Thread: suggestions--1st wedding performance

Hello dancers,
I just got booked for my very first wedding. It's going to be over 100 people and Lebanese, and I was wondering if anyone had any experiences to share or tips on what to do. Should I treat it like a private party? They will provide the Zaffa music, but I also need to have a set. Help!

Saraya

ok, the quick and dirty b/c i only have a minute:
[these are all just my opinions]

arrive early - brides are nervous

bring at least 2 copies of your set cd

bring zeffa music just in case...you never know

scope out the path of the zeffa ahead of time if possible, checking for bumps in the carpet, stairs, etc.

get paid before you dance if the event looks chaotic or if they have lots of entertainers. it might be hard to find the person to pay you once they are managing the next part of the event.

pay more attention to the bride than the groom. this is not the day to make someone jealous ;)

for weddings, think "elegance and sophistication" when putting your show together.

remember that what ever you do will be in their wedding video.

if a drunken party guest gets to "friendly" try to make a joke out of it and get them off your stage asap. you don't want to have to deal with that type of stuff and it will save their guest from embarrassing them selves in front of the whole family.

of course wear your best costumes. everyone else will be wearing their best.

get in, do your show and get out. even if they offer you food and drink, its more professional to politely decline and leave when your job is done.

bring lots of cards and leave some with the wedding planner too.

get the videographer's card so you can get a copy of your show.

good luck. hope it goes well

Bring the kids out to dance - makes for great pictures. Also, get the bride & groom up to dance together. People love seeing their family up with the bellydancer.

I wrote an article about this for Zaghareet - I did my first wedding last summer.

Great suggestions; thanks you two!

Batwanis Beek is a good song for weddings, it's a very sweet love song. Don't dance to any music that sings about how you broke my heart etc like Lissa Fakir, love the song, but not wedding appropriate. Amani has a great wedding song on her bllue album, I think, Ours al Farana is the name, and it talks about how the bride is so beautiful and the groom handsome, the wedding guests are all dressed for the occasion, but nobody compares to the brides beauty, then it goes into a zeffa.