scaling back, is anyone planning on dancing LESS this year or until economy improves?

[AngelaDiCaprio]

I just dropped out of dance troupe cause I cannot afford the financial obligations, Monthly dues, new costume and travel lodging costs. This year I am also not buying new costumes. I've lost a third of my income cause of this crappy economy...

[da Sage]

Yes, unfortunately it's the classes that are going on hold for now.

[casbahdance]

I plan on dancing and taking classes and workshops and attending festivals as usual. I attend events that require an overnight stay once or twice a year, but I don't generally travel much more than 150 miles one way -- I live in the greater Los Angeles area, so we have lots of goodies to choose from locally!

Deborah

[jesennia]

if we buy that house and move to phoenix I am looking forward to a lot of haflas and events to choose from..I never have been one for workshop attendance because i can't seem to remember things when i get home but DO stock up on dvds and i dont expect that habit to go away.

costuming is at a brief standstill although an opportunity to dance REALLY part time has come up (again in phoenix) so i may have to bump up the costume wardrobe

but VEILS and SKIRTS are the easiest most affordable way to change around a wardrobe, I plan on buying two or three basic bra and belt sets and then just making a variety of silk skirts and veils to go with. A gold bra and belt set can get a lot of mileage with different color skirts :)

[AngelaDiCaprio]

Just to update. My director of the troupe won't let me quit just yet but appreciates that I did give her notice of my problems. We are thinking positive thoughts... So I'm still in the troupe and she will not be caught off guard if things continue to move south.

[Michelliea]

Always plan ta cut back never actually do. I just need one more costume. Just ONE more.

[zamora]

i am lucky that my life has decided things for me.i will be 60 in july.i now only book myself for jobs for 65 and over....i send my young ones out for the younger jobs.i pretty much pick & choose what i want to do.this has helped me expend my teaching/coaching to 5 nights 6 days a week. so, yes,good karma and life has changed how i make my living with in the same field

[dreamkitaro]

Scaling back too. Hubby laid off so our income is all on me. Being that I have stopped dance classes for winter session but do plan to resume at least taking class with one of my teachers for next session. In meantime trying to catch up with all the instructional dvds in my collection. That is definitely keeping me busy.
Trying hard NOT to purchase any more belly dance costume items. SO HARD. Trying to sell pieces I don't use anymore.
Not even sure about partaking in workshops at moment. Be lucky to have some private/regular classes.
As far as restuarant work, I help sub for other dancers but have put that also on hold for winter. Not crazy about driving in bad weather for the amount of money it brings in. This place is a hookah club so you probably get the picture.
Will be performing in a couple haflas to keep gaining performing experience and hope to finally have another on video.

[SatinWorship19]

Surprisingly, even with current economic conditions, I was crazy-busy through fall and the Holiday season. Winter? Not so much. If I do get booked, it's usually at the very last minute since us New Englanders can't plan anything too far in advance with the crazy unpredictable weather

I've made a few costume purchases, but only to replace things that didn't fit. I haven't seen a whole lot of good workshops even in NYC these days. Unfortunately, workshops have been on the back burner.

Even so, however, it's been hard for me to make definitive marketing plans since I haven't the foggiest idea whether or not I'll still be in CT by the end of the year...

[eshtabellydance]

I scaling back in terms of more quality less quantity. I want to put on some really good shows geared toward the community. Fine tune my classes and take my costume business to a new level of couture.

[SatinWorship19]

Originally Posted by eshtabellydance

take my costume business to a new level of couture.

Now that's something for all of us to look forward to!

[jewelbellydance]

Wow, zombie thread! The start of this thread is from a year ago. It's interesting - has anything changed?

I feel like economic conditions have certainly got much better here (I'm in Oz). My summer season (Sept-Jan) was my busiest ever. I started up classes again this week and the students practically ate up the hip scarves for sale. Last year there was a noticable drop in sales of those. And whereas I posted on this thread last year saying 'all major expenditure on hold', I don't feel that way any more.

What about for others? Are things looking up in the U.S. or elsewhere yet?

[SatinWorship19]

Yeah, looking back at what I posted last year, it's actually kind of funny. Contrary to my prediction, I've done more high-end, high-paying gigs this year than ever before. But I wonder if that has more to do with my own marketing efforts than an improvement in the economy.

[maurazebra]

I make most of our costumes, but I did organize my fabric stash so that I know what is in there (a wall of banker's boxes 10' long and 7' high) and many new items are coming out of my own fabric store now.

Number of students and gigs continues to increase, but we are getting much more cautious about going to gigs or workshops at a distance... driving and living away really is expensive.

[laura 2]

Looking at my tax numbers from 2008, I made twice as much from gigs in 2009. So for me the past year was much, much better.

[maurazebra]

Sometimes I wonder if we have more gigs because people cannot afford clowns.

[jewelbellydance]

H aha ha ha ha!

[BELLA_BELLA]

Scaling back was my main reason for joining Bhuz. I couldn't afford two major hobbies, so dance got cut and I've forced myself to sell my stuff.

But it's been wonderful being part of the internet community. I don't get much chance to talk about every little thing about bellydance that I love anywhere else.

And now I listen to middle eastern (and related) music nearly all the time, which was another thing that came out of scaling back. I loved it before, but now I'm really into it even more [it's the only thing I've spent a little money on in the past 2 years or so].

[dancingstar]

I am planning on dancing more this year, actually.

I will never be the costume whore I once was (barring winning the lottery or finding the sought-after sugar daddy), and I won't be hopping around the coast for every workshop/festival/intensive that comes to my inbox. I will have to be creative with class/workshop costs, and business marketing costs... but I am choosing not to not dance. I sat out a lot in 2009 and I feel like the economy is punishing enough... not dancing, to me, is even more punishment.

[laura 2]

Originally Posted by maurazebra

Sometimes I wonder if we have more gigs because people cannot afford clowns.

In my area, I charge about the same as a clown, magician, juggler, etc. I did a gig this summer where the organizer tried to get me to go down on my price because the magician was charging $50 less than me for the same 20 minute time length. It didn't work, BTW.

[ravenadesigns]

I am dancing more this year but spending less. My big splurge is the DC Randa workshops in March and maybe Rakkasah East in October. No new costumes and actually have scaled back on the items I currently own. I have been out of work since September so things are tight. Without a gig here or there and teaching...I would be hurting...

[Mayliz]

It's strange to see you predict the future...My husband lost his job last summer, but instead of slowing down, I started dancing more and buying more stuff. Initially, I sold a lot of things but then the stress hit ...or maybe it was the fact that we didn't care about things the same way...and I was spending left and right. I even started taking ballroom classes. After he found another job, four months later, I was forced to ease up on dance classes due to transportation issues. We had just one car and didn't really have a need for a second before. So this year the goal is to attend more weekend workshops until the car situation is resolved. I kind of like it.

[RubyMC]

I am not a pro but im a student hoping to be one someday!

Q: how do you feel about dancing at haflas or student shows or other events?
A: I will still do hafas a nd student shows mostly for experiance and fun.

Q:Do you think you will cut back on dancing because of the cost of costuming (or do you think you will wear the same costume as before)
A: I will be rewearing and mix and matching.

Q: Will you be cutting back on taking classes?
A: sadly, yes... will stick to local classes and worshops and only do them if i can afford it...even though its soo tempting..

Q: What other extras? Buying less costuming supplies or sewing your own?
A: I will be making my own costuming.

I am still a college student and only working a few days a week for extra money... But I will be grad. this June an d really hoping to pick up a full time job to suport myself and my lessons till I can take the step of being a pro... though in this economy I dont know how that will play out.. my boyfriend graduated in december and is SILL looking for a job and getting rejected left and right..

sigh

Good luck and blessings to all
Ruby

[mehndidancer]

Well having a new condo and the money that goes into it. (just purchased new couch,love seat and coffee table) Plus I'm in a p/t job making half what I made at the luggage store. (hey its a job)I'm still trying to get rid of stuff since last march on swap meet. I don't even know where the post is anymore on swap meet. and I still got the stuff in my closet. (most of it is less than 50.00) I want to attend workshops, there are some good ones in NYC coming up. But alas my job I work on weekends now. Trying to Get a Saturday or Sunday off is like herding cats.
I want to try to attend at least 3 this year.
Spring Caravan can't do it, Raks East is a maybe this year I'll have to see. I need some new basic stuff, but I can't justify it because I'm not dancing right now. I take a belly-dance type fitness class by a local ballroom teacher once a month. (She really should stick to teaching ballroom dance) But I did learn a few of ballroom moves I can incorporate into my dance so class I do benefit from it.

I have my VHS and DVDS to study from. Like Satin said our area got hit hard. oh hell, the hedge fund executives were my best customers at one time that dried up real quick. The store I used to work at is closing in 6 months(karma is payback but that's a different topic all together)

I have been creating a couple new pieces for when I do get back in the swing of things.

I am hoping things will get better for all of us.

Alrana

[TheGreatKathyLori]

Thankfully, I'm working full time, but I have a sick husband who has been out of work for a year ( he's working at getting his PhD ). I still make it to class each week ( two ATS classes on a Tuesday night ). I paid for one workshop in September up in Boston. I'm not doing this for a living, so I don't need to spend a bunch of money on costumes. Plus, ATS clothes are a whole lot cheaper than those beautiful Eqyptian outfits I see up on the swap meet. I most definitely think 2 or 3 times before buying any music or dvd's.

I actually am scaling back on classes for a while and sticking to dvd's more. Later on this year I plan to get more into classes and perform more but for now its the dvd's and refining my technique. I have also stopped impulsive dvd buying, sold the ones back I don't use and sticked to the ones I use often.

[Khalida]

In the past year I've scaled back on taking workshops a bit, but I've been spending more on practice DVD's and music than the year before. I have noticed that I've become slightly more picky about topics/teachers to take from, but that training has been more focused as a result.

I bought a few new costumes in 2009, and sold at least as many older ones, so I kind of scaled back in that department. Did buy more practice/teaching clothes though.

This year I am traveling *more* for BD events than I did before, but most of these are paid events now, so that's all good

2009 has been a *very* slow year regarding number of party gig requests, also for my colleagues. I haven't gotten many requests in 2010 either, but looks like it is finally slowly picking up again. Still not anywhere near the number of 2008 though. On the other hand there are a lot more performance opportunities at BD events now than a few years ago.

As for teaching classes 2009 has been a difficult year. I moved my regular teaching from Belgium to Germany before summer, so I had to start pretty much from zero again, and I had some trouble finding good/afforddable teaching venues to boot. But now in 2010 things are looking up again, more students are starting to find me.

[Taj]

Saving most of my pennies for workshops and the odd private. And, of course, good dvds.

[artemisia_danst]

IN: less beginners, everything else PACKED. summerschool and workshops very succesfull.

but also, yes, almost zero party gigs. only hennights... and the corporate events we were doing in 2007-2008 completely disappeared. entertainment budget is of the companies agendas.

OUT: hehe, i'm just about starting a costume closset spurge. I bought less new ones but more expensive ones than before. i havent been spending much on workshops anymore as i've been organising workshops myself (and try to arrange it so that i can take the classes) and luckily am starting to traveling more for "work" than for just "pleasure".
i am considering investing a substantial amount in having one or two dvds produced but havent bitten that bullet yet

[blueyeddancer]

I am not dancing any less but I am spending less, and spending smarter. I think twice if I really need/want what I am buying and thinking up new ways to use pieces and accessories I already have. The workshops I'm attending are local.