What to Expect When Hiring A Belly Dancer
Are you looking to hire a belly dancer for your event or celebration, but you’re not sure what to expect? Well, you’ve come to the right place – below I’ll break down the process of hiring a belly dancer, and understanding the kind of performance you can expect.
1. First contact – Getting all the details
When engaging a belly dancer for hire, we need a few key details so that we can best tailor a quote for your request. We need the following information at minimum:
- Date & Time of the booking (ie. May 23rd, 7pm)
- Location of the event (ie. Adelaide Convention Centre)
- Type of performance (ie. 10, 15, 20 minute set, roving, stage act)
- Occasion (Birthday, Corporate Function, Hen’s Night or Bachelorette Party)
These key items will help us get a handle on what the basic requirements are to A) determine availability and B) understand the type of event the performance requires.
2. Choosing a Performance Type
So you want to hire a belly dancer but have no idea that there are different types of performances? You’re not alone! Often when hiring a belly dancer clients envision hours of dancing when in reality the average set runs for about 10-15 minutes.
Standard Belly Dance Set
In today’s society audiences are easily distracted and even the best soloist can find holding an audience’s attention for more than 20 minutes challenging. So to ensure that you get the maximum WOW factor we recommend booking a belly dance act for no longer than 10 or 15 minutes, which is 4-5 songs in a row. The belly dancer will perform to her songs of choice as agreed with the client.
Roving Belly Dance
If you are looking for entertainment that isn’t strictly a staged feature, a roving act may be more suitable. Roving means a belly dancer will ‘rove’ or interact within your event, moving between tables, pausing for photos and improvising entertainment. This is generally done without their set music and is more spontaneous. Roving performers are excellent for cocktail receptions or corporate event receptions where mingling with guests and interaction create an environment of fun and excitement. Roving performers can be booked for longer periods up to 1 hour depending on the event.
Stage Act
A stage act is a single performance presented in a show alongside other acts. A belly dance stage act can be customized to suit a theme to compliment other performances. A stage act is usually around 5 minutes long, and a belly dancer can be hired to do a single act or multiple acts – which includes costume and prop changes. This format suits large scale corporate events, festivals and cabaret style productions where there may be a host of other performance styles and a wide audience.
3. Choosing a Belly Dance Style
Did you know that there are many different styles of belly dance that suit different audiences? As both a traditionally-trained and fusion-trained belly dancer, I am uniquely equipped to perform belly dance for a range of audiences. From rock music to earthy drum solos, 90’s to Arabian Nights, there are many themes I can work with to accommodate your special event.
Depending on your audience (ie. Adults only or family, conservative or alternative) I can work with your to tailor a set that will entertain all! My costuming ranges from sparkling and sophisticated, to textured and tribal. It’s your choice what kind of vibe you’d like me to bring to your event.
What kind of belly dance styles are there?
Just as there are colours of the rainbow, there are shades of belly dance.
Here are three distinctive main styles that I regularly perform.
Classic and Traditional
This is the style of performance most audiences are accustomed to. Bright colours, sparkling costumes and middle eastern music. You can expect light and floating veils, orchestral music, earthy drum solos and a dose of Arabic pop music in a typical traditional belly dance set.
Modern Fusion
Expect the same colourful sparkling costumes and spectacular props, but tailored for an Australian audience. Music may have middle eastern influences but is distinctly contemporary. World-influenced electronica, and international musicians create a tapestry of exceptional sounds suited to most audiences.
Gothic and Dark Fusion
A darker, more dramatic westernized version of modern fusion. Music can range from etheral to experimental – nothing is off limits. Guaranteed to WOW your audience as this is something new to most. This genre can still be tailored for Adults only or Family events, and is definitely memorable to watch.
Once you choose your type of performance and style of show, leave the rest to the professionals! When hiring a belly dancer know that you’ll be getting a beautiful and entertaining performer for your event no matter what.
Interested in learning more about my performance style? Looking to hire a belly dancer in Adelaide? Contact me or see my performance page!