My Website ;)

[midnight_star56]

Ok so I created this website using Weebly, I have no idea how to write html nor did I have the sources to hire a web designer but I felt like having a website was essential to developing myself as a dancer in this new area. It's nothing compared to some of the amazing sites Bhuzzers have, nevertheless, if bhuzzers could help me out and tell me what potential clients/student might be looking for, I'd be forever grateful! I do plan on changing the pics up after I have some pro ones done...

** Jadzia Bellydance Artist and Instructor * Fort Myers, FL - Home

[andalee-oriental]

Very nice! :)

[Tourbeau]

It's very nice, but I suggest that if you do not plan to keep tabs like "Blog" and "Performances" regularly updated, you should probably remove them. If those areas are genuinely under construction, and they'll be up and running in a few days, this isn't a problem, but if they stay that way indefinitely, it doesn't reflect favorably on you. It looks unprofessional to have "Coming soon!" on your upcoming performances in the long term--like you're not busy enough to have information to put there, or you're so busy you don't have the time to bother. (Either way, uncool!) If you don't have a steady gig or a good flow of individual appearances, maybe you don't need that tag. The same thing goes for the blog. Nothing looks worse than going to someone's web site and seeing one or two outdated blog entries. It makes your potential customer think they found a dead web site or that you've gone out of business.

[Fotia]

I'm not an expert and I don't even have a website but it caught my eye and I found it very eye-appealing.

Just my two cents.

[midnight_star56]

Thanks- I was actually expecting some harsh critiques from Andalee as your photos and website look so amazing!
Tourbeau- how long is too long for the performances spot? I've built the site so I could get gigs, but I dont want it looking like a dead page. I'm going to remove the blog page, should I remove the performance page temporarily until I get gigs?

[jilyan]

Hi my two cents, you've done a good job, it's a great looking page.

I agree to remove items that will look outdated quickly unless you've got the time to constantly add new content. For the performances page I'd suggest changing the heading to just "performances", write a little blurb about the type of performances you have done (and how awsome you are ) and then when you do get a regular gig or will be performing somewhere public add "you can see Jadzia at ..." and take it off when the date has passed.

ETA looking again, the above is kind of covered in your hire page so probably better just to remove the link for now and add it later (if it allows you to do that)

[HubicRuzz]

Needs video to prove your dancing credentials.

[midnight_star56]

I was thinking of adding video... what does everyone think of promo/compilation videos? I was thinking of having that on the home screen instead of the picture.

[mahsati]

I was thinking of adding video... what does everyone think of promo/compilation videos? I was thinking of having that on the home screen instead of the picture.

Looking good so far!

I would say add a separate video page or add them to the gallery page. A paused video doesn't look as good as a beautiful picture one the front page and you definitely don't want a video that will auto-play. You do want to have some video up and I will recommend youtube as a good host for that. It is compatible with most computers and doesn't require the same kind of page load/resources that most other locally hosted forms do.

Compilation videos are great as a start, but I really like to see some full song performances so I can get a better feel for the style of each dancer...and since you are a lovely dancer it'll be good exposure. ..g.:

[Tourbeau]

I don't know how aggressively you are marketing your site. Normally, I'd say if it went longer than two weeks to a month with nothing on it, it would start looking really dead to me. If you are not working steadily, I agree with Jilyan that one tab may be sufficient for performances and hiring at this point in your career. Do you teach regularly? Maybe you could add some text about that. Do you have quotes from customers telling how much they loved your past shows? That would be another possibility to fill up some space, if you want to keep the performance page. The important thing is to avoid your web site looking like you aren't busy, because that only calls attention to how much you aren't getting hired, and it makes people leery of you (even though the reasons you're not getting gigs may have nothing to do with the quality of your dancing--e.g., just starting out, market over saturation in a bad economy, etc.).

I'm not a big fan of performance compilation videos. Personally, I'd rather watch a few short clips of individual songs. Most compilations aren't edited by professional videographers who understand how to put scenes together with good flow, and as a result, they tend to be choppy, if not filled with a lot of cheesy transition effects. There's nothing worse than watching a video, and getting to the part where the performance is really starting to take off, but the clip jumps onto a new song. I would think the best option would be to put up a few clips of yourself performing in a couple of different venues in different costumes to demonstrate your range as a performer. Incidentally, I was going to say something about the problem of dancers turning compilation clips into fashion shows, but I got sidetracked in your gallery. The picture of you in the lavender costume could benefit from some serious red-eye reduction. As a rule, I think the general public shies away from hiring belly dancers who look like they can shoot laser beams out of their eyes.

[midnight_star56]

Oh drat I thought I put up the edited pic! Thanks for that catch tourbeau. My fiance is a pro videographer with fancy editing equipment and programs but is a compilation vid just too bothersome and busy looking for a webiste. With his work is would not be cheesy.

[andalee-oriental]

Thanks- I was actually expecting some harsh critiques from Andalee as your photos and website look so amazing!

Of course not, honey! I've gotten a lot of really harsh critiques from people here, and I think it is important to be kind. However it should be noted that I am a novice professional and I still have a lot of work to do!

[TribalDancer]

I think that's a great first web page! Good work! Clean, concise, good pictures, simple layout. Just what any website should be.