Strange questions...

I got a strange question yesterday. An artist agency called because they were looking for a dancer and then the lady on the phone wanted a quote, but I tried to explain that I have different prices for different events. she was so unclear and fast talking to give straightforward answers, so the whole thing seemed pretty strange already. She couldn't really explain if the performance was for a company or for a restaurant (big price difference there!). And then she asked: 'do you really look like you do in your site and is your hair the same length?' As if my hair is more important then my dancing!

So what weird questions have you been asked?

Heyyyyyy keep in mind these people doesnt know anything for oriental dance!!! they dont even consider it a dance, so in this case, yes !! the lenght of your hair for them is more importand

Maria Aya

strange questions

that is not so bad yet.....last friday i hade a privateclass for 2 students that are already performing and one told me that the agent they work for told them please go and get a sillicone job done ,he also said that he was willing to pay for it !! he said he can sell then better if the boobs are bigger!! nothing to do with the knowledge of the dancing haha he is lebanees and already more than 20 years in the business....he was also the one that realy made this art looking very bad,the one that books girls with mini skirts and highheals ,and have no cleu about this art....agents pffffffff i can write a book about them.....perhaps it is only in the middle east like this but i dont have a lot of respect for the ,,agents,, have a great day Lydia

Hi Amulya, I think she was a dancer and she was just cheking are you a competition for her. I might be wrong but I am working in a language school and we pften have calles like that. Love, Alaya

Weirdest and worst question: "So, like, after you dance, you'll like, you know, sleep with the guest of honor, right?"

Shanazel said:

Weirdest and worst question: "So, like, after you dance, you'll like, you know, sleep with the guest of honor, right?"

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WHAT?! Pleeeaaaase tell me what did you respond? I hope it made him (or her?) feel very ashamed of him(her)self.

strange questions

Hi Moon that Q came my way one day...someone called me to book a show ..and he asked are you doing something else beside the 45 min. show?? i said,,sure you want me to wash your car?? .....

Lydia said:

Hi Moon that Q came my way one day...someone called me to book a show ..and he asked are you doing something else beside the 45 min. show?? i said,,sure you want me to wash your car?? .....

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good one, that would have costed him more, I hope?

strange questions

sure!!! hahah

strange questions

Okay, Okay..I got one! How about after your show, you get "Your so cute, isn't he cute? why don't you come spend the night at my place"? To which I answered, "Your wife doesn't look like she wants the extra company, besides, I have a lift home".

Tarik

scary! Well, guess the question I was asked wasn't so bad then

When I told one of my friends about classes, she asked me " So do you actually dance with a door then or just sticks?"

I was a bit thrown out. Mind you, poor thing, her and nearly everyone else at college were still drunk from night before.

Huh. Well, Amulya, that is a little odd...it is possible, though, that she was calling on behalf of someone and didn't really know enough (hadn't asked her client the right questions because she didn't know what to ask)...or that she was trying to get a general sense of cost for research for a type of event(not book a specific event.)

And yeah, it's a little weird/sad that your hair would seem to be the most important thing...but it's possible she's been burned (or heard of others being burned) by performers before. Let's face it...we can probably all find somewhere a website or commonly used publicity photo of another dancer that looks nothing like the actual dancer. I've seen people use photos that were from 20 years or 50 lbs ago...and I know another dancer who had such extreme hair and makeup done for her promo shots that her biz cards and website look NOTHING like the dancer who actually shows up when you hire her for an event. So...sometimes clients just want to avoid unpleasant surprises. Yes, more than our looks should matter, and yes, your promo shots should be flattering, but as dancers, there's also something to be said for some amount of truth in advertising. Not everyone observes that, though.

Moon said:

WHAT?! Pleeeaaaase tell me what did you respond? I hope it made him (or her?) feel very ashamed of him(her)self.

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I put on my best southern belle icy stare and told him that there had been a change in plans, and I would not be dancing that night. Then I walked out on those spoiled brats and left them without entertainment for their rotten revels. Not so good for brilliance of language, but nothing ends a conversation quite like this icy stare and tone of voice that has been passed down mother to daughter in my family for several hundred years.

MirahAmmal said:

And yeah, it's a little weird/sad that your hair would seem to be the most important thing...but it's possible she's been burned (or heard of others being burned) by performers before. Let's face it...we can probably all find somewhere a website or commonly used publicity photo of another dancer that looks nothing like the actual dancer. I've seen people use photos that were from 20 years or 50 lbs ago...and I know another dancer who had such extreme hair and makeup done for her promo shots that her biz cards and website look NOTHING like the dancer who actually shows up when you hire her for an event. So...sometimes clients just want to avoid unpleasant surprises. Yes, more than our looks should matter, and yes, your promo shots should be flattering, but as dancers, there's also something to be said for some amount of truth in advertising. Not everyone observes that, though.

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Yes Mirah, you are very right. I also know dancers who use more than 20 year old pictures for their promotion, or pictures that have to do nothing with the actual reality. Of course the quality of the dance is the most important thing, but the looks of the dancer are also a part of the whole and there are poeple who can enjoy the dance only if they also like the looks of the dancer. It is not like singing, where you just close your eyes and listen to the voice, if you hate the looks. This doesn't mean that there have to be standards about how a belly dancer should look like. Fortunately there are different tastes and different clients expect different kinds of looks. Therefore a professional (or semi-professional) dancer (well everybody who dances for a fee) should be honest and put actual and not too manipulated pictures. People should recognize you, as soon as you enter the room.

strange question

Amulya said:

I got a strange question yesterday. An artist agency called because they were looking for a dancer and then the lady on the phone wanted a quote, but I tried to explain that I have different prices for different events. she was so unclear and fast talking to give straightforward answers, so the whole thing seemed pretty strange already. She couldn't really explain if the performance was for a company or for a restaurant (big price difference there!). And then she asked: 'do you really look like you do in your site and is your hair the same length?' As if my hair is more important then my dancing!

So what weird questions have you been asked?

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Maria Aya is correct, people go to hire a dancer atracted for what they see more than anything else, in these case they were atracted to you because your hair, they go to dislike when a dancer that they had hire walk in looking diferent that what they had espected, very funny things happens to all of us read on, I went to entertain at a wedding aniversary, I arrive in a black two pieces egiptian costume, because it was during the day I wore a black lace stocking, over the costume I had a very colorfull poncho as a coverup, it was a country style celebration and I had to dance out side surrounded by the sugar cane plantations, I had problems finding the place so a phoned and they send a yung girl to guide me to the place, on arriving 4 old ladys took me to a room and told me that they where not going to tolerate any show with trowing my clothes arround because there were children in the party, I cuoldn't belive my hears, I got so confuse, all I could said was " excuseme?" it mess me out so bad that I don't know how I manage to dance, ... in another venue, the owner came to me and said: go now and come back at 2: pm so I can close the doors and have a private partty, you bet I went home, to never go back whatsoever. Marie

That's horrible Marie

I don't want to defend people who go for looks when they hire a dancer (not at all!) but I wonder, what if the dancer has no dance clips of her/himself on the website, what else than looks should the customer go for?

Moon said:

I don't want to defend people who go for looks when they hire a dancer (not at all!) but I wonder, what if the dancer has no dance clips of her/himself on the website, what else than looks should the customer go for?

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Well...honestly, sometimes when people are hiring a dancer, they really are looking more for flavor or an idea than exceptional skill and artistry. And, in those cases, they are going to go looks first. Still, for those who are interested in the experience they will have with a dancer....

Personally, I don't have clips on my website at this point (largely because of technical/hosting considerations...but also, you can't control the playback environment, so you can't be sure your beautiful clip doesn't end up looking awful on someone else's computer...and feeling, facial expression and some movements don't show well when video is compressed and optimized for web playback.) However...there are a few ways I help people ascertain whether I'm the right dancer for the job. Sometimes it's talking to them (in some cases, the personality of the dancer may be important to the individual...also, the way the dancer handles questions can say a lot about her--if she seems to know what she's talking about, seems forthright, prepared and comfortable answering questions and speaks in a way that seems to bely experience and expertise, that can put a client at ease. On the otherhand, if she seems very self-promotional, arrogant, or uneasy about the questions, those can be red flags.

I can't speak for others, but I do offer people other (non-web clip) ways to see me dance, and I say so on the booking/contact page of my website. If someone wants to see video samples, I have things I can send (and I can choose what clip/sample might be most suitable for them.) Sometimes people in town who want to see me dance before they decide will come see me at another public performance (like a restaurant). I actually encourage that--it's a good way for the client to see what I'm truly like in performance, what my skills are like, how I hear the music, how I interact with people, how I *am* actually recognizable from my photos, etc. It also affords them the opportunity to meet me in person if they have additional questions. If one doesn't perform a lot publicly, that can be harder, but if you have some kind of video or digital clip you can send people and you let it be known that you're willing to do so...well, it helps. Don't rely only on the web or web bio. Sadlly, I know some gorgeous women with beautiful web sites and impressive sounding bios who are not good dancers...and I know some fantastic, beautiful dancers who don't even have web sites!

Thanks for explaing Mirah! I think you have a wonderful way to inform (potential) customers!

I believe it is very important to have pictures and a video clip to show, otherwise people don't know what to expect at all. It also helps avoiding situations, you know when they expected you to look different.
I think mostly the question I get is: 'do you really look like your pictures' and 'you are not one of those fat belly dancers, are you?'