Thread: Invitations to dance at showcases and galas

I've been thinking about the politics of dancer line-ups at showcases and I just wonder if there are any ethics or guiding principles about it. I suppose every organizer does it differently and I understand the reasoning behind doing invitation-only shows...but what about dancers who want to participate in shows? Here are some questions that I've been pondering of late...

Is it rude to e-mail organizers to ask to get a performance slot if they haven't solicited for performers?

Is it rude to follow-up if they don't respond to you within a certain time frame?

Is the etiquette different if the show is in a different location than your hometown/metro?

If you're a dancer who wants to perform at showcases, what are some good ways to improve your chances of getting invited or getting a show slot?

What is best way to handle these types of situations with grace and professionalism?

I organize shows by invitation. I would not be offended if someone contacted me about being in the show, but I may or may not be able to accommodate them. I look for people who are good dancers, fun to work with, provide a variety of styles for the show, and are available on the date.

Being polite and gracious to the organizers, other dancers and band, and delivering a solid performance are the best ways to be invited back.

As an event organizer, I would find it a little rude if somebody I didn't know or didn't know well asked point blank for an invite to one of my invite only/juried events, but I am more than fine with being asked about the process for getting invited or about my criteria for selection. So that's the approach I would take--'Dear Dancer X, I really enjoy your events and would love to perform at one someday. [insert introduction of yourself if needed] I hope you will keep me in mind for your future events. I look forward to seeing you soon, Me" If you haven't gone to any of Dancer X's events, try to do so before making contact, but if she's not local or you just can't make it, throw in some complimentary things about what you've heard about her events. Include a video link, if you've got something you feel represents you strongly as you are right now, even if you think Dancer X has seen you perform before.

I don't think it's rude to follow up if you haven't had a response in a few days.

A lot of it does come down to schmoozing and being a community participant. I know I am likelier, given equal talents, to give slots to performers who are also happy to be audience members and support other dancers, because I appreciate that dedication to dance as a whole, not just their own dancing.

Originally Posted by andalee-oriental

Is it rude to e-mail organizers to ask to get a performance slot if they haven't solicited for performers?

I wouldn't think it is rude, but it might not change the outcome. It's conceivable that the roster was filled long before you heard about the event. I suspect your odds may be slightly better if you contact the organizer before the early registration closes, though. Eager, organized strangers probably have a better chance at a slot than last-minute unknowns.

Is it rude to follow-up if they don't respond to you within a certain time frame?

I shouldn't think it is wrong to contact the organizer once, a week or so after sending the original e-mail or snail-mail registration to ask if your inquiry has been received, but I wouldn't do more than that unless they ask you to contact them again later. Too much eagerness is liable to end with a one-way ticket to Do-Not-Want-Land, especially if the organizer already knows you and could have invited you...

Is the etiquette different if the show is in a different location than your hometown/metro?

If the organizer doesn't know you, you might want to provide a link to your web site or YouTube channel with your request, but if you've been circling each other for years at shows, I wouldn't.

If you're a dancer who wants to perform at showcases, what are some good ways to improve your chances of getting invited or getting a show slot?

Seriously? Put on your own show and invite them. There's a lot of "You scratch my back and I'll scratch yours" out there.

Go to shows when you're not invited to perform and make a point of complimenting the organizer. Mention that you'd love to participate in the future.

If there's a two-day workshop with the show, go to both days, so the organizer knows you're serious about being good. If you want an invitation for your troupe, make sure they all go to the whole workshop, too. Organizers have a right to be irritated by people who approach them with the attitude of, "What's the minimum I have to do to perform? What's the least amount of workshop I have to take?"

What is best way to handle these types of situations with grace and professionalism?

The same way you'd handle cold-calling for any other position. Have your act together and behave in an enthusiastic and obviously sane manner.

Great answers, I must say that I think it never hurts to ask.

I recently asked to dance at an out-of-town event. I had been to one workshop hosted by the organizer before. In my request I sent her a link to my website which includes videos and my credentials. The organizer let me know that the show was all full. I was still going to the workshop so no skin off of my back for trying.

Lo and behold, a few weeks later she let me know that there were going to be additional spaces and invited to me to dance. We don't know each other well and if I hadn't of inquired then she would have never known that I was interested.

I wouldn't consider it rude for someone to ask me and would gladly let them know my process.

If the show is in your town and you were invited to attend but not perform, then you might want to do as already mentioned - attend but talk to the organizer about performing the next time. This indicates to me that the organizer is aware of you but for whatever reason did not invite you. Show her that you are willing to support her event, and let her know you are interested in performing in the future. However, if it's in your town and you only found out about the whole thing through the grapevine, I think you should go ahead and ask. Unless you are being deliberately snubbed (not likely), she may not know your studio even exists. We have new groups always popping up, merging, or dying out here that I couldn't even begin to name them all!

If the show is out of town, you can't expect the organizer to be aware of you or that you plan on attending her event. The only way she'll know is if you ask, and if you do it politely I can't see the harm. At least she'll know you're interested, and you might get put on The List like Azraa.

If you haven't asked to be considered, then you have nothing to complain about if you're overlooked or not invited.

If you do ask to be considered, and follow up sparingly/appropriately without being presumptuous, whiny, or aggressive...after multiple events you'll know for sure whether the organizer really wants to include you.

I wouldn't ask to be part of a workshop show if I weren't taking the workshop. And I can see how some organizers may want to feature their own students or local dancers that they work really closely with, over dancers that they're just not that close to.

When I put on an invitation-only gala show, I had a lot of out of town dancers asking to be in it who I didn't know at all and some local ones who didn't seem to understand that it was invitation only. I definitely appreciated the performers who supported the event by attending the accompanying workshops and were able to stay be a part of the entire show. It's hard to let people know that it's invitation-only tactfully and not hurt people's feelings.

And how to get invited back? Simply be a pleasure to work with and present a memorable performance.

You would be surprised at how many dancers (or often a dancer's troupe/students) are rude to event volunteers. Door people (reliable ones are like gold), stage hands and music people will all give feedback to the sponsor about who gave them a hard time. I am sure most of us would like to think we would never be rude to anyone undeservingly, but some dancers get a bit frazzled in the heat of the moment and can do or say something they otherwise wouldn't.

For my annual showcase I used to throw it open to the dance community in my local region. I wanted to give everyone the opportunity to put themselves forward.

I am changing this now and will approach people myself. You cannot please everyone because whatever approach you take someone somewhere will mumble about it... so just do it the way you want to do it.

In future I will do what is best for the showcase as opposed to a 'community appeasing' excersize. I have mentioned this to people to test the water and I have their full support with that.

As an event organizer, I get many requests to perform and/or teach at the Vegas event. I'm nearly never offended at a request, but sometimes I do feel overwhelmed and bombarded by them. I usually ask people to touch base with me in October to teach, as that's when I start the line up for the following year. I assume that if they are really serious, then they will contact me then. For performers, we have an online audition process that starts early in the year with an April 1st deadline (even though the show isn't until September).

Basically, it's all about timing and tact.

A polite inquiry is good, but support for the organizer and her event/s is better.

95% of the non-studio folks who ask us for an invitation to dance and/or vend have no intention of attending the event unless they can dance or vend. What, the event is not worth attending unless they are in it? nice.

And if they do perform, 95% of them don't bring any of their friends or family or fans with them to YOUR show. That's THEIR audience, their fan base; they want to perform for YOURS. Or if they do bring friends/fans, they expect you to comp their friends/fans because 'they are with them.'

In short, I'd get myself out of the 'never attended your event because I never danced / vended there' category by attending a few times as a regular paying guest and THEN asking to perform.

Originally Posted by maurazebra

And if they do perform, 95% of them don't bring any of their friends or family or fans with them to YOUR show. That's THEIR audience, their fan base; they want to perform for YOURS. Or if they do bring friends/fans, they expect you to comp their friends/fans because 'they are with them.'

Doesn't this depend on how far away they're coming from and their circumstances? If it's not a local event, it's asking quite a bit to expect people to come with a big posse. It certainly is wonderful if Dancer X and a group of her students and their families make a trek two states over, but that's not always realistic. Maybe Dancer X is the only one interested in the workshop or the only one who can afford the trip. And if you are interested in building a national reputation, you do need to get yourself out there in order to grow beyond your existing fan base.

It can be nice to offer slots to the occasional out-of-town performers (assuming you know enough about them to know they're going to be an enhancement to the lineup). In some places every show consists of the same handful of performers every time, and a fresh face and different skill set can liven up a stale roster. It's also in the organizer's best interest to put together a show that's more than what Mad magazine used to call "the usual gang of idiots," because audiences can flatline, too. When the organizer builds the reputation that each show is going to be unique and worth seeing (instead of a rehash of the same stuff as last time), that helps to keep interest--and ticket sales--up.

But otherwise, yeah, I agree completely. It's a big-time FAIL when a dancer treats a workshop like some horrible obstacle to be overcome in order to perform in the show, and it's not any less of a faux pas when she acts like a diva who doesn't support the other dancers and the larger effort behind the event.

Originally Posted by Tourbeau

Doesn't this depend on how far away they're coming from and their circumstances?

Very true. Our showcases and galas are very local (Local = within 50/75 miles). Our dance 'centers' are located about 100 miles away from each other across four states.. Indiana, Kentucky, Tennessee, Ohio. People tend to attend events in the center closest to them since the recession has made them very conscious of transport costs.

Complicating things is the impact the recession has had on Louisville, which is very conservative Christian and not very belly-dance friendly. The other dance 'centers' seem to be much less hostile. I believe my daughter is the only belly dance teacher left in Louisville (pop. 1 million+) who is making her living from dancing (that includes performances, by the way, not just the teaching). We might have better attendance if we did a Zumba showcase ...

Originally Posted by Tourbeau

It can be nice to offer slots to the occasional out-of-town performers (assuming you know enough about them to know they're going to be an enhancement to the lineup). In some places every show consists of the same handful of performers every time, and a fresh face and different skill set can liven up a stale roster.

We do know excellent dancers outside of our 50-100-mile local range, some of them true artists with broken-down cars, unpaid rent and outstanding traffic tickets ;) They can afford to come dance if we can put on workshops for them to teach. Since we sometimes just want to do the showcase, we do our best to make sure that our reputation for being unique and worth seeing is based on what we do internally.

Originally Posted by Tourbeau

But otherwise, yeah, I agree completely. It's a big-time FAIL when a dancer treats a workshop like some horrible obstacle to be overcome in order to perform in the show, and it's not any less of a faux pas when she acts like a diva who doesn't support the other dancers and the larger effort behind the event.

Yeah, it pisses me off. Did I say that already?