Dancer for Hire, by Marah

“Wow, $150? But my daughter is only 12, and there will be only 7 other girls, they just want an hour lesson, can’t you come down in price a little?”

“Oh! That’s a lot more than I thought it would be for just 20 minutes of dancing.”

“This is a special occasion but I just can't afford $250 for a few hours of ambiance. Can't you give me a discount if I include dinner?"

“It would be good exposure for you to dance with our band, or you could come dance in front of the stage while the band gets set up—you could work for tips.”

Every professional belly dance performer has a whole list like these, from people who want us to come into their homes or businesses, and entertain for parties and events.

Dance is an art form, and the road to becoming a professional takes much effort and many years. We belly dancers are trained, disciplined, prepared, and expected to look and behave a certain way. We spend countless hours on our education, training, practice, and preparation; we purchase expensive costumes (or spend hours making our own); spend untold amounts on music, jewelry, hair, nails, skin products. We prepare a complete routine for each individual event, often tailoring it or taking requests to make it unique and special for the patron of our art.

We run risks before, during, and after our performance, which often make interesting stories in retrospect, but which at the time can be frustrating, embarrassing, humbling, belittling. We fight against ancient stereotypes, and hope to enlighten our audiences. Working as a professional belly dance performer is hard work, and we must love it or we wouldn’t do it.

Most dance guilds set standards for instruction and performance rates, which serve as guidance to all members to avoid the issue of undercutting. Razia weighed in with some comments for dancers just entering the performance realm: “If you don't charge the standard in town because you feel you're 'just a student' or you're 'not a professional', you shouldn't be taking the gig. You're undercutting, no matter what your intent, and that's bad not just for us dancers, but the dance itself.”

The only way to discover the standard in town is to ask—ask your fellow dance performers, ask your teachers. It is a vulgar subject, and each event carries its own price, so some dancers won’t talk about what they charge. Hopefully this article will prompt some open discussion.

Once, years ago, I received a call from a lady wishing to hire a dancer for a birthday party. She asked me my fee, and I stated $120. To my horror, she said she had previously contacted another dancer who wanted $150 for the performance, and was happy to hear I could do it for less. Knowing I would be undercutting, I immediately backed out, and told her I couldn’t dance that evening. Even though I was in the “ballpark,” it would have been unethical for me to take the gig, especially since she had informed me another dancer asked for more. If she hadn’t told me about the other dancer’s higher fees, I would have had no way to know I was undercutting. This is a risk we all face.

All the performers with whom I’ve spoken are conscientious about not undercutting each other. The Middle Eastern Dance Guild of Eugene does not maintain fee standards, because we have many performers and instructors who live throughout the state. Although prices vary for each region, they remain comparable.

Samara from Bijou Project in Bend explained her fee system, “I charge $100 for two 10 minute sets, or $150 for 30 minutes, broken in half or thirds, not to exceed a two hour period of on-site time. As for the Bijou Project, we vary. Some places will supplement our fee with food. But $50/dancer with at least two dancers for two 10 minute sets is our going rate. As a general rule we dance for free at events that support community, special causes, or raise awareness for important issues.”

In Eugene, Razia’s fees represent the going soloist standard, “I charge $125.00-$150.00 for a 15-20 minute party set or bellygram. Minimum $200.00 for a 15-20 minute wedding set. Minimum $150.00 for lesson/mini performance (for kids/girl's parties) of 45-60 minutes, and the fee goes up depending on number of students. Out of town? Add $100.00 or more for travel fees. Want me for ambience? I charge at least $150.00 for the first half hour, and it goes from there, as these gigs are typically really boring. One's prices should always be negotiable for the good things, like charities, a friend or family member's party, and so forth. Think of it like giving a really expensive gift!”

For Luminessah, with its four members, the fees run $200-250 fora half hour, longer sets are more. Says Lila, “We are flexible depending on type of event (ie food, lodging included, tips, etc), and other factors change ittoo, like mileage, and of course we give deals to good friends! And we arealways willing to work with people.”

People love to hire belly dancers for special events and occasions, because live entertainment lifts any party to a whole new level. There are pitfalls, too, and it’s important to do research on any event to find out exactly what the party organizer expects of the dancer. I once was asked, and declined, to pop out of a cake. Says Razia, “I never, ever take a gig in which I'm supposed to 'embarrass' the guest of honor (I'm sorry, but I don't consider what I do to be embarrassing!), and I learned the hard way never to take 'surprise' wedding gigs. It's a waste of everyone's time if the guests aren't thrilled to have a belly dancer there.”

Those who do hire dancers with best intentions may not recognize that they are getting a living breathing work of art, but that is what they want. They wish to be entertained, they want to be moved, to see something beautiful, to be amazed, mesmerized, and dazzled. They want to sit quietly and watch the dancer move through beautiful shapes, they want to hear the tempo change so they can clap and stomp their feet. They want to feel their whole range of emotions, and this dance is an art form because it can express all those emotions.

What is the price of art? Unfortunately, dance seems the most price negotiable of art forms. The same patrons who fork out $1200 for a reproduction of a bronze dancer statuette balk at the thought of paying $120 for the ephemeral delight inherent in a living, breathing performance in the special comfort of their own home. Not one of those who would hire a dancer for their party would ever walk into an art gallery and try to talk down the cost of an original painting, because that’s gauche. But they will expect to bargain with a self-employed dancer. They readily pay $120 a month for cable tv, but a live performer? They expect it to cost $50 or less.

Most patrons hiring a dancer wish to bargain. How does one handle this situation, which is so foreign to us in our daily lives here in the US? For starters, be prepared for it, and find out all the details of your gig before you give a price quote. “It takes the same amount of time and effort to prepare for a 10 minute performance as a 30 minute one, so never lower your price for less time,” says Razia. “If someone wants you to dance for less time, that's fine, but the price shouldn't go down.”

State your price both with certainty and stick with that price, or quote slightly higher than you intend to receive, drop it only $5 or $10 at a time, and know ahead of time exactly how low you intend to “discount” your art. Be flexible, but as Razia says, “Just don't sell yourself, your training, your costumes, and your fellow artists short.”