![\"Ashiya](\"http:\/\/www.gildedserpent.com\/art53\/graphics53\/Ashiya.jpg\")
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In our last article we discussed the look necessary for a dancer if she wants to be a professional Cabaret dancer.\u00a0 Now that you have your look, there\u2019s even more!<\/em><\/p>\n Over the years we have learned by observation and by trial and error what it takes to get gigs.\u00a0 The following may not seem fair to you, but the entertainment business isn\u2019t fair.\u00a0 It\u2019s a tough job involving dedication, hard work and a lot of luck!!\u00a0 We\u2019re not telling you these things to be mean, but to help you navigate the sometimes cut throat, and always competitive world of entertainment! You\u2019ll need to toughen up if your feelings are easily hurt because believe us when we tell you that they will be.<\/p>\n If you really want to be a professional, first and foremost you must understand you are not so much a professional dancer as you are an entertainer.<\/p>\n The average person hiring a belly dancer doesn\u2019t go looking for the dancer with the best isolations, the best zill technique or the smoothest spins.\u00a0 They are looking for an image, a package.\u00a0 Think of a tube of toothpaste at the grocery store.\u00a0 Which tube gets noticed?\u00a0 The organic\/generic plain tube with the plain lettering in the bin at the bottom of the aisle or the tube in the shiny box with the embossed\/metallic lettering and the promise of new and improved?\u00a0 The public is fickle; they generally want a look or an image and if you want to get hired you better fit the look. <\/p>\n The public wants a look \u2013 they want a sparkly dancer in a beautiful expensive glamorous outfit, they want you to look like a model.\u00a0 Oh yeah \u2013 they also want you to dance.<\/p>\n On the other hand, Ashiya<\/strong> is a blond dancer in a dance world which is looking for the western image of the dark haired harem dancer.\u00a0 She\u2019s been told to her face that she isn\u2019t the image they wanted for a particular show because she is blond and blue eyed.\u00a0 Hard to take?\u00a0 Sure, but if you don\u2019t fit the image they want, then you don\u2019t get the job.\u00a0 So, you work harder and move on to the next performance and you quickly learn you cannot take it personally!\u00a0 Learn to accept that you aren\u2019t always the perfect fit for every event.\u00a0 As a sideline to that particular event, she was eventually hired because the gal who had the \u201cimage\u201d wasn\u2019t a good dancer and after seeing Ashiya perform, she was hired on the spot.\u00a0 As we said earlier\u2026..fickle.<\/p>\n Here is a hard and fast rule.\u00a0 When you are dancing professionally you do not get to call the shots.\u00a0 It may not seem fair to you, but the customer is in charge. <\/p>\n Ah, the wonderful, glorious sound of music.\u00a0 This is where we have seen a lot of dancers fail horribly and not understand why they didn\u2019t get the gig or didn\u2019t get asked back.\u00a0 The secret to What sounds normal and cool to you might very well sound horrible to the average person. <\/p>\n But \u2013 don\u2019t think that simply switching to western music is the right thing to do either.\u00a0 You are an Oriental dancer.\u00a0 If you are representing yourself as such, then the public expects exotic music.\u00a0 It\u2019s an extremely fine line to walk, finding music that is representative of the culture while still being pleasing to the western palate.\u00a0 Listen carefully, listen to lots of music (be prepared to buy tons of music that you will end up never using because after listening critically you realize it won\u2019t work).\u00a0 The sad, sad truth is that you loving the music is not the criteria for picking performance music.\u00a0 The exception, of course, is workshops where other dancers will understand.\u00a0 If you want paying gigs, you must keep firmly in your mind at all times who is paying you.\u00a0 It doesn\u2019t matter what you like\/want, what matters is what the customer will like. <\/p>\n Know your venue and do your homework.<\/p>\n This is a true story: A local dancer who was new to restaurant dancing was hired by a Greek restaurant to do two shows.\u00a0 She was specifically told to use Greek music.\u00a0 For the first set she did and it was well received.\u00a0 For the second set she didn\u2019t (she said she wanted to use her music that she liked) and the owner literally had a meltdown in the middle of the restaurant.\u00a0 He yelled at her about the \u201chorrible Lebanese music\u201d and told her to \u201cnever use such garbage again\u201d.\u00a0 Needless to say, she has not performed at the restaurant again. <\/p>\n Your job is to entertain the audience.<\/p>\n For the average gig\u2026 you are wallpaper.\u00a0 They truly don\u2019t care how fast you can shimmy, or if your dance moves are Lebanese or Turkish.\u00a0 For the average restaurant gig or party you are somewhere in importance between the quality of the food and the d\u00e9cor on the walls.\u00a0 You are a small part of a very big event.\u00a0 Don\u2019t ever forget that.\u00a0 Your job is to make the guests feel important, the host to feel special, and the customers to be glad they came.\u00a0 People will remember the event\u2026 \u201coh yeah, the food was great, and the desert was to die for\u2026\u2026 oh there was this belly dancer in a beautiful red costume with a sword on her head\u2026.did we mention how good the desert was\u201d?\u00a0 <\/p>\n You need to do your best, you need to make them glad that they hired you but you also need to not take it personally that people aren\u2019t watching your every move, and are sometimes ignoring you. <\/p>\n Several years ago one of our student dancers performed with us as a guest dancer at the restaurant we worked at.\u00a0 She had a beautiful gold costume, and had worked on her solo for months getting ready for her big chance.\u00a0 When she finished she was visibly upset.\u00a0 During her solo one of the customers was celebrating their birthday.\u00a0 The table was right in front of the stage.\u00a0 They brought out the cake with candles while she was dancing.\u00a0 She was very angry that people ruined her solo with their party.\u00a0 But \u2013 she missed something vitally important!\u00a0 The customer or guest or person paying the bill was the most important person there, not her.\u00a0 She could have turned this to her advantage.\u00a0 Danced up to the guest of honor, made a fuss \u201coh, it\u2019s your birthday\u2026 get up and dance with me\u201d, draped her veil around them and made them feel special.\u00a0 The restaurant owner would notice this, believe me.\u00a0 The host would notice.\u00a0 People would remember what a wonderful job you did making them feel special.\u00a0 That is how you get gigs, not with a 10,000 mph shimmy, not with perfect hip lifts.\u00a0 An attractive dancer who is good (not great) will trump a beautiful dancer who is a great dancer if she knows how to make the customer glad they came, and the host glad they hired her.\u00a0 If you make your customers your number one priority you can\u2019t go wrong!<\/p>\n Keep it changing!\u00a0 If you have a longer gig don\u2019t just use one kind of music. <\/p>\n We went to a restaurant in another town several years ago.\u00a0 The dancer was very good, and had even brought her own drummer with her.\u00a0 For her entire half hour show she danced to nothing but drumming.\u00a0 Now, the drummer was excellent, and played many different rhythms \u2013 Baladi, Cheftitelli, Ayoub, etc.\u00a0 But the average westerner in a restaurant doesn\u2019t know an Ayoub from a Spanikopita.\u00a0 They get bored easily.\u00a0 Sure, use a drummer if you can because live music is always a big plus, but intersperse it with taped music if you are doing a long performance.\u00a0 Also, you may do Cheftitelli beautifully, you may be able to hold a backbend rock solid for minutes, but the audience doesn\u2019t care.\u00a0 They\u2019ll glance at you and go back to their dinner.\u00a0 Keep it light, keep it bouncy, mix it up, and keep the slow stuff to a minimum.\u00a0 Think MTV \u2013 flashy, fast, constantly changing.\u00a0 Our western world is used to ordering at window 1 and getting it at window 2.\u00a0 They are not a patient audience. <\/p>\n Believe it or not, you still have to be a good dancer.\u00a0 <\/p>\n Yes, we\u2019ve been talking about other stuff, but the bottom line is\u2026 if you can\u2019t dance you aren\u2019t going to last long in this business!\u00a0 Practice, drill, attend workshops, keep learning, and keep growing!\u00a0 We\u2019ve been doing this for years and are still taking lessons and practicing.<\/p>\n And last but not least, what do you charge for you?<\/p>\n Pricing is going to vary depending on the area of the country.\u00a0 We can only speak for what is standard where we live in the Midwest.\u00a0 The important thing to remember is to not undervalue yourself, but don\u2019t price yourself out of the job either.\u00a0 Is that vague enough for you?\u00a0 Our best advice is to talk to other dancers, find out what they charge and then charge accordingly.\u00a0 We have a price guideline sheet that covers everything from Bellygrams to full shows.\u00a0 When dealing with a potential client, you need to be confident enough in your skills as a dancer to ask for adequate pay for your performances.<\/p>\n One word of advice.\u00a0 DO NOT UNDERCUT OTHER DANCERS.\u00a0 If you are good enough to call yourself a professional dancer, then you deserve the same pay as other dancers in your area. <\/p>\n Coming next time\u2026..Part IV:\u00a0 Now you have arrived\u2026.What It Really Takes to Stay There<\/p>\n Have a comment? Use or comment section at the bottom of this page or Send us a letter!<\/a> Ready for more?<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n \t\t\t<\/p>\n![\"Angel](\"http:\/\/www.gildedserpent.com\/gifsanimated\/angel_harp.gif\")
A number of years ago when Naajidah <\/strong>was still playing harp professionally an acquaintance of hers who was a nationally known harpist confided that she often got gigs where the customer was looking for \u201ca blond with a gold pedal harp\u201d\u00a0 This woman is one of the top harpists in the country!\u00a0 Did they care? Nope.\u00a0 Did they ask about her repertoire? Nope.\u00a0 They wanted a blond with a big shiny harp.\u00a0 Of course they wanted her to be good, but first and foremost to get the job in the first place, she needed \u201cThe Look\u201d.\u00a0 <\/p>\n
\nrepeat gigs is to give the customer what they want (within the bounds of propriety of course). You may just love that 7 minute piece with drums and mizmar, but we promise you that unless you are performing for other belly dancers or people from a Middle Eastern country, about 32 seconds into the music you will have lost your audience. The vast majority of our potential customers are Western.\u00a0 They don\u2019t really understand Middle Eastern music, it sounds strange, and the really good stuff is not going to be appreciated by them.\u00a0 Keep it short and keep your pieces under five minutes, unless you are hired for a full show by yourself. It\u2019s much better to leave them wanting more rather than wishing you\u2019d hurry up and finish.\u00a0 Listen with a critical ear.\u00a0 Your music must be pleasing to the ear of a typical person, not someone who is schooled in the intricacies of non-Western music.\u00a0 <\/p>\n![\"Tartar](\"http:\/\/www.gildedserpent.com\/art53\/graphics53\/tartargig.jpg\")
And it doesn\u2019t end there.\u00a0 Do your homework!\u00a0 Who is your audience?\u00a0 Did you get hired by a local charity to do a Night on the Nile fundraiser event?\u00a0 Then you better start looking for Egyptian music!\u00a0 This is not when you pull out your favorite Gobsmack numbers!\u00a0 Get hired for a Greek dinner at the local college?\u00a0 Again, do your homework.\u00a0 This isn\u2019t the time to be using your favorite Lebanese singer!\u00a0 Greek music is in order.\u00a0 Don\u2019t like the style of music needed for the gig?\u00a0 Too bad.\u00a0 Get used to it, learn to love it or pass on the gig.\u00a0 You will do yourself no favors dancing to music that you hate.\u00a0 It will show on your face, and be reflected in your dance and your chances of getting asked back are slim to none.<\/p>\n![\"spanikopita\"](\"http:\/\/www.gildedserpent.com\/art53\/graphics53\/spanikopita.jpg\")
The average person watching you dance is easily bored.\u00a0 Rather than using one long song, no matter how beautiful, you are better off with two or three short numbers.\u00a0 Something fast and bouncy to start out with, a slow and very short middle (maybe with a veil) and finish it up with something fast. <\/p>\n![\"use](\"http:\/\/www.gildedserpent.com\/graphics\/acommentbox.jpg\")
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\nCheck the "Letters to the Editor<\/a>" for other possible viewpoints!<\/p>\n\n\n