Thread: nursing home shows

I'm thinking of doing this kind of show and would like to hear from anyone who's done them before; I have some questions.

* How do you market this show? What are the best selling points to mention?

* What do you charge? I ask because I often see "nursing home show" suggested as something for students to do when they're not quite ready for paid gigs. I work as a paid performer and want to do what is right. I'm not sure if you charge the regular rate, or if this is like doing a charity performance and you offer a discount or donate your time.

* Do you do a one-time show or a regular performance (e.g. 1x/month)?

* Any precautions (that are unique to this kind of show)?

Any advice is appreciated!

For some nursing home shows, I do them for free (ie: the veterans home on valentines day every year where students perform as well) for others, I charge a discounted rate.

A good selling point to mention is that it is fun upbeat entertainment for the residents of the nursing or assisted living home who aren't able to get out much for entertainment or fun.... it will definitely make many of them smile.

I've always done once a year at each facility. It always starts out as a one time thing, but they usually ask me back for next year or later in the year.

I really enjoy doing the nursing home shows. They are usually one of the best audiences. They'll clap and smile and get into it. Some who may look like they disapprove or don't like it, will be the most vocal after the show and come up to you and thank you or ask about your costume, etc. I would try to be very engaging and smile big big big! Try to use a lot of upbeat music too... variety is good, but they seem to really get into the upbeat music as well. They also like prop variety... zills, veil, sword, cane, wings... they like all of them, but they really seem to like cane, veil, and zills most of all.

Research the facility. Some of them are very high end and can afford to pay your normal fee. Others will not be able to.

I have been to places where they think they should segregate the people, only let men watch. I discourage that, but one place says that is what the men want. In this case, I was barraged by the women when I left so I hung out with them for a bit.

This is one of the few times when I will really take the time to talk to people. I always will do photos etc for clients, but I almost never stick around. But at retirement centers, I usually do if I can.

Once a quarter is the most I would go for. Twice a year is good.

Seriously-watch out for dirty old men. There aren't many of them, but there are those who think it is perfectly fine to grab you or try to kiss you.

Originally Posted by Lesedi

. . . really seem to like cane, veil, and zills most of all.

We always speak with the nursing home staff prior to including zils. Hearing aids and zils can create discomfort. In our market it was best to have the shows mid-afternoon, not in the evening. Senior Care Facilities in our area prefer not to have their guests too excited just prior to time for bed. Often meds are linked to meal-time so the dinner schedule is usually a priority. Shows here start between 1 and 2. Wings always have a huge wow factor.

When on sale we like to purchase either glitter dot fabric or some other fabric that does not have to be hemmed. We cut it into triangles to create hip scarves and accent scarves. We cut the "V" edges so it resembles fringe. We wrap them around the hips or shoulders of care residents. The guys and ladies in wheelchairs seem to enjoy being included in the activities more than most, we talked with staff and were advised wheelchair residents are often left-out. The talk was after we had asked one cute wheelchair couple if they wanted to 'dance' with us and rolled them toward the dance area. We held their hands and they were so cute as they mimicked movements. The guy wanted to purchase the wrap we placed on his gal's shoulders, as a souvenir of their first dance.

As an activity director for a nursing home myself, talk with the activity director. You can find out what would work for that facility and what would not (as with any other gig). Such as, how large is the space? does the space have carpeting? costuming and the appropriateness for an elderly audience? Some facilities are more acceptable of regular costumes/bedlah's and some others would prefer more of a "cover-up." And as SandraDances mentioned, some can afford a regularly priced show (retirement homes usually have a bigger budget) than some other facilities (nursing homes). When I book entertainment for my facility, I do haggle for a lower price 'cause I do have a small budget to work with and many entertainers usually lower their price to fit my needs. One last thing...when I hire a dancer (or dancers), some will actually bring their students with as a filler-this lengthens the time of the program (because a 20-minute show is not enough for my place...my residents get really bummed when the entertainment leaves shortly after they started).

No real advice, but I just thought I would share my experience dancing with a friend at a facility yesterday - it is a residential care facility for people with long-term neurological and physical disabilities. That means nearly all of them are in wheelchairs and in some cases can't really even move themselves at all, or talk, or show a lot of facial expression. Some have been like that forever, some have lost mobility. So they don't necessarily smile at you and they don't clap, because they can't.

It was nice. The ones who could talk and engage on some level did, and some were interested to touch our costume fabrics and jewellery. We did raqs sharqi, beledi, ghawazee and khaleegy in appropriate costumes, taking turns and then doing some khaleegy together in thobes. I used zills for the ghawazee but not all the way through, as the space was small and I feared it being uncomfortable for some residents.

Afterwards we went and danced with our thobes in the room of a young woman who is bedridden - that was fun and really nice. She loved it.

There would not have been room for something like wings in there - the hospital was damaged in the earthquake so right now entertainment happens in their TV room, which has only an averagely high ceiling, and it is pretty packed when most of the residents have chosen to come and watch. We told them a little bit about the cultural details of each dance. We were paid a token amount from their entertainment budget. It is not a lot but certainly more than the petrol.

I would say that it is good to present nursing home events as related to travel. It's a way of giving the residents a taste of some other countries, which they may or may not have visited in the past (one man at our home had been to Cairo while he was still able to walk).

My teacher used to be wary of retirement home gigs because a lot of old Kiwi guys were stationed in Egypt during the war and while they liked it, it would also often make them very emotional as it reminded them of lost friends etc. (My understanding is that some WWII Kiwi soldiers went to Egypt to train and wait, rather than to fight, so they often had a month or two of quite good fun together in Egypt before they went off and got killed. Much like in "Gallipoli" but with more modern uniforms and no Mel.) However, most of those men have died now.

I charge a super-discounted rate of $100 for a 20-minute show at one nursing home that calls me back each year. The director is Egyptian and has a little annual film-festival of sorts for the old folks, with Middle Eastern foods and a dancer. She asks me to dress modestly; not sure if it's her own moral sense or risk of heart attacks from the little old men! ;) Just be careful with your cane (they love it!) and take it easy on the zills since playing loudly can be painful for those with hearing aids.

Oh! and they also adore it when you get the orderlies/nurses up to dance. :)

This is an area of my business that I'm looking to expand upon myself.

IME, these shows are usually 45-minute to 1 hour lecture/demonstrations, but I'm sure other formats are done as well. And yes, my first paid show was a Father's Day 1 hour show, so usually it is students who do them. I do, however, know a couple of high-end pros who have semi-regular gigs, and I certainly think it's a good thing. It is a lot of work to put one of these together, so I don't know why they tend to get downplayed as "student" gigs.

I find that these situations require one to have a reason to string all the material you want to present into something cohesive. If I'm working on a choreography, I get a chance and a reason to present a "first draft" of it. I get a chance to rehearse material in my choreography repertoire that I'd like to keep polished. I get a reason to come up with new material or new versions of music. I have to do research so that the lecture portion of the show is accurate and entertaining. Using visual aids is great. This audience has a longer attention span sometimes, and you can get away with using material that just wouldn't be appropriate in most nightclub settings, such as obviously folkloric stuff or the more esoteric or theatrical stuff.

These folks are the most appreciative audiences ever, and I find these gigs to be rewarding for many reasons.

Originally Posted by Zumarrad

My teacher used to be wary of retirement home gigs because a lot of old Kiwi guys were stationed in Egypt during the war and while they liked it, it would also often make them very emotional as it reminded them of lost friends etc. (My understanding is that some WWII Kiwi soldiers went to Egypt to train and wait, rather than to fight, so they often had a month or two of quite good fun together in Egypt before they went off and got killed. Much like in "Gallipoli" but with more modern uniforms and no Mel.) However, most of those men have died now.

That's interesting, I often have old soldiers in the audience at nursing homes who get very happy because I remind them of the 'hoochie coochie dancing girls' over there.

I love dancing at nursing homes, but don't like to do a full hour's program. However, when they've made the huge effort to wheel everyone into one room, they often want more than a 20 minute set. So I often do two sets with a costume change in between...usually time for one of the nurses to fill in time with an impromptu singalong or comedy routine.

I've found pretty floaty veils and costumes are popular with the residents, as is cane dancing. Especially if I steal one of the resident's canes and use that.

Nursing homes are one place to definitely expect the unexpected and not get too rattled. I've had ladies being escorted across my dance space because they have to go to the loo right away, people with dementia getting distressed and starting to yell, plenty that fall asleep or don't seem to respond. But for all that, you get the most genuine appreciation and enjoyment from others, and lots of comments like 'such a lovely figure' and 'I used to have legs like yours' that only an 80-year-old would make!

We try to do several nursing home gigs a year and always for free. It's a way of volunteering time and effort to people who really are in need of a bit of entertainment and color in their lives. It's a great way to give students an opportunity to perform with an appreciative audience and also try out new choreos and props.

Be prepared to move tables and chairs to create an area to perform. Most likely, you will be in the dining room so check the floor for food which could cause someone to slip while dancing. Be sure to ask about their sound system beforehand and if you are bringing a boombox bring an extension cord along. Ask the person in charge ahead of time if it's ok to get within arms reach of the residents. We often dance at a veterans's home and the nurses know to put the grabbers and pinchers in the back Also, hang around for a bit after for a meet and greet. They love sharing stories of dancers they're seen in the past and they may want a picture taken with you.

Funniest compliment we've ever gotten was from a WWII veteran after one of our performances, "You gals were a hell of a lot better then those damn cloggers that were here last weekend!" (No offense to cloggers, I actually love clogging). Just be prepared for all kinds of funny comments!

And NEVER EVER run over into BINGO HOUR!

At the expensive home in SF we have trouble getting paid, and I don't enjoy that gig because in this massive facility only 5-6 people come out to see us and they all look terribly unhappy to be present. At the state-run elders hospital where we volunteer for free (the residents don't have family - they have a social worker - and there is no budget for live entertainment), the staff collects donations from colleagues and they tip us very generously. We dance down a hallway there with HUNDREDS of people gathered in wheelchairs who are so happy to have cheerful guests.