Why Performers Are Getting Paid Less (PS It's partly our fault)

This article made the rounds on Facebook back in January, but I waited to repost it here on Deep Roots Dance because I figured we could use a periodic reminder of the phenomenon that is rife in the artist community.  I know it happens here locally, because I myself have turned down similar gigs and then watched other groups and troupes take those gigs.  I know what they got paid, and I believe strongly they should have turned it down and fought for better pay overall.  Why would they accept such terms?

We are shooting ourselves in the foot by allowing club owners and promoters to use us in this manner, encouraging us to undercut ourselves and our fellow artists.  It's not enough to get $25 apiece and a half-priced dinner, all while being expected to bring in a group of friends to fill the seats. Frankly it never was, but certainly in 2012 we are worth much more than this, and we won't get it unless we demand it!

ATS Teacher Certification Stamp

During a decompression meal after my FCBD ATS® Teacher Training intensive down in San Francisco in 2008, Sooz, Carla, Carrie, Quinn, and I were at a  restaurant where they had paper on all the tables which you could jot on with crayons, pens, and pencils.  We were making all kinds of doodles as we talked and laughed.  We each were going home from the intensive with different plans--Carrie and Sooz were planning to be FCBD Sister Studios; while Quinn, Carla, and I wished to stay independent studios and stick with the FCBD Teacher Certified Studio moniker. We were talking about how it was great that all of us were going home with an official "stamp of approval" from Carolena to go forth and teach FCBD ATS in our classes and workshops. As we talked about our plans, I made a little sketch of a stamp, which you see here.

We talked about how cool it would be if that were part of the certification "reward"--that you got a shirt or a bag or something with the official "certified" stamp on it.  I said I could whip one up when I got home to see what it might look like.

So once home, I sat down to my handy dandy Adobe Illustrator and made a sample stamp, which is what you see to the right.  I put it up on the private ATSGSTT tribe (at the time, maybe 25 members) and we talked about how cool it would be if Carolena would use it or something like it on schwag.  Through discussion in the tribe about it, we were clear that this was not an official FCBD® logo, but just something I had designed for fun. People asked if they could use it, and I said absolutely, but please with credit to the designer.  Carolena said she didn't mind us using it so long as we didn't claim it was an official logo from FC. So a few people grabbed the image and put it on their websites with credit/note/link to my page.

Well you know what happens on the internet, right? People see it, they want it, they grab it and spread it around without the original artist's credit, and without understanding that this was not an official logo.  Carolena did contact me a while back asking permission to use the logo, and I did give her permission, but she has never used it or released it in any official capacity.  In the time since, this image has spread around, and many people have even tried to chop it up or re-color it to fit their site designs. Since it is a very low-res version that was never meant for those uses, in some cases it looks pretty shabby. Still other people have taken the design as a template and made their own versions of it, not understanding the story behind the original logo...basically it is now everywhere.

So rather than watch the image further degrade with slapdash edits, I have made a new version which should be more versatile. It is the exact same original design file, but I have removed the year for flexibility of use, added the registered trademark which Carolena has asked us to use, tweaked it to look more "stamp-like", and made it a transparent png so it should layer much more gracefully over both light and dark backgrounds. 

I still respectfully ask that you use it with credit. A link back to http://www.deeprootsdance.com would be greatly appreciated. You see, I am not just a dancer, but also a web and graphic designer.  So when something as popular as this design gets spread around, it would be kind and ethical to link back to the designer who created it, yeah? Thanks so much for your consideration.

So here it is, in a transparent png format, approx 400px square, 200dpi (should print around 2 inches square). You can pull it down here and it should be a good large size which can be resized for web sites and small print projects. If you have need of it for larger print projects, I do not recommend you use this version.

Use it with pride, credit it clearly and thoughtfully, and continue to teach and dance with joy!

What it takes to perform with an ATS group.

Wendy Allen of FCBD wrote a fantastic article on what it takes to perform ATS.  For anyone who wants to better understand the kind of consistency, patience, and commitment it takes, I have excerpted some of the best bits below:

"When people start taking classes in American Tribal Style dance, often one of the first questions is, 'When do I get to join the troupe/perform?'

The answer is, not for awhile. While you may have a desire to get up on stage and express yourself, you have a responsibility to your fellow dancers and your audience. 

The first thing to learn about performing ATS is that it is not all about you. It's about the group.

You may think you are well versed enough in the format to jump in after a long absence.  Think again. If you haven't been around class for awhile, we need to get used to dancing with you again.  

You may think that because you have other belly dance training you don't need basics. Think again.

You may think that because you are Arab/Egyptian/Turkish, etc, you won't need basics.  Think again.

This is a specific format with its own vocabulary.  You must learn the basics before you can advance. It's not fair to the people who have put in the time and effort to allow inexperienced dancers into the advanced levels. Again, it's not about you, its about the group. Keep reminding yourself of that. Make that your mantra. 

(Our troupe) does not audition, nor do our student troupes. Well, I take that back. We do audition, but that audition starts in Level 1 and continues throughout your education in our classes.  The teachers do pay attention, and we do observe.  

...

If you want to perform with an ATS group, here's what you do. Show up consistently to class. Have a good attitude, don't be a diva. Focus, do your best to fit in with the culture of the classes. And no matter how experienced you become, always go back to Level 1 and Level 2, because in spite of what you may think, you have never learned everything there is to learn about any one move.  If you think you know everything, you're sorely mistaken. "

How many hours for a bellydance gig?

In a previous post, we looked at The True Cost of a Performance. In this installment, we look at the incomparable Delilah Flynn's question of:

Q. "How many hours does it take you to do a belly dance gig?"

Delilah's Answer:
"8PM show. 

I have to eat my last meal by 3:00 PM or I feel sluggish and bloated. So I have to plan my day accordingly. Open suitcase and gather costume pieces. Iron veil if necessary. Make sure I have costume, make up, zills, evening dress, shoes and stockings in the early day so incase I have to run an errand I have time. This takes about 30 minutes somewhere in my day. 

I shower at 5:30 and begin putting on makeup and doing hair at 6:00-6:45 and get dressed and load the car with costumes, sound system, props. 

Arrive at the gig to get acclimated at least 30-40 minutes in advance so I leave the house at 7:00 if local. The show is at 8:00 give or take a few . Usually shows go on a little late if the audience is still arriving . 

By 9 :00 I should be finished and need 30 minutes to cool down before stepping out in the Seattle rain. How ever the audience usually wants to meet the dancers so going out and saying hello is a professional curtesy.  So I probably am in my car at 10:00 realistically.

A classic interview with Paulette Rees-Denis

I wanted to share this interview/article from several years ago in which Paulette was interviewed by a local NW dancer, Oberon, on iShimmy.com


There was always a fateful connection for me with Paulette...a reason why I was drawn to her, that was not simply geographical proximity. And those who know me will see how much we speak with the same voice on so many issues. I have always been inspired by how she has found such articulate, positive ways to channel her passion for bellydance, and all the nuances of artistic ethics and community building. She has always been, and continues to be, a mentor to me on so many levels, and I loved re-visiting this article and be reminded again why I am so proud to call her my original tribal bellydance "Momma". I hope you enjoy it, too!

On "the Bellydance Police"

On Shira's tribe over on tribe.net (no, tribe isn't dead!), she referenced an article on Gilded Serpent in which another dancer wrote with a fair amount of disdain about those who rally behind the idea of retaining historical and cultural elements of bellydance (what is often termed "The Bellydance Police"). You can see the discussion, and link to the article, HERE. Shira follows it up with a great analogy, which I thought would be nice to share over here. So without further ado, I give you Shira's take:

"Let's say I write a 17-line poem with each line containing somewhere between 8 and 34 syllables and call it haiku. Now, the "poetry police" killjoys would tell you that such a poem does not conform to the properties of haiku (3 lines in length, with 5 syllables in line 1, 7 syllables in line 2, 5 syllables in line 3) and therefore is not haiku. Now, this poem may well convey my vision, my passion, my joy, and a completeness in my quest for beauty. These things would certainly qualify it as "poetry", but they don't qualify it as haiku.

But if I enter that poem in a haiku writing contest, should I expect to win? Should I expect journals that specialize in haiku to publish it, simply because I have chosen to declare that it is haiku, even though it does not contain the properties that people well-versed in the form would recognize as haiku?

If I start teaching classes in how to write haiku, should it be okay that I encourage my students to write any poem of any structure they please, all in the name of their vision, their passion, their joy, and a completeness in their quest for beauty while still calling the end result haiku?

I would argue that no, it may all still be POETRY, and it all may all be worthy of being read, but there is a certain basic set of properties that must be met before you identify it as a specific genre of poetry. It still deserves to be written, and shared if the poet wishes to share it, but ultimately there should be truth in labeling."

What makes a good/bad teacher?

http://danceadvantage.net/2010/08/11/define-dolly-dinkle/

I had never heard of a Dolly Dinkle before, but it sounds all so familiar when compared to complaints and opinions voiced in the bellydance community. All artists have the same concerns...

One commenter wrote:

"Dolly Dinkle schools offer no technique or curriculum. Their schedule often reflects whatever is hot at the moment- lyrical, contemporary instead of ballet; all hip-hop; etc. 

Dolly doesn’t teach vocabulary or history of the dance forms. Ballet is not the only genre with this! So many students don’t realize hip-hop and breakin’ have a vocab and history! 

A well-rounded education: technique, history and vocab PLUS improv, choreographic, and performance opportunities makes a great studio."

Does the music make the dancer?

When I first got together with a troupe, we were a democratic group, with no director. Everyone contributed music and costuming and choreographies to their best ability. There was one member who always brought really diverse music that was fun to move to, but it was never anything event remotely Middle Eastern or North African. Some of it we used for variety, sure. But when she kept bringing less and less appropriate music (by our opinion of course), I had to ask her about it. Her response was "I don't really like Middle Eastern music." And I had to ask her, "They WHY are you into bellydance?" And yet today, this is a very common sentiment...bellydancers who don't care for bellydance music. How does that compute?

While I am a big proponent of being able to play with lots of different music to add variety to your dance, particularly when we perform for mostly bellydance audiences (and who wants to hear Miserlou again), I would think one of the base requirements of being a bellydancer is listening to, appreciating, and dancing to Middle Eastern music. Otherwise, I would think any number of other styles of personal expression would make more sense: modern dancer, interpretive dancer, or world fusion dance is my favorite.

So before I make this sound like I am just judging other people and don't know of what I speak, I myself have also struggled with this topic.

Nightmare before Christmas as metaphor

Once upon a time there was a character named Jack Skellington.

Jack was very very good at Halloween. Everyone looked to him for leadership because he was so good at it.

As time went on, Jack became bored of Halloween. He kinda felt like everything that could be done had been done, and he really wanted to try something new to spice things up.

He stumbled upon a town which celebrated something called Christmas. "What's this?!" he exclaimed joyfully. It was something really different, and it looked fun and interesting. On the spot he decided to give that a try.

He took Christmas back to his friends, none of whom knew anything about Christmas. Jack himself really didn't know much except what he thought it should maybe look like a bit (from his brief visit to the town), and some general ideas about the traditions. Armed with this spare information, they set to work on their version of Christmas.

Tribal Style: Getting our Terms Straight

More blasts from the past today! After I found that old class outline, I also found a repository of some of my old articles from various publications.

Below is an article I wrote for the now-defunct Caravan Trails quarterly newsletter which used to be produced by Paulette Rees-Denis of Gypsy Caravan. I was author of a regular column called "Of the Tribe" for a short time, for which I wrote short articles focused on the topic Paulette had chosen. This was for my first article, sometime in 2001, or maybe early 2002. Enjoy a little retro reading...

Teaching dancers ethics and responsibility...

This topic has come out of a discussion that is being bandied about on one of our local discussion groups here in Washington. One of the many micro-topics within it had to do with the idea that dance need not be specifically a performance art. That it is in fact many things to many people, and not all of these people are interested in performing. I agree with that, and elaborated...

---

I remember from when I first started teaching, it was really really important to me to make sure my students understood that this dance could be just for them if they wanted, and that no one was pushed or expected to perform it. I know for me, while I have always been a performer (lifetime background in theater, music, gymnastics, and Western dance forms), there were non-performance facets to this dance that were so important to me! Particularly being a tribal group improvisational dancer, this dance is so fun as a modern folk dance, which can be a social group dance at any gathering where the other dancers know the movements and cues. I have always loved dancing by the fire among fellow dancers, just jamming, not putting on a show for anyone! When I host open dance parties, I am trying to foster that free spirit of joy and sharing among other dancers, which has nothing to do with performance in the least.

I would add this food for thought, and would love to hear other teachers' take on it:

Harlan Ellison tells it straight up!!!

OMG I LOVE THIS!

Several folks on my Twitter feed linked to this, and I adore adore adore it. It is SO true for all aspects of art and work. We deserve to be be paid, people! And if we don't all stand up and say "I deserve money for my hard work," we won't get it!

Know Your Venue:

Know Your Venue
A fantastic article by Seattle's own Laura Rose on considerations one must take into account when planning a performance.

Bellydance rubbernecking...

I wasn't even at Tribal Fest this year, but its reach is far...

My first reports came from close friends who had attended. And I noted something key in all their reports. They very offhandedly reported "Oh you know...Our Favorite Troupe So-and-So was great, Super Famous So-and-So was great, just like we expect. But you should have seen Troupe Blah Blah (detailed description of bad dancing and distracting illogical fusion). Oh man, and then The Blah Blah Dance Group tooootally (detailed description of more bad dancing and overused schtick)!"

The real stories were the poor dancers/bad fusions/sloppy prop'ers, while the really great dancers...well...they were great. What else is there to say, right?

And this is from friends who are NOT gossip-hounds who were just waiting to dish. This truly is a sign of a phenomenon that has been growing more and more in the tribal bellydance community in particular. For the purposes of this metaphor, I will call it Bellydance Rubbernecking.

And Asharah does it again...

So part of why I dug up my older kudos-post to Asharah is because she continually asks the tough questions, and gives some thought-provoking and worthy answers. Her most recent post about "Vintage Fusion Bellydance" is again right on the money with regard to the Victorian/Burly fusion fad. Here is a snippet to whet your whistle, then pop over and read the entire thing!

"What if someone from the general public came to see one of these performances? What if this person knew nothing about bellydance? Do we want to give the general public the impression that we’re only comic relief and slapstick acts that have no qualms about showing our frilly panties to strangers, particularly as we lose (or pretend to lose) our inhibitions through the imbibing of alcohol on stage? Is that bellydance, and, more importantly to me, is that tribal? And, I know that many of us bellydancers are trying very hard to elevate this dance into the realms of both popular and high art… and in order for that to happen, we must earn the respect of not only our peers but also the general public. How do we expect to be respected as an art form when we’re stumbling around on stage in our underwear?"

Honesty in dancing...a RLJ

Can someone Re-LiveJounral, like we ReTweet? And can we RLJ ourselves?

I am building up some content over here on Blogger, and thought I would grab some recent posts from my LiveJournal that might be of interest here, where I plan to talk mostly about dance (that is the PLAN anyway). So here it is:

Asharah posted in her journal last year about "honesty" in dancing. And it just got me postin', so I thought I would post a bit over here.

I see a lot of contrived performances--in aesthetic and execution. I see a lot of inauthentic dancers. Dancers who are not being their authentic selves on stage. They are clawing and grasping at trying to be or do the next big thing. I remember one gal at a workshop I taught not too long ago saying she was going to take a hula class because she was excited about the possibilities of fusing it with her bellydance, but then she found out Unmata was already pretty famous for that, so she was going to try and find something else to study to fuse. I was stunned into silence.