Thread: Best Gig Ever...

Originally Posted by maurazebra

I'm relatively new to Bhuz and not yet sure who gets along with who and who is secretly hoping to boff who and etc. What I understand you to be saying here is that, based on previous postings, you perceive that Midnight Star exhibits a pattern of not evaluating what goes wrong and what goes right and you'd like her to consider taking steps x, y and z to prevent further occurrences. Yes?

I'm afraid I came off as more grinchy than I should have, and for that I'm sorry (to you and to Midnight-star)

It was actually her second post that made me scratch my head more. I don't blame her for the unfolding of events but the lack of reflection on how communication broke down and if there was anything she could have done pre-gig (in addition to her admirable taking it on the chin and being pro when things got wobbly) struck me as odd and I grabbed onto it harder than I should have.

I made the obviously unfounded judgement call that she was relatively new to booking her own private gigs and had perhaps made the mistake of not asking enough questions pre-gig , like many of us have early on.

Considering how many people are competing for gigs, it's not surprising that even something as seemingly mundane as how one handles the business end of the transaction can become a touchy subject. Sometimes it is frustration because dancers with more experience feel that their "little sisters" are not getting proper guidance from their teachers before heading out to seek professional work, and regrettably, there are a few bad teachers out there intentionally withholding advice from their students so that everything has to be learned the hard way. Sometimes a post will stir up painful memories of a bad gig or a hard lesson learned by someone else, and this can result in a response that is overly emotional, too. I'm not sure what Ozma's motivation was, but I think her input was still valid and useful.

If you want to work on the bellygram circuit, then you do have to be prepared for some unpleasant or confusing outings, and it is important to try to minimize this up front when you make the booking. It's also important if you, as the OP said at the end of her first post, have been burned and are considering giving up on the hopes of a professional career, you understand where you want to go as a dancer and what your realistic odds of getting there are. If you want to move forward, then you need to look at what's worked and what's gone wrong in the past and reassess how to improve your odds of getting what you want. If you'd rather get out of the rat race, that is your choice, too. What you don't want is to be pursuing gigs halfheartedly or with less-than-impeccable business practices, because that does a disservice to everybody.

Originally Posted by ozma

I'm about to come off as a hardass:
The woman planning this or who hired you might not have had any idea what to expect in hiring you, but if you're the first belly dancer they've hired...well...explaining what hiring you entails, and checking that they are able to provide you with what you need to get that done, is part of your job. It sounds like if you'd talked about the environment and conditions you'd be dancing in, it would have made sense for you to steer the woman towards something more like a bellygram than a show...and that is probably what she was imagining.

From the info in midnight_star's OP, the woman did know she was hiring for a full set of at least 15 minutes. The woman didn't know what she was supposed to do, given the parameters of the party.

Granted, for a retirement party gig, I generally recommend a 'gram. In this case, however, the length of a standard 'gram (mine is about 10 minutes) would have been too long; what the woman needed was 4-5 minutes and she should have stated that.

As a general comment, I'd like to say that we entertainers really need to ask lots and lots of questions of our clients. I've been doing this a very long time and I've gotten good about knowing what to ask, looking for clues as to what to ask, and the like. Booking skills is not something I developed overnight.

I'm always looking for better ways to do what I've been doing and, to discover those resources, I've never been failed by my fellow Bhuzzers!

Deborah

ETA: sorry for the redundant post, everybody. I made the mistake of failing to read beyond Ozma's post quoted above. After reading and noting that several folks made the same points I did, my post wasn't necessary at all! Or, maybe that just means that great minds think alike!

Man you guys must have some sweet gigs if this one was bad for you! Well, spill the beans! If this one sucked, whats a good gig like?
Actually, my private party gigs have been ok, but the audience was not as responsive at this last one. Which is why it was the best! My favorite job was at Busch Gardens, but I dont really consider that a "gig". Oh, and BTW, client did get a contract and paid a deposit before the show. The contract detailed length of the show, song titles and length, cd player must be provided (or I'll provide one for extra $) and a whole bunch of other details. I'm an avid bhuz lurker and I've been burned at restaurants so I'm trying to make sure I do this right...

Originally Posted by casbahdance

Booking skills is not something I developed overnight.

Amen to this. I think we're all refining our approach as we go along!

Even though my teachers taught me a lot about the screening process, it wasn't until I did a brief stint in advertising sales that a lot of these concepts really "clicked." We had to attend all these tedious seminars on overcoming objections, negotiating, performing Needs Analysis consultations, and managing expectations. It all felt like drudgery at the time, and I hated that job with a passion, but formal b2b sales training was the best possible thing that could've happened to my dance business! I feel so confident working with clients now.

That being said, I think every dancer should make it a point to seek out b2b sales seminars through their local chamber of commerce or entepreneur networking group. It will only help your business and your overall professionalism!

Originally Posted by SatinWorship19

What? Apparently you didn't get your Bhuz User's Manual in the mail yet. They go over all this stuff in Chapter One! ..l;,

It is true that I have not yet found a Bhuz user manual, but I HAVE found the 'Zombie Topics that Ate Your Brain' thread.

As Ozma told me when I inquired about a thread that had gotten a bit chilly....

"We all a buncha beyatchus up in here...."

My best gig of late went like this. It was a late booking for an Indian restaurant in town. The owner had a large party of tourists from India, and one of the party had expressly requested a belly dancer. Since they didn't know me I wore the wig and made up a very hurried set list. I was booked for half an hour, for which I charged the maximum I usually charge for a restaurant gig.)

When I arrived, as is usually the case I was asked if I could start a bit later. They only wanted me to entertain the Indian group and wanted to get rid of random n00bs who had insisted on taking seats in that part of the restaurant. I met the man who had requested a dancer, and knew *instantly* this was going to be a good gig because he asked me if I would please get the various ladies present up to dance. (The last private Indian gig I did - a very swish family affair - was quite sleazy and they were cheapskates. This was really NOT like that.)

So they gave me a glass of wine and I hung out till it was starting time. I did my entrance and main song, and then as I got into the "getting audience up" bit, the requesting man started to guide me. He would direct me to get up various men, BUT he'd go "get him up next. And that is his wife, over there!" So I'd get the man, and his wife, bring them up to dance with me, get photos and so on it would go. Then they started to play Indian dance music and I stayed on dancing socially with them about another half hour. That was when the younger women got up and started showing me their Bollywood dance moves, getting competitive but not in a nasty way. At one point the restaurant owner asked very nicely if I would dance with a particular man to a particular song that he liked, which I did, and it was all very sweet and innocent and hands off. There was one man who was mildly OTT but it was the sort of situation where you can do a mock frowny face and waggle your finger and it goes down well. In general it was very very nice and very positive and respectful.

Then it was time for me to bow out. Given that I'd started late, the owner asked me how much I would like. I told him well I quoted XX. "How much would make you happy?" I added half again, which they gave me without question. I probably could actually have doubled my fee.

That was my most favourite gig so far.

Originally Posted by zumarrad

My best gig of late went like this. It was a late booking for an Indian restaurant in town. The owner had a large party of tourists from India, and one of the party had expressly requested a belly dancer. Since they didn't know me I wore the wig and made up a very hurried set list. I was booked for half an hour, for which I charged the maximum I usually charge for a restaurant gig.)

When I arrived, as is usually the case I was asked if I could start a bit later. They only wanted me to entertain the Indian group and wanted to get rid of random n00bs who had insisted on taking seats in that part of the restaurant. I met the man who had requested a dancer, and knew *instantly* this was going to be a good gig because he asked me if I would please get the various ladies present up to dance. (The last private Indian gig I did - a very swish family affair - was quite sleazy and they were cheapskates. This was really NOT like that.)

So they gave me a glass of wine and I hung out till it was starting time. I did my entrance and main song, and then as I got into the "getting audience up" bit, the requesting man started to guide me. He would direct me to get up various men, BUT he'd go "get him up next. And that is his wife, over there!" So I'd get the man, and his wife, bring them up to dance with me, get photos and so on it would go. Then they started to play Indian dance music and I stayed on dancing socially with them about another half hour. That was when the younger women got up and started showing me their Bollywood dance moves, getting competitive but not in a nasty way. At one point the restaurant owner asked very nicely if I would dance with a particular man to a particular song that he liked, which I did, and it was all very sweet and innocent and hands off. There was one man who was mildly OTT but it was the sort of situation where you can do a mock frowny face and waggle your finger and it goes down well. In general it was very very nice and very positive and respectful.

Then it was time for me to bow out. Given that I'd started late, the owner asked me how much I would like. I told him well I quoted XX. "How much would make you happy?" I added half again, which they gave me without question. I probably could actually have doubled my fee.

That was my most favourite gig so far.

Wow! That sounds like a fun and great gig. Congrats!

On a side note Midnight....I find it AMAZING that you can run out and do this gig during your lunch hour, and still make it back in time for work, all of your co-workers none the wiser! LOL Kind of like how superman always changed in a closet or phone booth, and no one realized what was going on! That's pretty cool...okay,