Thread: Please help me find my USP!

I'd really like to get more work as a workshop instructor outside of my local area, but I realise that I need a USP in order to promote myself (alongside of raising my profile by dancing at more haflas, etc). I'd really love to hear Bhuzzers' tales of how they found their USPs, and tips for helping me find mine.

A bit more info about me that might help: I'm pretty much a plain vanilla oriental dancer...which personally think is a great thing to be! However, when trying to persuade event organisers to hire you amongst a sea of other oriental dancers, it's not something that makes you stand out.

I can use veil, sagat and stick but I don't see any of them as being specialities (except perhaps sagat - not used often in the UK - but I'm not as strong as I could be with them). I don't have any training in other dance styles that I can fuse with bellydance (although I did a couple of years of Bharata Natyam, but didn't keep it up, and some salsa and lindy-hop socially). I have reasonable skills in some related folkloric dances (e.g., saidi, khaleejy). I'm a seasoned performer in small venues (as opposed to theatres/large stages), and think I'm able to manage an audience. I have musical training...(ooo perhaps having a mini-lightbulb here)...and although I no longer play an instrument, I use that musical training *all* the time as a dancer.

As a teacher, I'm strong on technique...I'm not a great funster teacher I have to confess - it's something I'd like to be much better at. I think with more experienced students I'm good at helping them connect to the music if they're willing to really listen to it and tease the strands apart.

I don't have any decent youtube clips for you to see, though I realise that would be helpful.

TIA :)

What is "USP"?

I realize to my US centric self that I misread it read United States Post office, but that CAN"T be it

Originally Posted by kina

What is "USP"?

I realize to my US centric self that I misread it read United States Post office, but that CAN"T be it

Unique Selling Point.

Desna, I'm in just the same boat as you, so I'm hoping you get lots of replies I don't do novelty props or a million types of fusion, just plain Egyptian style. Frankly, that's getting pretty rare so if we hold on long enough it may be a USP.

Kina, I had the same question. It's the whole reason I clicked on the thread

As far as what makes you marketable & what your appeal would be as a workshop instructor- why not ask your current students? Find out what drew them in, why they stay, what topics in particular they like you to teach as a special topic/workshop. Get a few testimonials while you're at it.

Kina - I'm sorry, yes, USP = Unique Selling Point...sorry to jargonise

Originally Posted by Emma

Unique Selling Point.

Desna, I'm in just the same boat as you, so I'm hoping you get lots of replies I don't do novelty props or a million types of fusion, just plain Egyptian style. Frankly, that's getting pretty rare so if we hold on long enough it may be a USP.

Originally Posted by Lara L

Kina, I had the same question. It's the whole reason I clicked on the thread

As far as what makes you marketable & what your appeal would be as a workshop instructor- why not ask your current students? Find out what drew them in, why they stay, what topics in particular they like you to teach as a special topic/workshop. Get a few testimonials while you're at it.

Thanks LaraL, I should have said that I'm planning to do this already...

I'm so sorry I've confused everyone with the USP thing!

Performance Skills workshop
Musicality workshop
Strengthening technique workshop

Maybe you could work up the above into a "move up to the next level" daylong event? Create 3 separate workshops of 2 hours each that could also be offered as a one or two day intensive/

Classic oriental dance - with so many fusion things going on, perhaps being "just" a bellydancer could become a selling point

Originally Posted by Emma

I don't do novelty props or a million types of fusion, just plain Egyptian style. Frankly, that's getting pretty rare so if we hold on long enough it may be a USP.

As a workshop attendee, plain Egyptian and a focus on technique is a U enough SP to attract my interest. Ditto any of the things catwomyn mentioned.

I can't think of many (any?) novelty prop or fusion workshops that will have me going ooh MUST do that one. Maybe I'm atypical and that is what most people want though. There's a thought - no organiser ever asked me why I DIDN'T go to a workshop...

Veil and stick aren't that special a draw for me any more unless it's with particular teachers, but I think the UK could stand a few more sagat workshops with an Egyptian rather than tribal focus. We've had a couple of sessions in class that went down well.

Catwomyn - thanks for those suggestions! I will definitely have a go at working those ideas up onto workshop outlines.

Aniseteph - your comments are heartening, thankyou! However, I suspect you're on the right track with 'no-one ever asks why I didn't go to a workshop'! I think that the 'for fun', fusion and prop workshops do draw significant numbers of people. I should really work on my sagat a *lot* more and get that going as a workshop though.

However...just some context as to why a USP is helpful for those of us who are just 'plain bellydancers' of whatever style: for those of us based in the UK, we are fortunate that we have a lot of access to teachers who live in or originate from the countries of origin of the dance - every big event has one or two present and teaching. We're also fortunate that a small number of teachers based here spend a lot of time in Cairo, or Istanbul (and other places) to keep up to date with music, dance, etc, running tours and bringing the 'new stuff' back to us or giving us those authentic flavours. If you were at a bellydance event, looked at the programme and saw, for example: 'camel technique with famous Egyptian bellydancer' or 'camel technique with unheard-of-dancer-from-provincial-English-city' who would you choose? I know I would choose the famous Egyptian bellydancer every time...hence a USP would be helpful...

Sorry, I'm tired now, I don't know if any of that made sense Keep the suggestions coming though

If you were at a bellydance event, looked at the programme and saw, for example: 'camel technique with famous Egyptian bellydancer' or 'camel technique with unheard-of-dancer-from-provincial-English-city' who would you choose? I know I would choose the famous Egyptian bellydancer every time

Good point. That'd be an unusual programme though! If big star was teaching drum solos to the inevitable mega-workshop you could include me out and I might well be interested in someone else's take on camels if I rated her dancing or had heard good things about her teaching. But mostly you aren't competing on the same ground.

You reminded me of something though. Big generalisation, but I think it's possible for a non ME teacher to have the advantage in terms of understanding where her students are coming from and communicating effectively. Appreciating that a lot of us are basically funsters not aspiring dance pros, explaining movements in a variety of ways, being able to really break it down rather than just follow the bouncing butt. A good explanation of correct/useful technique is GOLD in my book. OK I will go to the occasional big name workshop for the vibe, but the teachers I would go back to in a heartbeat are the ones who have geeked their way through their stuff and can tell me about it. That goes for dance technique and performance technique.

It's a long term USP, but it's the best one, IMO!

Originally Posted by deelybopper

Thanks LaraL, I should have said that I'm planning to do this already...

I'm so sorry I've confused everyone with the USP thing!

No no, it was an information seeking question, seriously, because I could NOT figure out what it meant!

Also, I have no shame about admitting ignorance I think it's shameful to continue in that state.