Thread: How do you feel about customers taking video in restaurants?

I was watching a cruise boat video in another thread, and noticed that there were at least two people videoing the dancer, one with a hand-held phone.

It's easy to set rules for a theater performance (not always so easy to enforce them), but how do you handle it when someone starts recording your performance in a restaurant? Are you OK with it? Do you just grin and bear it? Have you ever asked someone to stop? Or do you ask them to send you a copy? Are you afraid that it will show up on YouTube, or that other dancers will steal your choreography?

Inquiring minds want to know!

I'm not crazy about it but I let it slide. It's usually too dark to get anything worth posting anywhere, so I look at is it makes them happy at the moment but it's unlikely that it'll get posted anywhere anyway. (although they do sometimes).
I improvise- so don't care about someone "stealing" that.
Last week something cool happened though at an Arab nightclub - someone had their phone on skype or facetime or something and they were "skyping" me back home to a hijabi relative.

I'm totally fine with it.

I don't think there is anything you can do about it. It's like expecting Disneyland to have a policy where you can't take a picture of your family posing with the dude in the Mickey Mouse suit. When you dance in a venue that isn't set up with an explicit filming policy (and occasionally even if you do), regardless of whether it's a restaurant, a street festival, or a party at someone's house, you're fair game for someone's media device. You're there to be a visual attraction, and customers want to film and take pictures of visual attractions.

I'm not sure video quality makes a difference to some people. YouTube is full of clips of dancers with poor lighting and crowd noise drowning out the music. If you don't want to end up there, either don't dance outside of carefully controlled situations, or hope when you do, if someone uploads you to YouTube, they'll be civil enough to take the clip down after you ask.

No objections, here. I used to get somewhat ticked when I saw cameras aimed at me during my shows. Now, I let it slide. Like Tourbeau said, if you're in a public place, anything is fair game. And so many people like to document life through their smartphones. If I'm out and I see something I like, or something I think a friend will like, I'll snap a picture or video of it. Hey, at least people like my shows enough to want to preserve the memory somehow!

The only request I ask of amateur paparazzi is that they send me a copy of the footage. Occasionally, the lighting is OK and I can get something salvageable.

If I saw an unflattering clip of my dancing where, say, I had a wardrobe malfunction or slipped on a pile of hummus, now THAT would pose a challenge

Agreed, when you're in a public venue, not alot you can do about it. People are enjoying the show, having fun, and they want photos or video.

And if you dance regularly, people will remember you: "hey, I recognize you! we were here for my brother's birthday, your picture is on our refridgerator!"

OK. Oddly endearing, and a little creepy at first, but they hired me for another party so what are ya gonna do? their family are some of my best clients now

fine with it..it makes me feel god when all the phones pop up....just think ! you YOU are being shared! ..it's just part of the job to me...
i had a dancer working for me once complain that the family of a 90 year old taped her...she wanted me to ban it from her clients..her reasoning ? "they wont hire me again, they will just play the tape"...he is 90 ! wtf....

Originally Posted by zamora

i had a dancer working for me once complain that the family of a 90 year old taped her...she wanted me to ban it from her clients..her reasoning ? "they wont hire me again, they will just play the tape"...he is 90 ! wtf....

LOL If that were the case, people would just pop in a DVD of Dina for all of their parties and weddings.

I have no problem with videos/photos. You can't really stop it in public restaurants without looking like a major jerk so always dance/look your best if that is your concern. I try my best to get copies of the photos/video because most of the time it is dark/horrible quality, but sometimes you get a gem to use.

How do I *feel* about it? I roll my eyes because I think it's dumb to live your life through a tiny video screen when the opportunity to enjoy live entertainment is right in front of you.

What do a *do* about it? Not a darn thing- if that's how they want to enjoy the performance, I'm okay with that. And they are obviously enjoying themselves, as far as I can tell. I don't think it threatens me in any way (excepting the afore mentioned major accident, lol!)

I figure whatever I put on public display is already on display- this doesn't bother me.

Originally Posted by Lara L

How do I *feel* about it? I roll my eyes because I think it's dumb to live your life through a tiny video screen when the opportunity to enjoy live entertainment is right in front of you.

Exactly! I always have to wonder why they want to miss out on the show to look through a little screen. I also like the people who get excited to see a belly dancer in a restaurant then spend 5 minutes of the show texting their friends about it and updating their facebook that they are watching belly dancing. LOL

I have no problem with it. Most people aren't going to bother to tape an entire show on their phones. If I saw someone with an actual video camera I might ask for a copy.

I remember years ago, a dancer was working at a club. Another dancer and myself went to see her show. My friend, pulled out her video camera and the dancer, during her opening song, left the stage and slithered over to our table, way at the back of the club and told my friend to put the camera away. We thought that was so rude!!!!

Mind you, we were both retired at this point so there was no question that she could have thought we might steal her moves. She knew us both personally! We just liked to watch clips of our friends! We never went and saw her show again.

I don’t dance in a restaurant, but any time I perform at an outdoor art-type festival there are almost always a few people recording me dance. I’d rather see people using their phones to take photos/video of me instead sending text messages! I rarely see the videos surface on YouTube, so I have no idea what’s happening with them.

I am a little concerned about what happens with those video clips. I once stumbled upon a blog that featured a video clip of some dancers I know. The performance was entertaining, but the blogger completely berated the dancers.