Thread: Dancing contracts in the Middle East?

Okay, so indulge me in a public pipe dream here...

The "seeking Latin dancers for hotel in Sharm el Sheik" thread in Dance Opportunities got me wondering (again) how exactly North American and European dancers get contracts to dance in the Middle East. That thread led me to a UK entertainment site -- Entsweb -- with international dance postings; is there anything similar for the U.S.?

Not that I think I'm a fantastic dancer or anything, but, hey, I'm working my shimmy off to improve. And, besides, I generally opt to put myself out there for whatever improbable opportunities I can and let other people decide whether I'm what they're looking for. So, if I could find out about dance opportunities abroad, I would be all over applying to them. Especially since they seem to be time (er... age...) sensitive. I may only have a few "good" years left! ,r:;

Hi Ainsley. I am an Australian who works on contracts in the Middle East. I work with an agent who is based in Lebanon. He handles most of the entertainment for the 5 star hotels in the Arabian Gulf, Syria, Lebanon and Northern Africa. I can tell you a lot about working as a dancer in the Middle East if you are interested ... I know it's a dream for a lot of dancers in the west (including me) ... but there are realities and major differences to working in the west that its good to hear about before you embark on the journey ... of course there are also great rewards too ...

There is one American dancer also working with my agent and her name is Sabriye, she was actually the dancer here on the current contract I am on in Casablanca, before me. She has written an editorial in the latest Suhaila newsletter about dancing in the Middle East that's worth a read. Her sentiments pretty much echo mine.

Best of luck with reaching your goals ,r:;

http://www.suhaila.com/newsletters/a...ex.html#health

here is a link to Sabriye's article ..g.:

I'm dancing in Egypt at the moment. As far as I understand there are some similarities as working in other Middle East countries, but there is huge difference too. It can be same time easier and more difficult. But I have to agree about the beginning part: As much I love my work here, I would really never recommend this.

Thanks so much to you both for the information. And Sabriye's article is excellent.

I was embarrassed to even ask, so I really appreciate the responses.

Originally Posted by Ainsley

I generally opt to put myself out there for whatever improbable opportunities I can and let other people decide whether I'm what they're looking for.

I LOVE this attitude!..g.:

Originally Posted by Lauren_

I LOVE this attitude!..g.:

I was thinking the same thing...That's a really positive attitude. Instead of thinking, "oh I'm not what they are looking for" It's better to put yourself out there. As far as what Outi said, I feel the same way about my job. If someone told me they'd like to be a flight attendant, I'd say DON"T DO IT! even though I love my job! I guess you really have to have a thick skin to dance in the middle east since the dancer stereotypes are much worse than they are here in the States and the West in general...

Hi there!

I think Egypt & the Mid-east are great places to get some experience, but bellydancers may have a certain stereotype. If you are interested, try to contact some of the hotels in Tunis, Tunisia. There is great oppurtunity there & performers are considered as artists. Foreigners are treated well there.

Raks sharqui performers have a good chance since some Tunisian dancers may not have the raks sharqui background, so they will put on a costume & incorporate some rak sharqui moves with folkloric moves.

Good luck to you!

-T

How would the men that ring this lady us to offer "gifts" get her number? Yours naively.

I have heard in Egypt that they will not hire non egyptian citizens for any regular work...I'm sure there are exceptions like festivals and private events, or hooking up with a local instructor/performer.

Originally Posted by shahravar

I have heard in Egypt that they will not hire non egyptian citizens for any regular work...I'm sure there are exceptions like festivals and private events, or hooking up with a local instructor/performer.

Hi - that's not true any more (I know there was briefly a law that was observed against hiring foreign dancers, but they got around it) isn't that right Outi ? There are a growing number of foreign dancers have regular work in Egypt now.

Originally Posted by Bellydancingcaroline

How would the men that ring this lady us to offer "gifts" get her number? Yours naively.

Many top 5 star hotels in the gulf will put their guests through to the bellydancer's or the singer's room, if asked to do so.

The artist can ask to have a bar put on her phone, but often this is silently frowned upon by management.

Sad but true.

Originally Posted by soirse

Many top 5 star hotels in the gulf will put their guests through to the bellydancer's or the singer's room, if asked to do so.

The artist can ask to have a bar put on her phone, but often this is silently frowned upon by management.

Sad but true.

Oh, that's so HORRIBLE! And I can well believe it. Ths is a one disadvantage living in hotel/the place you work. Luckily I don't have this problem, because nobody has or will have mine.

Foreign dancers were not able to work for about a one year time period, but that was a couple years ago.

Originally Posted by soirse

Many top 5 star hotels in the gulf will put their guests through to the bellydancer's or the singer's room, if asked to do so.

The artist can ask to have a bar put on her phone, but often this is silently frowned upon by management.

Sad but true.

OMG ! If it's the hotel management who frowns on it - who cares what THEY think, and if it's the dancers manager double OMG OMG! I guess you just have to be a master of giving people the slip - unplug the phone, tip the staff to put the call through to the wrong room etc. etc. Just like Rita Hayworth would have had to in black & white films, when she was being pursued by three men at the same time :-)

Originally Posted by Bellydancingcaroline

OMG ! If it's the hotel management who frowns on it - who cares what THEY think, and if it's the dancers manager double OMG OMG! I guess you just have to be a master of giving people the slip - unplug the phone, tip the staff to put the call through to the wrong room etc. etc. Just like Rita Hayworth would have had to in black & white films, when she was being pursued by three men at the same time :-)

It's catchy because it's the hotel management that hire or fire artists and this is a competitive business. So you want to have good PR but you also want to be able to set reasonable self-respecting boundaries... .w.:

Not all hotels are like this. I'm in a 4 star hotel in Dubai right now and I don't get a single call to my room and management are fabulous.

Sometimes I think following a bellydancer's life living and working in a 5 star hotel would make an interesting reality TV show (well maybe for other dancers anyway) ... not to mention psychological study ... some days you feel like you are caught in an episode of Days of Our Lives and you can laugh about it and have fun with it; other days you feel like you are completely losing your marbles cos essentially you are living and working in a goldfish bowl...