From the Arabic Point of View
In my career I have danced at countless restaurants, night clubs, parties and weddings. Many of these businesses were Mediterranean style and owned by Arab and Persian families. Dancing for many Arabic audiences over the years, I have seen the dance from their point of view. I have interviewed a few of my Arabic employers and friends to share with you not only my experiences, but also their point of view and expectations of bellydancers. Through my experiences and these interviews, I have discovered that these expectations can be broken down into four categories: appearance, presentation, professionalism and propriety.
A dancer’s appearance is extremely important as the way you look will immediately set the stage for the way the audience will accept and react to you. Appropriate costuming is required. This means it must cover all body parts that should be covered, as well as being clean and tidy while remaining appropriate for the occasion and the expected audience. You can not have a discussion about appearance without addressing the controversial subjects of age and weight. When asked about the preferred age of dancers, both restaurant owner Joseph Ghandour and family friend John Batrice agree that age is not an issue and believe that older dancers can be beautiful and sexy. Mr. Batrice points to Nagwa Fouad saying, “She is older but still graceful.” The subject of weight can be a little trickier. Arabic audiences do not expect rail thin dancers and female audiences have less of an opinion on the issue but many restaurant owners expect a dancer to have a certain level of fitness. Even in an initial meeting it is important to dress professionally. A suit may not be necessary, but a dancer should look professional and respectable. First impressions are important as your appearance will make a statement about you and your dance.
The category of presentation can be broken down into sub-categories of movement, music, and audience interaction. Movement is an interesting subject. When dancing for this type of audience you will most likely be dancing for people who do not have dance training but know how the dance should look. Arabic women are looking for moves with the familiar feel that they grew up seeing and doing. Mr. Ghandour states that he looks for “control and isolation” in movement and for the movement to coincide with the music. The music, he says, should be something that moves the dancer. If she is enjoying the music the show will be better. Dr. Mohamed Ali of Isis Imports, a bellydance costume import business, has spent countless hours watching dancers at parties and shows. He recommends that dancers use instrumental music unless they are familiar with the song’s translation. He also says that you cannot go wrong with classical music because many people “know and love” these songs. Dr. Ali brings up another important point stating that a dancer should be careful to match the origin of the music with the national background of the audience if at all possible. Audience involvement is also important in these settings. Mr. Batrice advises to get the women involved and create a party type atmosphere. His brother Joseph Batrice sums it up by saying most importantly a show needs to be “fun and entertaining.”
Professionalism is the key to being a working bellydancer. This includes not only handling money, but also the clientele. Dr. Ali recommends doing all business and negotiations before you arrive at the venue. Personally, I require a contract with the time, set number and length, total cost, date and place and all my listed protocols and disclaimers signed with half of the money in advance and the remainder of the money upon arrival at the venue. Being a restaurant owner, Mr. Ghandour must also watch how a dancer deals with customers. He says that a dancer must be able to leave her problems at the door and be polite and friendly regardless of what is going on in her personal life. She must also be able to deal with all situations that may arise in an appropriate manner. For example, a customer who may not be familiar with bellydance or know how to treat a dancer could inadvertently say or do something inappropriate. A dancer needs to be able to correct the situation with the least amount of disruption and embarrassment as possible. This type of professionalism takes a combination of strength and politeness and is essential for a working dancer.
Propriety seems to be the most important piece of the puzzle. This aspect was stressed to me time and time again by every person that I interviewed as it encompasses all of the other components. It is extremely important in these settings to be seen, as Mr. Batrice says, a “family style” dancer. This means your dance, costuming, and behavior must be appropriate for a family setting, children included. If you dress, dance, or act too seductively you will lose the respect of your audience while making the men uncomfortable and the women upset. If your dance is appropriate the women will respect your dancing and not become offended. Mr. Batrice only half jokingly says, “If the women don’t want to be there, the men won’t be there.” To be successful and keep clients the dancer must be proper in every area from appearance, to presentation, to professionalism.
The Arabic community can be a great source of information and business for dancers. They want to see their dance spread while being done well and in a respectful manner. All of these ideas working together make a well-rounded professional dancer. As Mr. Batrice says, “It’s a package deal.”