Moondancer

Hey everyone,
I've just started a student performance troupe at my university. We perform at many events in my city, especially student balls/formals/fundraising events, etc. Until now we've been VERY generous and have mostly peformed for free. But we no longer want to be exploited. I was wondering how the professionals among you go about charging. How much do you ask for? Does the size of the group influence the rate? I.e. do you ask for more if more people perform? And do you charge by the hour?
Thanks for your help!

Aisha Azar

Dear Moondancer,
This is really difficult to say because often rates depend on where you live. A person who is dancing in New York City can generally charge a lot more than a person dancing in Spokane, Washington. The size of the group and the number of dances SHOULD both affect the rate that you charge. We also adjust rates as to what kind of venue we are going to be performing in. We can charge a lot more for a show at a private college than we can for a show at a community center or a restaurant.
However, a student performing group might be VERY different than a professional dance company. This next statement might make me pretty unpopular, but the fact is that you might not really be ready to charge professional prices if you are not producing professional quality performances, which students are usually not ready to do except in the most controlled circumstances. In which case you really need to wait to perform in anything but student venues until you ARE all ready.
Regards,
A'isha

Samira_dncr

I agree with A'isha, but assuming your student troupe has reached a level of proficiency that is worthy of pay, I'd check out what other professionals in your area are charging.

__________________
Samira Tu'Ala, Organizer of the Las Vegas Bellydance Intensive & Festival
September 10-13, 2009 at the Palace Station Hotel & Casino 1-888-LV-RAKS-U (1-888-587-2578)

Moondancer

Thanks for your reply Aisha!
I realize that we can't charge as much as a professional who's been dancing all her life but I think we do deserve some payment because we always put on a good performance and work really hard in preparation for it. Some of us (including me) have been dancing for many years so it's not like we're a group of amateurs standing there wiggling our hips. May I ask how much you charge for, say, a performance of two or three dances in a group at a public place like a restaurant? Just so I can get a rough idea what professionals get paid. I just want some kind of guideline so I know that I'm not asking for way too much or too little.

Thanks!

Moondancer

That's a great idea, Samira, thank you!

Aisha Azar

Dear Moondancer,
Usually in restaurants and clubs, dancers get paid WAY less than they do in other types of venues, like colleges, corporate events, etc. In my area, and in Seattle the last time I danced in a club there the wage is probably about $35 per dancer, plus whatever tips they would collect. This is for about a 25 minute routine.
These days, my dance company dances in a restaurant for all of our twice annual events. I have it set up completely differently so that we are in charge of our money and pay the owner a reasonable rental fee and she makes the majority of her money for the show from serving food and drinks. We keep what we make on the reservation prices and we are usually able to pay all of our dancers plus make some money ourselves. We take the risk and the profits for our restaurant shows now. When I approached the owner with my plan, she was totally open to it and I think we are both very happy about the arrangement. We do two professional shows a year there and 3-4 Hafla type student nights in an upstairs venue in the restaurant to give ourselves some privacy.
Regards,
A'isha

Samira_dncr

Samira Shuruk (not me, another Samira) has an excellent website addressing these concerns. She also has a page of standard rates that are charged across the country.

Samira Shuruk: Standard Rates and Guidelines

If you get to the bottom of that page, there is a link to the rates guide. This ought to answer many of your questions and give you some idea of where to start. You may not feel you deserve to be paid what a well-established professional gets paid, but if you don't charge the standard rates, you are undercutting...which serves nobody. If you don't feel comfortable charging standard rates then you need to wait to jump into the professional pool. I am not saying that to be mean, just to preserve the work that others who have gone before you have done.

Much love--Samira Tu'Ala

__________________
Samira Tu'Ala, Organizer of the Las Vegas Bellydance Intensive & Festival
September 10-13, 2009 at the Palace Station Hotel & Casino 1-888-LV-RAKS-U (1-888-587-2578)

Moondancer

That's exactly what I was looking for! Thanks, Samira!

Samira_dncr

Glad I could help!

__________________
Samira Tu'Ala, Organizer of the Las Vegas Bellydance Intensive & Festival
September 10-13, 2009 at the Palace Station Hotel & Casino 1-888-LV-RAKS-U (1-888-587-2578)

Mya

Just out of curiosity, what if the standard rate has been set by one company who you feel quite certain is over charging clients for performances? IF you disagree with that rate of pay and find it exploitative, is it still unfair to charge less??