Belly Dance Auditions in Florida

[BGTAUDTNS]

Busch Gardens Theme Park in Tampa, FL is looking for Belly Dancers from May through September. We are holding an audition on Tuesday, March 22nd at 9:30am.

Please visit Belly Dancers for more information and to apply online for an audition!

You may e-mail bgtaudtns@buschgardens.com for additional information as well.

Thank you!

 

[Amulya]

"Some belly dancing experience preferred"? You are looking for belly dancers, so don't you need experienced dancers?

 

[BGTAUDTNS]

We will be offering training if needed.

Thank you for helping to clarify that!

 

[Amulya]

You can get dancers who are already trained, that saves the trouble Google for professional belly dancers in your area, you'll probably find heaps

 

[Mosaic]

We will be offering training if needed.

Thank you for helping to clarify that!

Ummmm how long is the training? You can't learn to bellydance overnight, it takes many months to be of a beginner performing standard and years for professional. I think you should follow Amulya's advice and search your area for professionals.
~Mosaic

 

[Shanazel]

"Atmospheric belly dancers?" Busch Gardens? You are looking for pretty girls to wear pretty costumes and shimmy around the grounds to sell beer, right? Sorta like the Bud girls in those skintight dresses.

Amulya and Mosaic are right- get some professional dancers, pay them the going rate, and don't make Busch or the dancers look foolish by passing off what we call "one week wonders" as the real deal.

Seriously, think about it: would you serve Coors and try to pass it off as Busch?

 

[Aniseteph]

Maybe atmospheric belly dancers are different to real ones.

I said that to be facetious (nooo, me????) but it's probably true, isn't it?

 

[Mosaic]

Maybe atmospheric belly dancers are different to real ones.

I said that to be facetious (nooo, me????) but it's probably true, isn't it?

Atmospheric dancers are probably those little floofy clouds that float around in the atmosphere. You can see them on a nice day when you lie on the grass and watch the clouds go by.
~Mosaic

 

[Samira_dncr]

Florida has a huge belly dance community. I hope you can tap into the trained local talent so that you represent your brand in a positive light. Most the general public will have an appreciation for an actual dancer instead of a pretty girl wiggling around in a costume.

 

[Gia al Qamar]

Ummm...I'm just hazarding a guess here ladies...they want costumed 'characters' not Middle Eastern Dancers...if they wanted authentic artists, they'd certainly hire them...and they'd certainly know that as professionals, dancers would be expected to be paid the going rate rather than what probably amounts to minimum wage.

 

[BGTAUDTNS]

Thank you for your feedback.

We have reached out to several professional belly dance troupes already, and yes, would prefer professional belly dancers. This was the intent of posting this information on this kind of forum.

I will gladly remove this audition information if you feel I am offending the community.

 

[Darshiva]

I am not intending to be rude, just needing to satisfy a curiousity.

How did you not end up with all the bellydancers you needed if you 'reached out' to the local dance communities?
Did they cost too much?
Were they the wrong styles?
Did they refuse to wear provided costumes?
Were they the wrong shape?

A little feedback here would be very valuable.

 

[mahsati_janan]

I am not intending to be rude, just needing to satisfy a curiousity.

How did you not end up with all the bellydancers you needed if you 'reached out' to the local dance communities?
Did they cost too much?
Were they the wrong styles?
Did they refuse to wear provided costumes?
Were they the wrong shape?

A little feedback here would be very valuable.

I have never seen them offer more than $15 per hour. They have hired some of my students in the past, but professional level dancers generally don't audition for Busch Gardens due to the low rate of pay.

It is a shame because they had a wonderful show full of pro belly dancers about 25 years ago.

 

[mahsati_janan]

Thank you for your feedback.

We have reached out to several professional belly dance troupes already, and yes, would prefer professional belly dancers. This was the intent of posting this information on this kind of forum.

I will gladly remove this audition information if you feel I am offending the community.

The going rate for belly dancers in your area starts at about $100-$125 per 15-20 minute set. The lowest regular restaurant dancer pay that I know of in Tampa/St. Pete is $75 for 1 set.

I do not think your post here is offensive, but it doesn't sound as though you often work with pro belly dancers. You may have a better chance if you also post the pay rate, # hours expected, # performances during that time, costuming requirements, and dance style preferences.

For reference, I danced in that area professionally for over 7 years, so I'd be happy to pass on your info to my contacts there, but would need the above details to know if it would even be feasible or reasonable.

 

[BGTAUDTNS]

The information about our pay and benefits can be found on our website, Busch Gardens Tampa Auditions

Unfortunately, being part of the large company that we are, our pay is not negotiable. However, our constant goal is to be able to provide our guests with the best possible entertainment, within the resources we have.

We began reaching out to some local troupes last week and hope to see them next week at our audition. We have not seen any dancers yet, nor have we begun casting.

We sincerely appreciate anyone passing this information along to performers who may be looking for some extra work over the summer. We deeply respect the hard work that goes into belly dancing and in no way intended to offend the integrity of your art.

 

[Darshiva]

All I can say is you get what you're willing to pay for. You won't find quality entertainment for those prices, but I'm sure you'll find someone willing to wear the provided costume & smile for $13/h.

 

[Amulya]

All I can say is you get what you're willing to pay for. You won't find quality entertainment for those prices, but I'm sure you'll find someone willing to wear the provided costume & smile for $13/h.

With $13 an hour you can hire a mannequin and put it in a costume :lol: After all, does it matter if it's not moving if it's for atmospheric purposes?

 

[Samira_dncr]

We sincerely appreciate anyone passing this information along to performers who may be looking for some extra work over the summer. We deeply respect the hard work that goes into belly dancing and in no way intended to offend the integrity of your art.

Thank you for your intentions. I know that many of these posts come across as harsh. I think it's because many of us have spent years and years working against the abundant misconceptions that exist towards this cultural dance. It's hard for us to watch the "oriental fantasy" being perpetuated by American media and corporations.

I do applaude you for taking the time to locate a belly dance forum online and reaching out to actual dancers. I do tend to agree that for $13/hour you are most likely going to find a young inexperienced dancer who will continue to represent our art poorly. This saddens me.

I genuinely hope you take time to consider what you put forth to your audience and how you are representing Egypt (especially in the current political climate).

 

[Shanazel]

Samira expresses my feelings as well.

This would probably be a great summer job for someone who is in school or just wants to do something different for a while. Young dancers looking to earn some chops will line up in droves for this. They've got to start somewhere and no one is going to offer an untried dancer professional rates. I don't know what the economy is like in Florida, but students here would jump with both feet at a job offering $13 an hour. So would many adults.

If Busch is happy with girls in atmospheric belly dance costumes wafting about looking pretty, and those girls are thrilled to be wafting, it sounds like a match made in heaven. There's just such a difference between wafting and dancing.