Booking a Belly Dancer
Advice and tips on booking a belly dancer
The quintessential Middle Eastern entertainment is an Oriental dancer. "Raqs Sharqi" (Arabic for Oriental Dance) is better known in the West by the nickname “belly dance”, and instantly summons up a taste of the Orient – usually at considerably better value than a DJ or band!
There are several different styles of belly dance, so make sure you check with the dancer which styles they can perform if authenticity is key. However most countries are familiar with Egyptian style thanks to Egyptian films - Cairo is the Hollywood of the Middle East.
Bear in mind too that Oriental dance is not traditional in all parts of the Middle East. For example for an authentic Moroccan party you may prefer to have a Berber (i.e. indigenous Moroccan tribe) style performance, or for Saudi Arabian style you might look for Khaleegi (Gulf style) dancers, though specialists in these styles can be harder to find.
Choosing a dancer
As with most performers, the quality of belly dancers is variable so check credentials and experience before you hire a dancer. Fees will vary from area to area and with the skills and experience of the performer so check a couple to get an idea of the going rate.
Be wary of dancers offering much lower than the going rate - you generally get what you pay for, and the result could be a poor quality performance that spoils, rather than enhances your night. There is a huge difference between an inexperienced dancer in an “airport souvenir” costume and a properly trained dance artist!
A professional dancer:
- will have full public liability insurance
- will be able to provide you with testimonials from previous customers
- is likely to have a website and/or good quality promotional literature
- will perform in a family friendly way
Membership of a professional organisation such as Equity is also a good sign. Why not ask a dancer if they will be performing at a restaurant or other public event, so you can go along and see them in advance of booking.
Usually dancers will perform in sets of around 15 minutes. This may not seem long but it will usually allow the dancer to perform around 4 dance pieces. This is plenty for a Western audience, who are usually used to seeing short bursts of dance and are not familiar with Oriental dance or music.
A longer set may be more appropriate for an event with a primarily Arabic audience, who appreciate a longer performance. In this case 20-30 minute sets will be a good length. If you need a longer set for a Western audience, consider asking the dancer to include an audience participation element and perform several different styles and props to keep things dynamic.
Live music
In the Middle East, Oriental belly dance is usually improvised to live music, and for those with a bigger budget there is nothing like the experience of a spontaneous and totally unique performance! 
- Not all dancers in the West have experience of working with a band, so check for this and get your dancer to recommend a band they have worked with before or vice versa.
- If your chosen dancer and band have not worked together before, make sure the band sends a list of songs they can play to the dancer or, even better, a CD of them playing.
- f you cannot afford a live band but want the thrill of live performance, book a drummer to perform with the dancer. Again try and find a dancer and drummer who work together regularly.
- If this is not possible, look for a drummer who plays the darabuka (Arabic tabla) with experience of playing for a dancer. Make sure you pass their details to your dancer well in advance.
Get your guests to shimmy and shake!
You could also book a taster session to learn this beautiful dance yourself, either instead of, or as well as, a performance. Belly dance taster sessions are best undertaken before the booze starts following too freely! They are ideal as an ice breaker, so make perfect entertainment for earlier in the evening.
A taster is great for all-female parties such as a hen night, but the basic moves are danced by men as well in the Middle East so there’s no excuse for the guys not to learn how to shake their hips too! Make sure the dancer is an experienced teacher and fully insured.
Free performance?
Sometimes you will get a friend who is learning to belly dance offering to perform for free, either solo or with a local amateur troupe.
This can be a great way to get free entertainment, but as with any dance style, a good belly dance performance requires not only strong technique but also performance skills, charisma and personality. An amateur performer is unlikely to have all these things so think carefully about your aims for the party.
For example, an amateur performance can be ideal for an informal party of close friends - you all get to see what your friend(s) can do and have a bit of fun.
Amateur performance can also work for informal community or charity events. Go for a group if possible, the bigger the better - crowds at this kind of event will love to see an amateur group get up and have some fun!
For a more formal event or large party, guests will expect more polished entertainment, so an amateur performance may detract from the evening rather than enhance it. If you have hired a venue, the owners are likely to require any performers to have public liabilty insurance, which an amateur dancer won't have.
If the offer is to teach the guests some moves then you need to be aware that poor or inexperienced instruction in any style of dance can lead to injury. In this case it is always better to hire an experienced and insured professional – or, if the budget won't run to that, why not buy or rent a good belly dance instruction DVD?
Links
- Book a belly dancer
- Book a dance troupe - Orientale Dance Company
- Book an amateur belly dancer performance - Harissa Student Belly Dance Troupe