How much do dancers get paid?

I want to be a belly dancer!?

• I really, really want to learn how to dance. I love dancing and I love watching dance. I think that it is so beautiful! I really want to learn belly dancing in particular. I had a couple questions on it if you could please help. 1.) Is 18 too young to learn how to belly dance? If I put in a lot of effort and dedication and time will I ever be good enough to go professional? Dance is something that I love so much that I can actually see myself working hard enough to go professional. I mean professional like in a pro dance troupe where I would get paid. 2.) How long, on average (because everyone learns at a different pace), does it take to get good enough at belly dancing to the point where you could go pro? 3.) How much do professional dancers, on average, get paid annually? 4.) Would it be possible to blend styles, like Shakira? Not Shakira's style in itself, but a blend of styles. Like, what if I had an emphasis on belly dance (Lebanese) and incorperated elements from salsa, reggaeton and hip hop dancing? Could I do that? 5.) What can I do (advice and tips) to become a good dancer? How much should I practice? Where should I take classes? Should I get private lessons?

• Answer:

  1.) 18 is definitely not too young to learn belly nor is it too old to start on a professional path. Keep in mind that bellydance is a Middle Eastern folk dance that has been pased from mother to daughter for centuries. It is not uncommon to see a 4 year old performing a decent quality bellydance in the Middle East much like it is common to see a 4 year old here dancing something like ballet. Bellydance is a dance fro women of all ages, shapes, sizes, and races. It is not uncommon in the US to find women well into their 60's starting up bellydance. You will probably find an array of ages in whatever class you eventually join. Bellydance is done by women of all ages and this is encouraged and accepted in bellydance. Like anything that you want to do at a professional level you will need a lot of dedication to your craft. It will involve more than just learning how to do the moves in order to perform at the professional level. 2.) It should take an average of 2 years to reach an intermediate level and begin performing. You may or may not get paying gigs at this time but it would be appropriate to enter local recitals held by a local school or guild. To be up in the top level of professional bellydancers it will take much longer (up to 10 years or sometimes more). Considering that you can start entering the professional real after 2 years is realatively short when you compare with other dance styles which generally require many more years of intensive study and rigorous practice. 3.) Professional bellydancers have an extremely varied pay rate. It is generally a regional issue. Some places have higher wages and some lower. It depends partially on the services (15 min shows, 30 minute shows, hour long performace, split sets, bellygrams, etc...) but also varies with the fame/popularity of a particular dancer as well whether there is a local guild or other organization that standardizes and controls wages or not. For an idea of wages in your area I'd suggest checking out the following page. http://www.samirashuruk.com/standardrateslist.html I feel it's important to note that very few dancers actually make enough from bellydance to have that as their only career. In the 1990's it was about 10 bellydancers in the entire US. With current situations (bellydance superstars and DVD empires) that number is perhaps up to 30 at best. However, you have to keep in mind that those who are able to support themselves purely from dancing also have to do a lot of marketing and create products and services besides performances. they often own and operate their own schools, produce instructional/performance videos, sell imported costumes/music, etc... as a supplement. 4.) It is possible to blend styles although you have to be aware that it may not be the most lucrative venture. If your performing at a restaurant they probably are going to want traditional bellydance not a big blend of styles. Additionally private parties will usually desire traditional bellydance as well. Mixing various styles of bellydance is more widely accepted but mixing in other styles is sometimes seen as offensive both by viewers and other dancers. There are appropriate places to perform such mixes but your everyday show is probably not going to be it. It will be more like special shows that feature alternative/experimental pieces or fusion shows. So you could do it but how well it will go over is unpredictable. 5.) Practice daily for about 30min to an hour (more if your can). I would recommend getting classes if you can private lessons should be reserved for if there are no classes close enough or if you want to have private instruction in a specifc style or have a piece choreographed for you. The best tips for becoming a good dancer are practice, practice, practice. Learn your music, brush up on the history and cultural contexts, learn to play zills, master veil work, floorwork, and can work, perhaps other props such as a sword, balancing a basket or water jug, etc...