I'm Officially a Pro! Scary, I know...

[Hadassah]

Just kidding. Myself, my teacher, and another troupe member just auditioned with our largest talent booking agent in a tri-state area. They want us to be their official bellydance troupe!

When my teacher called me a couple days (ha) ago, and asked me if I wanted to audition with her, I was floored. She was so sweet - she told me she felt like I was ready to go pro, and that she was going to help me move up. She also said she needed me to do a new sword routine. I felt like killing her at the same time I wanted to kiss her!

So I whipped up a new choreo to Pentaphobe's I Cash Radii, and it worked out really well. She wanted me to do floorwork, so I did it. They loved it!
My troupe mate did a folkloric piece, and Yasmine did a wings routine. We also did a cabaret veil routine together.

The nice thing about this agency is that they don't take a percentage of your earnings - they just tack on their charge on top of ours. They also don't make us sign a contract to be exclusive to them, so we can all do our own gigs as well. They're very well-respected and busy, busy, busy! More money for costumes, yay!

I'm so excited! Some gigs we'll do as a troupe, other's will be individually done! Never in my life did I ever think I would get paid to do something I love. I feel like I'm dreaming....

Anyway - for you seasoned pros, what do you suggest for me to work on - what really gets people's attention? I know props help, but any insider tricks?

 

[gwinity]

Congratulations! That's fantastic news!

 

[da Sage]

Congratulations! That's very cool.

 

[Mouse]

Thats fantastic! Congratulations!!

 

[Inanna]

That is totally awesome! Congratulations!

 

[Maria_Aya]

Bravo !!!!!!!!!!!! Congratulations !!!!!!

I dont know what advice to give you about getting people attention, cause I guess things are different in States / Greece.
But in general, I would say to start refining and polishing your teqnics so clearly so they dont have even a half sec of mess. This is the first thing i see at professionals. (hope you understand me lol)
Also I say even without knowing her that I LIKE your teacher !!! give her my regards, she is professional in teaching, and teaching is more than teaching teqnics

Maria Aya and again bravo !!!

 

[WildFire]

That's awesome!!! Congrats!!! How long has it taken for you to achieve your goal??

 

[Moon]

Congratulations Hadassah, I'm very happy for you. This is a great oppertunity

 

[Safran]

Congratulations Hadassah! This seems like a wonderful opportunity... Can't really give you pointers on how to amuse the crowd at the moment (round here they are already awed by the fact that there is a belly dancer on the event, and in the case of many smaller gigs, the rest of the reception-emotions depend on the amount of alcohol consumed... sad but true ) But, I am sure that in a little while you'll be able to share tips and pointers of your own Make sure you do it here!

 

[Alaya]

Congratulations. I am realy happ for you. Love, Alaya

 

[Babylonia]

Congratulatons! How wonderful for you. Best of luck in your new career!

 

[Shanazel]

Go Hadassah! Good for you.

 

[Zurah]

It's fantastic to have all your hard work recognized like that! Many congrats and luck for your new challenges.

 

[Aisha Azar]

Pro. etc.

Dear Hadassah,
You go GRRRLLLL!!!
Hugs, A'isha

 

[Aaeesha]

That's awesome! Good luck

 

[Michelle]

Wow, that is soooo awesome! Good for you! Although I am not a pro, I am an audience member and I know Maria's advice is good. The more refined the technique, the more likely I am to sit up and take notice. Also, remember to make it look like it's not your job, but your passion (which I know won't be too hard for you!). Nothing turns an audience off more than a dancer who seems bored. The more energy you have, the more likely your audience will feel it.
Best of luck to you, Hadassah!

 

[Hadassah]

My weakest point is my self-confidence, and projecting comfort with the audience. I'm so shy naturally that it just seems fake to smile constantly. My teacher is trying to help me, but it's just not easy. Any advice? Should I just put a gob of vaseline on my teeth and forget about it?!

 

[Fatima]

Hadassah:

I'm naturally shy too. But two things have helped me so far: 1. I dance without my glasses (that way I don't panic with one bored stare), and 2. I don't force a wide smile, I usually start with a simple smile, but get so carried away sometimes that end up almost laughing. Just enjoy what you're doing and try not to look to the floor .

 

[Yshka]

Dear Hadassah, that's wonderful!! Congratulations!

I'm also a very shy person, and looking to the floor is an issue for me as well lol. Even when I'm not looking at it I still seem to be doing it.. My teacher constantly reminds me not to look down, and it's starting to get better now with her help.
Fatima's advice is good. Just smile like it's natural, no fake wide-smiles anyway (might help if it works for you, I just know it doesn't help me much and looks weird ) but start with a small smile. For me it happens the same way Fatima describes, I start feeling better after smiling for a bit.

Good luck to you and best wishes,

Yshka

 

[Hadassah]

Thanks for your advice. I find that the more comfortable I am with my music and routine, the better I am at confidence. Also, I just think that I need to realize that not everyone is picking me apart in the audience. I think the "hardest" crowd in a way is other dancers, because they know how good or bad you are, but they are also the most encouraging.

And as far as the glasses thing, LOL! Fatima and I obviously are both near-sighted! It's good for faces to melt into a blur, though. It makes it less stressful! My teacher and I are always reminding each other to take off our glasses before we go on stage. Nothing kills the image of an exotic bellydancer faster than four eyes!