Thread: Quaint singing pirates....

Cleaning out my old emails, I stumbled on this one that was sent to me in 2004:

I represent a new renaissance faire. I was wondering if you could help me find belly dancing performers. Our budget is going to be pretty low after paying liability insurance, food/alcohol vending costs, hiring quaint singing pirates, and so on. For our first season we could really use a volunteer troupe of dancers that would be willing to perform in exchange for vendor space only (if they are selling anything), or for free, if they deemed the publicity alone to be worth their trip.

What ever made that man think I'd want to help him when he confessed he was willing to pay the "quaint singing pirates" but not the belly dancers???

I can understand how liability insurance and food/alcohol vending costs might eat up a budget, but I wasn't interested in helping someone who valued "quaint singing pirates" more highly than belly dancers. Harrumph!

Just thought I'd share!

Wow.

That's quite some gall, to actually LIST everybody else he's paying and then say he wants the bellydancers to perform for free.

Presmably Quaint Singing Pirates need the money more badly than the EXPOSURE, which, you know, we all LOVE so much. ,r:;

Perhaps he'd pay the dancers if they were quaint enough!

That wins best "I can't pay you because..." excuse.

Clearly QSPs are way more important than dancers! Did you attend the fair just to see them? I don't know that I could pass up such an opportunity (seeing the QSPs, not dancing for free).

Originally Posted by *Shira*

Cleaning out my old emails, I stumbled on this one that was sent to me in 2004:

What ever made that man think I'd want to help him when he confessed he was willing to pay the "quaint singing pirates" but not the belly dancers???

Pirates of the Caribbean came out in 2003. That's why the pirates are a must, and belly dancers less so.

Although you are probably not the only performing group that received a version of that solicitation. Ren Faires are notorious for being short on funds for performers.

What if I was a Quaint Singing Bellydancer? I can sing Enta Omri. Al...though... yeah, probably not DANCE at the same time.

Do I deserve to be paid now? Or do I need to be a Quaint Singing Pirate Wench Bellydancer? With a wooden leg? And a parrot? Have I just created a new fusion there? O NOES! ..l;,

Originally Posted by wigglewhiz

Do I deserve to be paid now? Or do I need to be a Quaint Singing Pirate Wench Bellydancer? With a wooden leg? And a parrot? Have I just created a new fusion there? O NOES! ..l;,

Hooray, you've invented a new fusion style! Now you can found your own Ecole De Danse and create a whole troupe of QSPWBs! Stock up on parrots now! Let me know when you tour the USA, I'll sponsor your workshop! ..l;,..l;,..l;,

Originally Posted by Andrea2

Clearly QSPs are way more important than dancers! Did you attend the fair just to see them? I don't know that I could pass up such an opportunity (seeing the QSPs, not dancing for free).

<laughing> I didn't attend the fair because it was in Texas and I live in Iowa, and I wasn't curious enough to make a trek of that length!

But if any Texas bhuzzards went to a Renaissance Faire in 2005 and saw Quaint Singing Pirates, I hope you'll give us a full report on what you remember of the spectacle!

They wanted you to go all the way to Texas and perform for free? Wow. How far away did the QSP have to travel? Were they truly coming from the Caribbean?

Originally Posted by Karnak

They wanted you to go all the way to Texas and perform for free? Wow. How far away did the QSP have to travel? Were they truly coming from the Caribbean?

They weren't asking me personally to go there. They were asking if I could steer them to someone willing to dance for free.

Originally Posted by *Shira*

They were asking if I could steer them to someone willing to dance for free.

"No, sorry. All the Quaint Dancing Wenches I know are reputable entertainers, who charge standard performing fees for working Ren Faires."

Unfortunately, he probably found a troupe that was willing to do this gig on his terms. We wonder why the GP treats us like discount softcore kitsch, but the reality is there's always someone willing to sink that low for work.

Originally Posted by tigerb

Let me know when you tour the USA, I'll sponsor your workshop!

That makes me INTERNATIONAL QSPWB SUPERSTARS.

I think I just totally WON the Bellydance Career Game. W00T!

will we need to add qsdw and qsp to the bhuz-tionary?

Hahahahaha this thread is killing me! QSP's!!!! You guys are amazing.

Sorry, guys, you're too late - I've already seen several Quaint Singing Pirate Bellydancers. No, I am not joking.

I also helped organize Pirates in Paradise Key West one year and there were plenty of Quaint Singing Pirates at that - learned one of my favourite dirty songs from them too!

I don't think they were paid, though.

Originally Posted by wigglewhiz

That makes me INTERNATIONAL QSPWB SUPERSTARS.

I think I just totally WON the Bellydance Career Game. W00T!

I will drive up from Iowa to attend the IQSPWBS workshop! I hereby award you the Bellydance Career Medal of Modest Awesomeness.