What was the best gig you ever had?

Amulya

Amulya

Moderator
Lets share stories about our favourite gigs. What was your best experience? The most fun gig, or did you have several favourite ones?

I had a lot of fun ones, but the best ones were always the ones that I didn't expect to be a lot of fun. One was at a women's centre's party, there was only a small group and the location was really cute, hard to describe but it was an old warehouse basement with a round ceiling, it was very cozy the way they had decorated the place and the audience was so enthusiast, I gave them a little workshop and they all started dancing after.

Another was a small birthday party where the people were so happy, it was a last minute booking and they couldn't afford the full price so I did a shorter show, but it was so much fun.

I found that when you get hired for big parties and festivals it's never as much fun as when it's for a small party.

But the best experiences were when I was part of a theatre group, being part of a show and a group of people is so much better than on your own. I loved the preparations, decorating the place in the day with the other people and also I would work on a costume specially for the theme of that particular show. The whole anticipation and process.
 
AndreaSTL

AndreaSTL

New member
I always enjoy the women's groups or bachelorette parties the most. I did a one-off class for the women's fellowship of a Catholic church once and had a blast!
 
Darshiva

Darshiva

Moderator
The best ever gig I had was at a pole dance studio's end of term party. They occassionally invited me over to dance at their parties as we knew each other. But the last time I was there, I cracked out the wings (and the costume that a few weeks later had a fringe malfunction in Melbourne) and danced around for them. Everyone was really engaged and had a great time, and afterward they had me stick around to play some games with them.

It was only a few months before we moved to Nhill and my last performance in Echuca. Whilst I did it as a favour, the energy and atmosphere was fantastic and we all had a lot of fun.
 
Yame

Yame

New member
Great thread!

The best gig I ever had was a last-minute gig. I was on my way home from a restaurant gig when I got called by another restaurant to sub for their absent dancer. It was a rather long drive from where I was, but I could make it in time and it was extra money so I went for it.

They had live music, but the musicians didn't want to play for me. I think they weren't comfortable playing for dancers. So I just used the CD I had just used for the previous gig, and I was still warmed up and psyched from having danced just an hour before.

The place was packed and the audience was amazing. I got an incredible energy from them… they were cheering and getting up and dancing with me… people were tipping me in $20s… I made more money just in tips than I made from the gig itself… I made more money in tips than I made that New Years Eve!

I’m the type of performer that really feeds off the energy of the audience and the music. If the music is low and not very good, I can not dance well. If the audience doesn’t look visibly excited to see me and doesn’t give me noise, I don’t give off as much energy as I can. This was the perfect audience. They were loud, they danced with me, they cheered, they tipped… they participated in the performance in a way. So I made it interactive, and funny… I was making “jokes” (via gestures) and having fun with everybody.

At some point somebody put a guy that was having his birthday there on a chair in the center of my dance area. I am not very comfortable with these “dancing for the sultan” displays so I got him up from the chair and made him dance with me, then sat down on the chair to be “the sultan” and watch HIM. Then I got up on the chair and danced on top of it. The whole thing was just wild, and amazing!

If EVERY gig could be like that, I’d be dancing full time!
 
Amulya

Amulya

Moderator
That reminds me of a last minute gig in a restaurant as well, but it was more a private party and the dancer had called off last minute. I was actually already in bed when they called, so I said I only come if they pay full price and a taxi, thinking they would decline, but they didn't. It was very much the same as what you describe, such enthusiastic happy audience. And I am the same as you, a good crowd is absolutely necessary for me to dance well. That's why I prefer smaller crowds, big audiences get into it much less it seems, also because often there is a setting where they can't really interact with the dancer as easily. I love it when people come up and dance with me, that's the best.
 
Safran

Safran

New member
One of my favourite performances was my last show at a beach party of a really nice hotel in Sharm el-Sheikh this summer. The stage was set up on the beach, so that I was facing the sea, and there was full moon... and the audience was predominantly Egyptian, so they would sing along to the songs and clap.

Oh, and in Cairo I danced at a wedding, where the couple and all the guests were with me on stage most of the time. Although I had to pay a lot of attention not to stumble on the bride's dress (it was one big dress and one small stage :lol:), it was so much fun!
 
BigJim

BigJim

Member
Your Favorite Performance... That You Did Yourself

O.K. ... It's been kind of quiet on the Forum so I'm trying to liven it up a bit. I'm thinking we might share stories of our most favorite performances. Not so much the greatest performances... because it might look like bragging. But performances that were special for one reason or another that you look back on and think I'll always remember that one.

My game so I get to go first... My most favorite and memorable was the first time I danced in public on stage. It was actually at the tech rehersal before the main show in the evening... there were people coming and going, getting things ready for the show, waiting their turn for their tech run through,... and then it was my turn. Never been on stage before... very nervous and excited and as I got to center stage and called out the number of the song that was mine the sound guy says "What's a guy doing bellydancing?" Not the most motivating comment at that particular time. However the song got played, I fumbled through my routine and was relieved when it was over... and now for the part why it's my favorite and most memorable...

Besides all the women dancers and show organizers who were watching me dance there was also this kid of about 10-12 years old. He had been sitting in the audience seating bored to tears, waiting for his Mother to finish up so he could go home.

When I finished my routine he actually stood up and clapped like crazy... my first and only standing ovation...

And when I saw him clapping like that I thought I can't be all that bad... and maybe because of him I've kept on dancing..

That's my favorite performance.... anyone else?
 
Amulya

Amulya

Moderator
Well done :) I hope that one day I can dance a whole song again too. I can dance half a song now, but with getting very yucky ill after.
 
Shanazel

Shanazel

Moderator
My best gig may've been one that I never actually did.

Back in the late seventies and early eighties my husband and I used to meet up with a bunch of cavers, paleontologists, archeologists, and local crazies in the Big Horn Mountains on the Wyoming-Montana border. Lots of music, talking, horse shoe games, and outdoor activities, not to mention licit and illicit drug use among some of the crazies. Now, I'm not saying I never danced under those conditions because I am sure I did, but the memories of a few individuals are better than the actual performances.

One guy (let's call him Bear) clearly remembers me outfitting several other girls with elaborate costumes made from bandanas and dish cloths, teaching them an intricate dance, then performing with them in perfect synchronization. His wife says it is one of his favorite memories of those times and he speaks of it often even thirty years later.

When he shared the memory with me a few years ago, I didn't have the heart to tell him he must've been seeing me in triplicate thanks to the combination of liquid and herbal refreshments. The incident has entered Wyoming Wildlife mythology and I find myself a legend in my own time. :lol:
 
Munniko

Munniko

New member
I think the best gig I did was a recent one that was the most stressful event ever, but it resulted in me being officially accepted by all the other dancers in my class. It was for the local Tamil society and on another thread I posted a lot of the choreography got changed last minute and it didn't end up being done as well as I would have liked it. On the other hand after that performance I've been invited to many events, offered Tamil lessons, and even got a lot of clothes from one of the other students mom's. Soon I will get to perform on a professional stage at a professional event, but I don't think it will top that one.
 
shiradotnet

shiradotnet

Well-known member
My favorite gig was dancing at a nudist's birthday party. The birthday boy called me the day before the gig. When he told me who referred him to me, I immediately assumed that the guests would be primarily nudists, because I knew the guy who referred me was one of the management staff at the local clothing-optional resort. My troupe had been hired to perform at that resort in the past (which was a lot of fun, a REALLY great audience), so I'd had experience dancing for naturists and I'd enjoyed it very much.

Anyway, at first when the caller told me the date and time of his birthday party, I said no because I had been invited to a party (as a guest) at the same day/time that I really wanted to go to. (I didn't tell him why, just said I had a pre-existing commitment.) So I offered to suggest other dancers he could try calling. There was a pause, and then he said, "But I don't want anybody else. I want YOU!" Surprised, I asked, "Why me in particular? Have you seen me dance before?"

He admitted that no, he hadn't, but then he went on to explain that he and his wife were nudists, and most of their party guests were nudists, and that the reason he was calling me at the last minute was because he had previously booked a different dancer. However when he called her earlier that day to confirm, and said to her, "Now, I told you that this is a nudists' party, right?" she immediately stressed out and canceled on him, saying, "No, you didn't! And I don't think it's appropriate to belly dance in that situation!" and hung up on him! So, the reason he wanted ME, in particular, was because he knew I had danced at the resort, and had proven myself to be at ease with an audience of nudists.

So, I decided to accept the gig, and skip the party. And it turned out to be my very favorite of all the gigs I have done. The audience was GREAT, the guest of honor and his wife treated me like a queen, and they even doubled my agreed-upon pay because an accident on the freeway the day of the party had made it extremely difficult for me to get there. Many of the guests wore their "birthday suits" for the birthday party though some were clothed (nudists don't like sunburns any more than the rest of us do, so many will cover up after they've been out in the sun a while). The only thing the birthday boy wore was a silly turban I'd brought for him to wear while I danced.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top