Money to be in a dance performance?

[da Sage]

Here's the truth.......I've been a student at Eman's for almost a year now and we are preparing for this year's RECITAL (not a hired performance like some of the comments I have read believed). Eman does have girls that go on paid preformances but she is Very picky on which she allows girls to go to. (she refuses to send unprepared dancers or let girls dance at parties which may be misunderstood as stripping or risky for the dancer (bachelor parties etc.)). Duluth is a very conservative area that doesn't quite understand what belly dance is.
The actual fee that was referred to is more like $50 for the show, not $150 per dance!! I have danced in many other recitals (ballet) and paying a recital fee plus purchasing costumes for each specific dance is the norm. Yes tickets are sold (the same, again, as any other recital) to family, friends, any one who wants to attend - the students in the show don't have to. The students and especially the instructors get along great (work well together). Everything cost money, if she didn't charge there would be no recital for the students. The cost for a large venue, advertising, programs (I'm sure I could go on) I'm only guessing is expensive. I've been to her show in the past (that's what got me interested in dancing with her) and they are very professionally done with many dancers of all levels, sizes, and ages. There were about 400 or more people watching in the audience.
In the future, I hope postings are based more on facts than mere speculation.

Hi Eve. Welcome to the forum. I am sorry that you arrived here to find your teacher under discussion (although that was some time ago; I suspect you found that old thread through a search engine).

I'm very glad to hear that the performance fees are less than "the grapevine" rumored. I do think it is odd that you pay a performance fee AND sell tickets to friends and family...I think it should be one or the other. And if all the $$ is going into the big venue, advertising, and fancy programs, I would think Eman should be satisfied with a smaller venue, word of mouth advertising, and simple, inexpensive-to-print programs, with less cost to the students and their families and friends. Of course, that is just my opinion. Maybe things are different in Duluth, but in the Twin Cities, I've never heard of belly dance students paying to be in their class recital (although audience tickets are sold at moderate prices)!

[Aniseteph]

We are paying to be in our show this year, and tickets are sold to friends and family, though we aren't under any pressure to get out and sell them.

BUT! this is to cover extra classes and preparation for the group dances, which I think is reasonable as our classes are drop-in, and not everyone wants to perform. IMO it's unfair on the non-performing students to devote the main class to polishing a performance they aren't going to be in. Also having paid for extra classes makes sure people are committed to taking part and less likely to drop out at the last minute.

We're certainly not being charged per dance.

[KuteNurse]

Here's the truth.......I've been a student at Eman's for almost a year now and we are preparing for this year's RECITAL (not a hired performance like some of the comments I have read believed). Eman does have girls that go on paid preformances but she is Very picky on which she allows girls to go to. (she refuses to send unprepared dancers or let girls dance at parties which may be misunderstood as stripping or risky for the dancer (bachelor parties etc.)). Duluth is a very conservative area that doesn't quite understand what belly dance is.
The actual fee that was referred to is more like $50 for the show, not $150 per dance!! I have danced in many other recitals (ballet) and paying a recital fee plus purchasing costumes for each specific dance is the norm. Yes tickets are sold (the same, again, as any other recital) to family, friends, any one who wants to attend - the students in the show don't have to. The students and especially the instructors get along great (work well together). Everything cost money, if she didn't charge there would be no recital for the students. The cost for a large venue, advertising, programs (I'm sure I could go on) I'm only guessing is expensive. I've been to her show in the past (that's what got me interested in dancing with her) and they are very professionally done with many dancers of all levels, sizes, and ages. There were about 400 or more people watching in the audience.
In the future, I hope postings are based more on facts than mere speculation.

Eve,

I have to agree with others have said here. This thread was deeply put away and you deliberately searched it out. I only posted what I was told by other dancers. Perhaps you should double check the price because I was told by two people that they were charged $150.00 per dance they performed. These were more experienced dancers.

I have said nothing about the professionalism of her programs. It is good that she makes sure students are ready to perform. However, she picks them out? One student has the right to dance over another student? I do not believe it is Eman's right to chose if the student wants to perform or not. It is the students. That is called CONTROLING.

[Kashmir]

I have said nothing about the professionalism of her programs. It is good that she makes sure students are ready to perform. However, she picks them out? One student has the right to dance over another student? I do not believe it is Eman's right to chose if the student wants to perform or not. It is the students. That is called CONTROLING.

I have to disagree. A teacher should ensure that not only students are up to performance but the best possible show is presented. Sometimes that will mean saying "no" to a student for a number of reasons eg too many people for an item, student does have (and can't get in time) the correct style/colour of costume, student not ready (in the dance, stage presence, etc), student already has too many other pieces s/he is dancing.

Although it is possible a teacher has biases, it is also possible that a student does not have a realistic view of her own performance ability.

[KuteNurse]

It's possible that she's changed her tune from when I danced with her four years ago. She did charge per dance ($50 back then...which would have been ok if there were additional rehearsals for the choroegraphy, but there weren't). Having to purchase costumes makes sense, but she would charge an exorbitant amount for girls to rent her costumes. She tried to get me to not perform because of my size (despite the fact that I was the only one that knew her choreography). She encouraged a dance posture that had the butt sticking out and many of her students developed back problems because of it. Eman herself was having back issues for the show that I performed in. The show was never a recital then. Students don't get chastised for not buying enough tickets for a recital.

Like I said, my experiences are from a couple years ago, so knowledge could be out of date. But I did see her at the October community dance show, and I heard her mocking the dancers that performed that night.

Mocking students at performances seems to be her style...As I stated in another post...I sat 2-3 rows behind her in a fall perfomance and she and her partner were clearly laughing and putting down dancers.

[Jane]

What do people think about charging dancers, pro through student, for stage spots at festivals where tickets are being sold to the public? There aren't musicians but a DJ only.

[da Sage]

What do people think about charging dancers, pro through student, for stage spots at festivals where tickets are being sold to the public? There aren't musicians but a DJ only.

Paying for a dance opportunity is one thing, paying for participation in a whole event where you may also have the opportunity to dance, is another.

I've paid for a weekend-long event where I was part of a performance (not bellydancing, so don't call out the BDP!). My performance group leaders negotiated a deal where I could have ONLY attended my performance at no charge, and not the rest of the event, but what fun is that? I paid for the whole weekend, and thoroughly enjoyed myself.

I probably would not have attended if I hadn't been performing (and I haven't attended the event since). But it was a good experience.

I haven't heard of a festival situation where people pay specifically for performance spots, and they get nothing else with it. Does that really happen? (I'm not talking about competitions, where your entry fee covers judges and prizes)

Now, our local dance guild has a yearly dance show, and you have to be a member to perform. But when you buy your guild membership you also get to go to the Winter party, the Summer picnic, Guild seminars, etc etc for free. I'm sure some people only join the guild so they can perform in the yearly show, but it's not the guild's fault if they don't take advantage of all the other cool stuff their membership includes.

I think dancers should vote with their feet...if fees are ridiculous, they just refuse to pay/participate. If you pay the fees, you can complain later, but remember it was your decision to pay in the first place!

[Jane]

Paying for a dance opportunity is one thing, paying for participation in a whole event where you may also have the opportunity to dance, is another.

I should have been more specific, sorry! I meant at a belly dance festival. Saturday or weekend long w/workshops, vendors, and a performace open to the paying public at the end.

[KuteNurse]

I should have been more specific, sorry! I meant at a belly dance festival. Saturday or weekend long w/workshops, vendors, and a performace open to the paying public at the end.

I can understand paying for workshops. They are classes afterall. I have a performance coming up with my teacher at the end of May. She just asks each student to pay $10 to cover the insurance cost. Tickets will be sold to the audience to pay the coverage of renting the stage. Now I think that is quite reasonable.

I could not imagine paying extra...If that happens, that teacher is in it for making money. If feel quite lucky I have a great teacher who is conscientious of her students expenses.

A student in my other class came from Chicago. She says in Chicago, she paid $300 dollars for her 6-8 weeks of classes. YIKES! I would be broke! But then the cost of living in Chicago is higher also. Higher rent, utilities etc...

[da Sage]

I can understand paying for workshops. They are classes afterall. I have a performance coming up with my teacher at the end of May. She just asks each student to pay $10 to cover the insurance cost. Tickets will be sold to the audience to pay the coverage of renting the stage. Now I think that is quite reasonable.

I could not imagine paying extra...If that happens, that teacher is in it for making money. If feel quite lucky I have a great teacher who is conscientious of her students expenses.

Really? What kind of insurance? Is it for if a student is injured during the performance?