Tips on hiring a performer/artist for your event.

Hiring a belly dancer for an event whether it’s a birthday party or a wedding can definitely bring a wonderful and memorable experience for you and your guests. There is however always few things to remember before going ahead and booking a belly dancer and these tips will ensure that both you the organizer and the performer can enjoy working together to create a bespoke and memorable experience for everyone involved.  

1. Do your research first: Ask yourself a few questions about your event to determine what type of belly dancing act you would like to hire. Check first if the type of event is appropriate (for example religious events may not be appropriate), what nationality are your guests (again the same as above, if there are any religious or cultural reasons against it), the average age of your guests and their gender (most belly dancer, like myself do not dance for males only audiences), do you have suitable venue and dancing space for the artists, is there any changing rooms and what type of sound system do you have.
   
2. Based on this information you can now determine the most appropriate person to perform at your event. Be very specific about what you like and don’t like. Most belly dancers have their videos and pictures on their websites with their training experience, their email and telephone number, if you can’t find anything ask the belly dancer directly. Check all the details before hand. If you like something particular like for example a drum solo or traditional Egyptian (saidi stick) then ask them. The same with costuming if you would like them to cover some parts of their body and dress more modestly then again please ask them. There is nothing worse than attending an event and finding out that you are not dressed appropriately.
   
3. Don’t stereotype that all belly dance is the same. There are lots of different styles in belly dance Egyptian, Turkish etc. Egyptian style comprises of traditional (saidi stick, baladi, Melaya leff, Ghawazi, Fallahi) and classical belly dance usually performed to famous songs of Om Khalthoum or Abdel Halim Hafez with use of veil or double veils. Turkish belly dance has usually faster rhythm and is very dynamic; the dancer usually will perform with finger cymbals (Zagat) or veil. Also each Middle Eastern country has its own unique styles of dance like Khaleegy from Saudi Arabia, Iraqi Khawleeya or Moroccan Ray music. There also fusion or modern belly dance that is more popular and sometimes props are used such as isis wings, sword, poi veils, fan veils as well as being performed to a different style of dance (tango, samba, bollywood).
   
4. Asking for discounts it’s unacceptable. Most belly dance performers are self employed or have to work second jobs to support themselves. Asking them for a better price or discount is highly inappropriate. If you are working yourself and support your own family think how you would feel if someone else ask you to get better deal and paid you less. If you have low budget determine what you can and cannot afford to hire a belly dance act. Most belly dancers have their prices set with accordance to the length of performance, type of event, number of people attending and how far is the venue so always ask for the pricing packages. If they are part of an agency the prices are usually different so do your research first.
   
5. Contractual agreement-when things can go wrong. Don’t forget to have written contractual agreement with the performer about the event. Be very specific about the job that you are asking the belly dance artist to do and be also aware of things that the performer does not feel comfortable to do. For example if you ask the performer to teach belly dance and then last minute you have change your mind and decide the performer to be a hostess on then night then don’t assume that it is fine with the performer. If the contract states that you have hired her/him for teaching belly dance and it will not happen then the performer has the right to refuse the event and you will lose your deposit.
   
6. It’s all about timing. The same rule applies with time, if your event suddenly gets delayed because of the guests arriving late please notify the performer so they can accommodate the time for other events booked on the same night. Usually 15-20min is fine but if your event gets delayed by 30min-1hour you are most likely to lose your deposit and/or cancel the performance. Most performers are booked based on length of the set and the booking starts as soon as the performer enters the venue. Don’t keep the performer waiting for 30min-45min and start the booking from when they start to perform, it not only wastes their time but you may incur additional charges for waiting.
   
7. Make sure your payment is done before the event and that it can be tracked back in case there are some problems. Some belly dancers ask for deposit payment before the event and some ask for invoice. Check which method is preferred. Payments after the event are usually not accepted due to high occurrence of artists not getting paid which may then result in legal action. 
   
8. Drinking and alcohol on the night. If you know that there will be lots of drinking on the night, hire the performer earlier so they can feel comfortable dancing and participating with the audience. Safety and feeling comfortable is number one priority don’t assume that the dancer will be fine with it. When guests are drunk they are more likely to misjudge the performer and be too confident with themselves causing problems and possible cancelation. Do not offer the performer alcohol before dancing; offer instead water or soft drink if they ask you for it.
   
9. Tipping (in designated area) but....please make sure it’s done in respectful manner which means do not touch the performer and do not invade their personal space. It will make the performer uncomfortable and you may get reported for it.
   
10. Managing other artists on the night. If you have DJ on the night please make sure they are aware of the artists booked on the night with details of what you have agreed with the belly dance performer and the duration of the agreed set that you have paid for. If the DJ is not informed and decides to shorten the length of the performance you will be still charged for agreed performance.  
    
11. Most of all have fun and remember that when you are hiring services such as belly dance entertainment or in fact any other artists, working together will ensure that event will go smoothly and memorable for you and your guests.