I think a lot about what being a professional fusion belly dancer really means. What is the point of professional-level training, costuming, and behavior, if there’s only a handful of paying jobs? Is professional just a label we throw around to make ourselves feel better about our hobby? This isn’t to say that there aren’t dancers out there earning most if not all of their income from dance, but it seems like oftentimes the money comes more from teaching than from performing. This is especially true if you are a tribal or fusion dancer in a community where most if not all of the restaurant, hookah lounge, night club and private party gigs go to the dancers performing more Middle Eastern-derived styles.
Last week I shared some of my thoughts on Facebook, about how the dance community could work to make some of our own shows actually pay our dancers. It caused a lot of thought-provoking conversation, so I decided to expand it into a blog post so more of the community has a chance to read it, form their own opinions, and share their thoughts.
What it boils down to is that as a dancer, I am happy to perform for free at community-minded events which are either free to attend or charge a small cover to either pay for the space or raise money for a worthy cause. I am less happy to perform for free in a theater, for an audience that paid upwards of $30 for a ticket. And as an audience member, I also don’t appreciate paying up to $30 for a ticket, to see a stage show full of student-level dancers. As an audience member, I also don’t appreciate constantly seeing the same dancers over and over again at every show I attend.
What I would like to see more of (and what some communities are already doing successfully) is shows with a smaller number of dancers doing longer pieces. Why do I suggest this?
- With fewer dancers, the organizer should feel like she can sell tickets for a decent price and make enough money that can be split up between the dancers and not result in such an insultingly low number that it’s not even worth bothering.
- With fewer dancers per show, each iteration of the show is going to be different. You could have a monthly, semi-monthly or quarterly event that featured different dancers every time, which would encourage fans of the art to come to more shows, because they know they’re going to get a unique experience each time.
- This would give dancers and troupes that chafe at the “3-5 minutes for soloists, 5-7 minutes for troupes” typical of most shows the chance to spread their wings and develop a longer set that incorporates tempo changes, mood changes, and possibly even has a story arc.
- If you don’t have 5 troupes and 10 soloists in every show, there might actually be enough room for everyone backstage.
- Instead of having shows that are “first come first serve” or “I have to invite everyone so no one feels left out”, an organizer can curate a show, ensuring a good mix of styles, or announce a theme, accept submissions, and choose the dancers that best fit the theme. I think this will result in shows that feel more polished.
- For the performers, being part of a rotating cast as opposed to performing every month allows for more time to really develop new material, especially when you’re no longer limited by an idea that can be fully expressed in 5 minutes or less.
- Less performers per show means less organizational hassle for the host. Do you know how difficult it is to build a really good set list out of 15 songs, 5 of which are large tribal troupes, 3 of which are soloists from those troupes who need time for costume changes, also there’s four drum solos, 3 sword pieces and two veil pieces, and that one dancer needs to leave early for a paid gig, oh and whoops, two troupes sent the same song, now you have to see which of them is willing to change to a different song… And somehow you have to put together a show that has some flow and will keep the audience engaged, with a great opening piece and a powerful ending piece. Yikes.
Now don’t get me wrong. I still feel like there’s room in our community for student showcases, haflas, all-day festival performances and other traditional unpaid opportunities. I just think that we can also work to try to organize some shows that will pay the dancers and provide a different experience for the audience.
Great topic, Sophia, as always! Frank Farinaro did a video about this a few weeks ago that I thought was very insightful, though extremely long (which is not a bad thing). Being in a slightly more north-y community than you, I find that there are never opportunities for me because the same dancers, just like you said, are always in the same old shows. I enjoy those shows, for the most part, but they tend to be a bit more homogeneous. And here, there is a MUCH bigger emphasis on Tribal style – which is fine, but I’d like to see more of a mixed bag. I, myself, am “Tribaret” and enjoy both styles quite a lot – and also good fusion. I would like to see more of an exploration of the artistic endeavors… while also maintaining a certain level of quality.
This is what we’re going to aim for if we can build up enough of a network in Casa Grande – I really enjoy mixing the Phoenix and Tucson crowds together because of the diversity of dancers.
ReplyFrom an audience perspective and personal experience. I attended one Tribal Cafe show at the chosen restaurant and didn’t have an “I want more” experience. The problem was that the restaurant isn’t set up for everyone’s good view, nor were they ready to “serve” a large group. The stress on “tipping” was a bit overdone. I understand the dancers have to make a salary, but by the time we were done the cost was way over $30 per person. If the shows have to be at a “restaurant” perhaps they can negotiate a buffet at a much more reasonable price as well as “rotate” to different areas in the city and other restaurants? It appears that all dance communities stay in their comfort areas and don’t explore the possibilities outside the “big” city.
ReplyI love to watch the performance and have taken classes.
Thank you for your concerns.
Lilli, thank you for sharing your thoughts and experiences!
Tipping in a multi-entertainer show just seems destined to make the evening too expensive, I agree. I prefer to pay a ticket fee up front and not have to have a stack of ones to pass out, with the worry that I might run out before the show runs out of performers!
I have seen some shows with a buffet-style meal to keep costs down. And traveling around to different parts of town does seem like a good idea, too — but traveling beyond your city can get expensive. The next major city over from me is a good 1.5-2 hour drive, and that’s assuming the one highway between us isn’t closed by an accident (as it is right this moment) making it impossible to get to your gig!
ReplyPingback: Support Your Dance Community – Sophia Ravenna
I very much like your idea of a more focused, high-quality show, with fewer performers.
In my community, it’s not uncommon for haflas and showcases to have 30+ performers/troupes, with two or three intervals (the showcase I have helped organise in the past sets a limit at 20 and just has two halves and one interval, and that is unusual in the area). It’s exhausting for everyone involved!
ReplyI’ve heard that with shows like that, often the performers in the later part of the show are dancing for a mostly-empty room because people have gotten tired or bored and left. Organizers really need to keep in mind what an audience’s attention span is.
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