same rate I'm charging or less.

For those of you who do 20-25 minute sets, how do you turn your clients on to the idea of a shorter show?

Originally Posted by SatinWorship19

They say the human attention span is 20 minutes, after all ..g.:

I've always had trouble on "selling" clients on any set shorter than 25 minutes. Maybe this is because a few people in my area seem to offer exceptionally long shows (45 minutes) at the same rate I'm charging or less.

For those of you who do 20-25 minute sets, how do you turn your clients on to the idea of a shorter show?

I honestly tell them that unless someone is a true Belly Dance aficionado, after 20 minutes people start to go from "Gee, this is awesome" to "Is she ever going to stop? I need another drink/have to pee/really wanted to talk to cousin Maude/etc."

My pat response is along the lines of: "I'm there to enhance your party, not to take it over. I find that most party guests enjoy spending the majority of their time socializing with friends and family, and if I dance for too long they start to get itchy. Sure, I could charge you more and dance longer, but I'd rather have you and your guests enjoy ever minute of my performance, rather than counting the minutes until it's over. Always leave 'em wanting more, I say!" ..g.:

I think they key to "selling" them on the idea is to couch it in terms that suggest you are doing this for THEM, not because of your problems with a >20 minute set. I have found that pointing out I'm actually recommending the less expensive package to them not only makes the point, but impresses them with my customer service as well. Who doesn't want to hire someone that cares more about your party being successful than making a buck?

I don't dance for longer than 25 minutes without a break. Period. I'm a very high energy dancer, but not exactly a spring chicken - so physically, I just can't handle anymore than that. If they want me for an hour, I do two 25 minute sets with a 10 minute break in between. If they refuse, I'll turn down the gig, even though I'm a full time dancer.

Originally Posted by laura 2

I honestly tell them that unless someone is a true Belly Dance aficionado, after 20 minutes people start to go from "Gee, this is awesome" to "Is she ever going to stop? I need another drink/have to pee/really wanted to talk to cousin Maude/etc."

My pat response is along the lines of: "I'm there to enhance your party, not to take it over. I find that most party guests enjoy spending the majority of their time socializing with friends and family, and if I dance for too long they start to get itchy. Sure, I could charge you more and dance longer, but I'd rather have you and your guests enjoy ever minute of my performance, rather than counting the minutes until it's over. Always leave 'em wanting more, I say!" ..g.:

I think they key to "selling" them on the idea is to couch it in terms that suggest you are doing this for THEM, not because of your problems with a >20 minute set. I have found that pointing out I'm actually recommending the less expensive package to them not only makes the point, but impresses them with my customer service as well. Who doesn't want to hire someone that cares more about your party being successful than making a buck?

I don't dance for longer than 25 minutes without a break. Period. I'm a very high energy dancer, but not exactly a spring chicken - so physically, I just can't handle anymore than that. If they want me for an hour, I do two 25 minute sets with a 10 minute break in between. If they refuse, I'll turn down the gig, even though I'm a full time dancer.

What she said.

Deborah

Awesome. You guys validated what I was already thinking, so I have a plan now.

Hmmm, I see what you ladies are getting at. If it is a performance for American guests, shorter CAN be better. I was thinking more of an audience where they all know the words, sing them along with you, and then get up and dance too. Those audiences have a longer attention span:)

Originally Posted by SatinWorship19

For those of you who do 20-25 minute sets, how do you turn your clients on to the idea of a shorter show?

Weddings I have a set rate, with a set time, and that is pretty non-negotiable. Mostly they are Arabic weddings so I send most of the time dancing with guests. If it is a house party, I will say, "For a smaller group of 30 people or under and in a smaller venue, I recommend a slightly shorter set." If they insist on 30 mins, they insist. Most of my sets run between 20 and 25 minutes start to finish anyway. Honestly, no one is sitting there with a stopwatch, and the show is always delayed, so I call it even. :D

Yes, it is quite different for American audiences.

For Arab audiences, there isn't really a *zing pow* finale to your set, it just kind of fades off as everyone else gets up to dance and party witchoo and each other.

Oh no more than 20 minutes PLEASE!!

For weddings? Half hour tops and that is really too long. I usually stuck to around 15-20 minutes. I actually did a a routine that was 13 1/2 minutes and it worked just fine. Arabic weddings tend to run late and they have a lot of stuff going on. You go too long, you run the risk of having your show cut short.

At weddings you aren't really there to dance, you are there to get the party going.