kayshier

me personally, i'd charge the same price or more..
i would NEVER undercut another dancer no matter what my personal opinion of what they charge is, lest i be accused of doing just that deliberately undercutting
to me artistic expression should be well compensated.

Mya

i believe in being fairly compensated for what you do, but don't you think that there is a point where it becomes absurd? would you charge $200 US to have a girl in wings parade up an aisle in isis wings and flourish about for a minute and a half and find it just?

I can't say that i would charge that just because i know that the other company does and for the sake of not undercutting. It simply seems wrong. If i don't think that a performance is worth that price i'm not going to cut a client's throat to keep a standard that i believe to be a farce.

kayshier

i'd charge the same why?
because sensible people will see that what you is a whole lot more than what the other person does for the same price...
eventually you will get more work because you are worth more.

i'd forget about others really and focus on myself and how i can make what I do valuable for the money that i charge.

Aisha Azar

Dear Mya,
I feel that there is a time to look around and see if prices are compatible with what is going on in the community. Sometimes there are dancers who really are WAY too proud of their work if you judge by what they charge. Also, if there are only a few dancers in an area, then there really is not set price yet. If you feel that someone is charging too much and do not want to do so, maybe you can scout out what the average price is for entertainment that is similar to your's in your area and charge an average price as opposed to way higher or lower.
A women called me from a local community college, to hire my dance company, and told me that people were quoting her a price of over $1200 for a 40 minute show for 5 dancers. That seemed a little steep to me considering the venue. If it was Bill Gates or The Donald, then that would be another matter.
Regards,
A'isha

kayshier

Aisha
there isn't really a lot to choose from in terms of bellydance where we are from. (most of it is underground) there is one main company...so obviously they would set the standard as to the cost of public performances
in terms of entertainment on the whole most promoters here tend to encourage the underpaying and the undercutting, which is why i was telling mya that i would not charge lower than the going rate, because it will be perceived as undercutting...people would gladly pay cheaply for entertainment, and of course not considering the expense of costuming, make up, traveling to and from the venue etc.

in my opinion if i think someone is charging too much money for 5 mins and doing some half-a**ed dancing, that should not influence what I charge..especially if i know that i could put out a whole lot more (hypothetically speaking of course)

Samira_dncr

I'm paying an Elvis impersonator $500 to hang out and smile at people for an hour and sing a whopping 2 songs. And, truthfully, he's doing me a favor because most of the impersonators I talked to charged upwards of $1200 for the hour I was requesting.

So, um, no...I think $200 is a bargain. LOL.

I do think that you should take a look around at other professions that are similar. A professional bellydancer has to make her entire living wage in a few mere hours on the weekned. It's not like you can do bellydancing 40 hours a week, 9am-5pm. I've often heard dancers say they won't even put on eyelashes for less than $200. And truthfully, I don't blame them.

__________________
Samira, Las Vegas Bellydance Intensive

Amira_116

I think that you should charge a fair price, rather than 'whatever the market will bear'. Overcharging is as bad for the perception of dancers in the marketplace as undercharging or lack of professionalism.

I'm a professional events coordinator - I own an entertainment company, and calling someone in your area in that line of work might be a good way to get a feel for what's appropriate. But keep in mind events people usually get top dollar for their performers, so you might want to charge less. Make sure you specify you're a student troupe.

Pro dancers can charge a lot more, but keep it reasonable if you want to continue to get work.

And yes, larger troupes should get larger money, but you'll need to specify how many/how much at the time time you set up your job. Don't ever tell someone you have more dancers and will need more money!

One thing you can try for now is ask your potential customer what they have in their budget, then decide if that's worth getting dressed for.

If you have any specific questions, just holler. I may be able to help you come up with a worksheet to use for customer quotes.

Good luck!

Jana "Amira"
Essence of Egypt Dance School & Enchantment Unlimited Entertainment
Learn How To Belly Dance with belly dance classes, belly dance videos and belly dance DVD's

Moondancer

Excellent advice, thank you!
Love your website, btw! I was totally like you when I started dancing. Except that I was extremely stick skinny instead of overweight.

Best wishes