Thread: performance whine

i'm doing nothing but teaching and hen nights (workshops with short performance) lately

i want some normal regular performing gigs. like NOW..c:: ,f::

na, it's ok. i just performed in stage show and i got like two or three more performances in stage shows lined up; cant complain there, but i miss normal gigs, you know, parties, etc, it's been ages since i had one of them.

it feels like i'm teaching teaching teaching (which i love... but...)

and the spring season is coming up, so i got like three requests for hennights a week... all for the folowing months, i can do one like every weekend if i want. and i do like them... but after a while i get bored!

Artemisia

Girl, I feel your pain. Except all I seem to get are the stupid Sweet Sixteens....and even those are dwindling these days. Being young, thin and blonde sucks. Everybody outsources their unwanted kiddie gigs to you. And I'm just dying for a good, solid, well-paying gig. I'm way too *good* to just keep dancing in my living room!

Some of my friends are also going through dry spells, too. Unfortunately, I think politics have a lot to do with it. In my area, there are too many dancers, not enough opportunties, and at least one known undercutter. (She posts her rates on her website, which are $100 less than the going rate). I've had a few clients ask why I charge what I charge, and tell me that my rates are steep when there are people who dance for $150. I refuse to lower my rates to be "competitive," so I've found myself S.O.L. for several pending gigs lately.

Also, while I hate to look at BD as a mere fashion trend, I do think the G.P. has reached their saturation point with bellydance. For awhile, every hip hop artist had BDers in their videos, and Kelly Ripa was learning how to shimmy, and Shakira was blowing up the scene. Now, it seems the general public has moved on to bigger and better things. Like pole dancing.

And let's not forget the economy. A lot of restaurants or private clients who would normally hire us are looking to tighten their purse strings for obvious reasons. Essential though BD may be to *our* daily lives, it still is a luxury among civilians. (Poor, deprived souls ..l;, ).

Everything goes in cycles, though. BD will come back into fashion (or at least the GP will be less sick of it!), the economy will get better, and we can only hope that the undercutters will get tired of bellydance and pursue another hobby.

Lisa