Today's question is about the differences between the "professional" bellydancer or belly dance troupe and the "student-level" belly dancer/troupe. Questions about shows which have too many "students-level" performers that may not seem worth the $10, $20 or $30 admission have sparked these questions.
First of all, who decides if a dancer or a troupe is "professional" and what is the criteria they use? It is based on technique alone? And if so, who measures the technique needed to call the dancer or troupe "professional?" Does it include having the relevant credentials such as years of in-person professional training, professional photos, a CV, business license, insurance, etc? What about their handling of events? If they only show up to perform and then leave, are they acting respectfully and/or professionally? What about being on time with their music, intros, contracts, call time, etc? What if they are punctual to events, have professional photos but can't hold a rhythm or execute the moves appropriately, are they professional or student-level?
If a dancer gets a paid gig, no matter how much, are they then a "professional" or if they are a teacher are they then a professional? As most of us in the industry are aware, there are dancers who take a 4 week belly dance session and then start teaching. Unlike the professional ballet dancers who spend years in classes before they don a tutu and pointe shoes, belly dance is viewed much differently. I am not sure why, I suppose that's another blog.
So if a promoter is trying to hire dancers, are they the main source of who is a professional? Or if you are a dancer or troupe director, how do you market yourself as professional? Or is it solely based on the audience's impression of their dance and if they are willing to pay to watch them perform? And can the label of professional being removed based on behavior, lack of technique, etc? Any thoughts or comments, feel free to post or send to me. Thanks.
As one of the people bringing up these questions of show quality on my own blog, I really appreciate your thoughts on this matter!
ReplyDeleteDetermining who is a pro is such a tricky matter, I agree. I feel like it's one of those things where you know it when you see it... which means if you have a new-to-town dancer coming along and telling you "I'm a pro, I'd like to be in your shows" you can watch her videos to make a judgement on her skills and then hope her punctuality and other behavior is at the same level.
And of course, you have to deal with letting people down gently... I've been the dancer who had great professional behavior but was told my skills weren't up to the show I wanted to be in. It sure hurt to hear it, but the show organizer was probably right... maybe. I don't necessarily agree with her assessment of the professionalism of one or two dancers she did invite, but that's getting petty ;)
Depending on the show, I think the skill level is measured by the other performers in the show as well. I produce weekend workshops with a headliner in the show, so I do not always get picky about the technique of the other performers. But I also do not charge more than $10 and I pay all the performers as long as the venue and expenses are covered, I split all the proceeds of the admission between the performers. However I generally do not rebook performers - even the hired headliners - if they have attitudes backstage or will not cooperate with deadlines and such. For me it makes them unprofessional to act poorly. But I also do not measure the professional technique for my shows since I know I will have at least some that are draws to the community for their strong and beautiful performances. But I could be wrong to do it that way, so I alway invite discussion on this.
Delete