ask a belly dancer

Oh, god, did I ever!  Before I learned how incredibly important it is to pin your costume, I shimmied a skirt right...the eff...off.  That's right.  I shimmied out of my skirt.  Humiliating.  LUCKILY I was wearing a panel skirt on top of it, so my modesty wasn't completely ruined, but my ego took a big hit.  In those kinds of situations, you aren't going to be able to successfully play it off as not happening.  Don't even bother.  Just make a joke out of it, fix whatever needs fixing if you can, and if you can't, get off stage and fix it.  And next time, remember to pin.  ;)

Honestly, it's different with every venue.  "Know your audience" is the best advice I can give you.  Some venues rely heavily on press kits, a folder of photos, information, business cards, takeaways, and a dvd of your reel.  Some venues are very "family"-oriented and you have to know someone to get in.  Either way, I'd say don't do "cold calls".  It doesn't make sense for you to approach a venue you don't really know anything about.  Go a few days in advance and see what the vibe is.  Is the staff laid back or extremely professional?  Is the venue big?  What is their sound system and stage?  No matter what type of venue you approach, you will have to paint a picture for them.  Take a couple of days to think about what you  have to offer them, create a picture of your evening for them.  Sometimes, when you actually take time to think about what  you have to work with in a venue, you decide it's not a good fit for either of you.

I'm a pretty firm believer in tupperware or plastic storage boxes and gallon ziplock bags for packing costumes. You can get pretty decent plastic storage boxes at the dollar store, use those for your bedlah. Ziplock bags are great for separating out hair accessories, fabric accessories, and jewelry (assuming it's not breakable). Smaller tupperware containers are good for hair flowers, headpieces, or smaller costuming bits you don't want crushed. Don't underestimate the power of a good garment bag for packing skirts, pants, or anything else that can be wrinkled. I like to roll the garment bag from the bottom up to the hanger so I can put it in my suitcase, and, as long as it's not left for long periods of time, this method doesn't create a ton of wrinkling.

Well, belly dance will forever be linked to the erotic arts by virtue of it's history.  In America, belly dance got its start alongside burlesque at the World's Fair, and, at the time, it wasn't much different from burlesque.  I wouldn't compare myself to strippers not because I think of myself as better than them but because I don't think belly dancers and strippers work toward the same end.  The idea of stripping, ultimately, is to tease, titillate, and sexually arouse.  That is its main function, and that is the service that is provided.  Belly dancing, however titillating it may be to the public,  is not meant to titillate but to entertain first and foremost.  It's really a matter of looking at the the goal of the dancer.  A stripper wants you to be sexually ignited first and foremost.  That is his or her job description.  A belly dancer wants you to be entertained.

Now, I have said this before and I will say it many times throughout my life, I'm sure: belly dancing is *not* a non-sexual dance.  And, really, I can't think of a popular dance-form that is non-sexual in nature.  Ballet, hip-hop, jazz, modern, ballroom (oh my god, Tango...for serious) all can be highly suggestive dance forms, and even if they aren't suggestive in nature...you might look at a dancer and feel that kind of attraction.   By engaging in an art-form that is utilizing the body to express emotions, show off a certain level of athleticism, and highlight a skill-level that a lot people do not have, you are inviting people to look at you with admiration and that admiration could lead to a certain level of physical attraction.  That is not to suggest that women in the arts, in particular, aren't consistently degraded by the general public by means of shaming and insinuation, but that's a different story.  You can't deny that moving your body gracefully through space might inspire some passion in another human being.  It is a biological impulse that cannot be ignored.  A human being is meant find attraction in the way another person moves their body.  The way the sway of a woman's hips changes when she passes a person she finds attractive is a silent courtship display.  I'm not suggesting that human beings haven't gained a bit of control on their impulses by this point, just that these things are built into us and cannot be denied as part of human nature. If you can come to peace with that, you will not have a problem with diplomatically and compassionately answering a client when they make that comparison.

That's a really good question, and one that pops up quite a bit. I actually answered it in this blog entry, but I'll give you the short version. You should start teaching with the blessing of your belly dance director/mentor/teacher when you have something that is specifically *you* to offer. If you are simply going to go out and teach what your teacher taught you and not add anything to the pot, then you aren't ready to start teaching.

For stage makeup, you have to accept a bit of drag style in your life.  What pops in real life will not pop on stage.  There are a couple of things you can do to make the effect a bit more subtle for men, such as only "lightly" curling your lashes, and using brown tones instead of black for mascara and liner, but you kinda have to accept that, in broad daylight, you're going to look like you're wearing makeup.  Be proud of those peepers and unabashedly wear that makeup that makes them pop on stage.  If someone has something to say about it, just tell them you're an actor.  Even the most masculine of dudes will usually understand that you have to wear makeup on stage and screen.

Well, it's bound to happen if you work a lot.  DJs sometimes don't know that they have altered the speed of your set and you're the only one that can tell it's off, or maybe they decide to take liberties with your music because they are excited to work with a belly dancer but haven't talked to you about it beforehand, or maybe they just don't know the set up of your cd and stop the music too early.  Whatever the case, I'd say try to have a conversation with the DJ ahead of time.  You want to let them know exactly the set up of your music, how many songs, if a track might seem a little low or high in volume (so they know to adjust), and anything else you might be able to think of.  A DJ wants to be good at his/her job, so you'd be surprised at how open they are to talking to you about your set.  Now, if, during the course of a set, the DJ does something unforeseen (I once had a DJ start scratching over my music), just make eye-contact and shake your head 'no'.  Don't make it awkward, and try not to look angry or upset.  Everyone messes up or makes weird judgments, so be compassionate.  If you can't make eye-contact, rather than suffer through a weird set and have that energy spill into the audience, I always recommend a quick jog over to the DJ booth to just politely say "please don't alter my music" or "the speed is off".  I find that the audience isn't put off by technical difficulties as long as you don't try to pretend it isn't happening.  If you acknowledge that you've had an issue, smile, and shrug your shoulders, the audience feels included.

I started dancing at age three, studying everything from ballet to hip-hop, and continued on until I suffered a couple of injuries at age 17.  Dancing has always been a part of my life, and, despite having to take a bit of a break, my passion for movement never went away.  Like most people, I started belly dancing by practicing with videos, but I never expected to be able to perform or teach, as I have a look that isn't conducive to working in middle eastern restaurants.  I was excited when I first saw tribal fusion belly dance in a hookah lounge in Phoenix.  These were ladies that had tattoos, piercings, and clearly studied more than just belly dancing.  My passion for tribal fusion belly dance was ignited and I set out to learn as much as I could about it.  What drove my interest in tribal fusion initially was knowing that I could potentially perform again in front of an audience, what kept my interest was being able to fuse my previous dance training and belly dance.

I would have to say, dollars to donuts, that a small, rolling suitcase is a belly dancer's best friend.  Add to that a bag that can be vacuum sealed for space efficiency and you've got yourself a lot more space to pack other necessities.  If you don't have enough space for a rolling suitcase, my next suggestion is to invest in a medium sized overnight bag.  You should be able to fit your skirt, jewelry, pants, bra/belt, and small costume bits in this.  It will be a tight squeeze, but it's doable.