Producing a Performance Show

by Michelle

You've taken classes, studied videos, bought a costume, choreographed a song. But you have no where to perform it? Sounds like its time to create a place!

Organizing a show is a little intimidating and before it's over, you'll swear you'll never do it again (yep, I'm still saying that the day before each show I produce!) but once the show is over, you'll be looking foward to the next one. Each show you produce, you'll learn a little more and soon, they'll be as routine as, say, giving birth. Ok, they are never EASY, but they can all be very rewarding.

The Show

Is your show going to be strictly belly dance or are you going to invite other styles of dance to join you? Is it going to be all solos or will there be groups as well? My personal opinion is that variety makes for a happy audience. The more variety you can offer, be it through different forms of dance or a mixture of groups, duets, and solos, the more lively your show will be and the more everyone will like it. The audience will appreciate not having to distinguish from one soloist after another, and the dancers will appreciate the fact that their uniqueness will stand out.

Once you've decided on the type of show you're hosting, you need to decide how many performers you will allow. This will depend on how long you want each dancer on stage. I try to keep all club/restaurant shows under two hours, including intermission. A stage show can go a full two hours, but really, after that, the audience tends to look forward to the end of the show rather than the next dancer. So if you plan 50 minutes per set and two sets per show, you've got 100 minutes to fill. Keep in mind that there will be at least a minute or two between each dancer. If you decide on having an emcee, you've got to plan a few extra minutes between each number. Let's say we have ten dancers who we're inviting. That would break out to ten minutes per dancer, but deduct one minute for changing music, setting props. (I think emcees really kill the momentum of a show--I prefer to have programs identify the dancers instead.) Now you're down to a maximum of nine minutes per dancer.

Not all dancers want to dance nine minutes and not all dancers are capable of holding an audience for nine minutes. Then too, if you have some really accomplished dancers, you may want to allow them a longer set. I call these the "featured" positions. In my shows they close both sets and can run 15-20 minutes. So if I'm having featured dancers, I generally tell the other dancers they have from 5-7 minutes. If you forgo the featured dancers, you can tell everyone they have up to 8 minutes. Now keep in mind that some dancers will only dance a three minute song and some will show up with a 10 minute set. It usually works out, so I don't stress about it. My philosophy is that you should always leave the audience wanting more. Therefore a shorter show is better than a longer show.

The Audience

Is this a student showcase (I hate "recitals." I prefer "showcase" or "salon" or "exhibition.") or are all of your dancers intermediate to advanced? This will determine the audience. Students usually bring all their friends and family to the show. A professional dancer's family and friends have seen them dance at least a hundred times, so they may only bring a couple of audience members with them. If it is a "professional" show, you'll actually have to hustle more to fill the audience. This will lead to publicity, but first let's talk about the venue.

The Venue

You have many options when choosing a place to dance, but I implore you to obtain the most professional venue you can. If you choose to host a small show in someone's house, that is perfectly fine. Call it a hafla and keep it intimate, but decorate the house so that it looks like a classy party.

Clubs and restaurants are good for a larger venue. I always go eat at an establishment before I approach them about a show to test the food and ambiance. You have to have a place to make your stage, even if it's a matter of moving a few tables and delineating the performance area with a string of lights. Clubs that have bands generally have a small stage, but usually your show will be before the later-playing bands and the band equipment will be set up on the stage. If there is a dance floor, this may be a good place for your stage, but it may be too low for the audience to see the dancer below her shoulders. We had regular shows at a local restaurant/club and found that our best performance space was along the long wall of the rectangular space rather than on the dance floor which was on the short end of the space. At the short end, only the first two rows of tables could see the dancer. On the long end, even though were were still on the floor, the rows of tables were, of course, longer, so almost everyone had a good view. You should never pay to use a facility such as this. You are bringing them business. While they probably won't pay you, they should allow you to collect money at the door (the place we used for many shows asked us to call it a donation so their customers who weren't coming for the show wouldn't have to pay). If you are in a straight restaurant, make sure your stage is no where near the door to the kitchen! You do not want your dancers to be dodging meatballs as they come out of the back!

Auditoriums with stages are wonderful and give a very professional feel to your show, but they almost always cost money, and sometimes quite a bit of it. They also book many months in advance, so you should look into these as soon as possible. In Albuquerque , we have stage venues with auditoriums as small as 70 seats, so the show doesn't have to be huge even if it's on a stage.

Sound and Lighting

Another thing to consider in choosing your venue is the technical aspects of the site. Do they have a sound system you can use? If so, is it any good? What about lighting--not much use in dancing if no one can see the dancers! Through the years, we have purchased both lights and a sound system Now don't cringe! The lights are actually halogen work lights bought at a home improvement store. The have collapsible heavy-duty stands and are virtually indestructble. A couple sheets of red and blue gels soften the harshness of the lights. When our drummer Charles joined us, he brought with him two more branches of colored lights which we use as floor lighting.

When I opened the studio last year, I purchased the loudest stereo system I could find. I use the basic stereo and speakers in the studio, and when we have a show, I bring along the amp and extra speakers for added volume. I bought another used amp from Amaya into which I plug a microphone. (I do not like using an emcee, but I do like to make opening and closing remarks.)

Any stage you rent will come with lighting and sound--although they may charge more for their use.

Decorations

When dancing in a club, we will usually take three large matching tapestries (you know--the Indian lightweight bedspreads--very inexpensive) which we tack up on the wall behind us. We embellish this with icicle lights. We cover the stereo speakers (which we set up on boxes--never set your speakers directly on the floor) with coordinating silk veils. We try to keep everything the same color scheme, not too busy so that it won't detract from the dancers, but big enough to cover the signs for beer and pool championships!

A stage can be left free of decoration--they are usually too big for you to decorate anyway, but the back lighting might allow you some variety of color and pattern.

Because we've been doing our own shows for many years, our last addition to our ever-growing heap of productions supplies is a free-standing backdrop which is eight feet tall and fifteen feet long. Carolyn made the frame out of heavy PVC and I dyed and sewed a silk curtain to hang on it.

Publicity

You need to fill your show. What is the point of putting on a show if no one comes? I love to dance, and dance for and by myself all the time. But there is nothing so invigorating as the give-and-take of energy you experience with an audience. Therefore, you need to get the word out. Write down all the places you find to put up a flier or enter an announcement so that you won't have to relearn them for the next show.

Look for community calendars in newspapers and local magazines. These are usually free. Post NICE fliers everywhere. Surely in this day and age of technology, you can find someone to do a professional looking flier on the computer. Pictures are good, but not too much text. Make it big enough to read from a few feet away and just put the basics: who, what, where, when, how much. Post fliers in coffee shops, dance supply stores, ethnic restaurants, libraries, college campuses, book stores and dance studios. Make 1/4 page fliers to leave in stacks in coffee shops and cafes. Contact the arts editor of your newspaper--they interviewed me for our World Tribe Show in 2002 and the show (which was in a mid-sized auditorium) sold out--standing room only!

Ask all of your dancers to commit to inviting five or ten audience members. Send out an email list. Talk it up!

For really large shows, consider spending a little on advertising in a newspaper or magazine.

Finally, never set your sites on simply covering expenses!!! If you set your sights too low, you'll never expect anything greater from yourself. I don't care if you only make $20 in profit, plan on making a profit! I set my goals higher and have never not met them!

Costs

Here is a brief list of your potential costs:

Venue

Lights (if you need to rent)

Sound System (if you need to rent)

Backdrops/decor (if you're just starting try to borrow as much as you can)

Copies of fliers and programs (if you have a copy machine at work you can use...)

Tickets (if its a club show or smaller, don't bother printing tickets)

Advertising (free is best--utilize this first)

Technical Assistance

You will need someone to run the sound system and lights--usually this can be the same person. You will need at least one person, two is best, to run the door, collecting money, tickets and distributing programs. We no longer use a stage manager, because we know in advance our line up and know the flow of our show, but with students or dancers you don't know, a stage manager can make sure everyone is ready to go during the number prior to theirs. You will need a LOT of set up and take down help. Do not try to do it all yourself--you'll end up in the chiropractors office and will exhaust yourself before your performance.

Final Tips

Allow yourself some down time the day of the show so that you can perform your best.

If a minor disaster occurs (like a dancer doesn't show or you forgot a piece of your costume or blow your choreography) GO WITH THE FLOW!!!!! No one will know except you, I PROMISE!

Do not listen to any critics of the show--these are usually other dancers who wish they had the gumption to produce a show, or an audience member who has had one too many!

Be the first one at the venue so you can own the space.

Once the show starts, do not think of anything except your dance! Try to relax and enjoy the other performers.

Thank everybody who helped you. Thank them again. And one more time. People who are appreciated will perform better and will probably help you again.

Remember things you wish you'd done differently for the next show.

Congratulations! You did it! After you recover, you'll probably do it again! It's a bit like a disease, but a rewarding one at that.

Farfesha Belly Dance © 2004