Enjoying the Belly Dance Show ! - plus how to tip !

​​What to expect at a Belly Dance show !

Congratulations on booking to see your first belly dance show ! Maybe you are going to a restaurant, or a stage show a dinner venue or a community event, no matter where your belly dance show is being held there are few things you can expect:

• Fabulous dancing - belly dancers train hard to put together an entertaining show.
• Stunning costumes - belly dance costumes can cost hundreds of dollars.
• Beautiful music - belly dance performers are constantly looking for music to suit every venue.
• Lots of entertainment - belly dancers know how to work the crowd and get the party started
• A few tricks and jokes - belly dance is lots of fun. The dancers love to balance objects on their head as they dance, to shimmy faster than the speed of sound and to get an audience to clap along. Don't be afraid to interact and enjoy the show.

What you wont see is more flesh than you can expect to see on any beach. Belly dancers may choose a bra and belt "bedlah" which gets worn over a skirt or trousers, or a more traditional dress. Very few belly dancers are trying to be seductive - they are in the middle of a serious work out! A twenty minute belly dance performance is like running a marathon, in stage make up, while carrying a pound of rhinestones. They may smile and flutter their eyelashes, but they are focused on staying in time with the music.
If you see a belly dance show in a restaurant, the dancer will probably enter the stage area with a veil, dance to three or four pieces of music, including a drum solo, tour the room asking for tips and then exit.
If you go to a stage production, the dancer will have been allocated a shorter amount of time and may only dance to one piece of music. They will probably not be expecting tips.
Belly dance teachers often send their student troupes to perform at community events. These are a wonderful opportunity for student dancers to show off the skills they have been learning in class and to encourage others to sign up for the new semester.

​​How to tip the dancer !

Tipping etiquette worries many people who are seeing their first belly dance show. They don't want to tip too much or too little or to present that tip in an uncomfortable way. Luckily belly dancers understand and do their best to make things easy for the audience.
Firstly, look out to see if the belly dancer has left out a bowl, basket or jug for the tips. This is the most common way to tip belly dancers at community events. Belly dancers in restaurants may leave a container by the stage or by the door marked with "dancer's tips". Some belly dancers will leave an envelope on each table, so that patrons can tip when they pay for their meal.

​​Tipping during the performance

If you don't see an obvious way to pay the dancer, they may be expecting to accept tips during the performance. Many belly dancers enjoy the part of the show when they collect tips and build it into their performance. They may want tips to be handed over, or showered overhead, or tucked into their costumes, or placed in a basket or tambourine they are going to pass around. You may be worried that you won't know what to do. The good news is that the dancer will normally ask a friend or a member of the wait staff to start off the tipping and demo how they like to take their tips. Follow their lead and you can't go wrong!

​​Tipping onto the dancers costume

If the dancer is accepting tips onto her costume, fold your note longwise, so that it is easier to place. Hold your note towards the dancer, but do not wave it at her. The belly dancer will usually tell you where they would like you to place it. That may be a shoulder strap, wrist band or into the side of a sparklie belt. If you are uncomfortable about where the dancer is asking you to place your tip, you can simply hand it to them and the dancer will place it for you. Do not rush the dancer, or try to place the note in an inappropriate place. They may just walk away !
Some belly dancers like you to throw money over their head. You can do this with style, or just throw a handful up into the air. The dancer really doesn't mind. The money will stay on the floor until after the show, when a member of staff will usually come around to collect it. If you feel uncomfortable about throwing money at the dancer, you can simply drop it on the dancefloor, or wait until it is being collected and pass your cash to the person cleaning it up.

How Much ?!?

​Tip the belly dancer the price of a fancy coffee, or a glass of wine or a bottle of beer. If your dancer is particularly good, you may want to double that amount. If you see a show with three or more dancers, you are not expected to tip them all. You can choose to divide your tip money between each dancer, or just tip your favorite. The belly dancer is unlikely to see what size notes you are tipping, so don't expect her to spend more time at your table if you are super generous.

​Do I have to get up and dance?

Most people are worried that the belly dancer will "pick on them" and get them up to dance. Most performing belly dancers are very good at working out who wants to join in and who would rather sit back and watch the show. While the dancer may pick out one or two people to "star" in their act, they will have often been asked by the restaurant owner or event organizer to start a party at the end of the performance, so performers will be looking to fill the dance floor. If the belly dancer is pulling up lots of audience members, stand up and join in - you wont regret it!

A belly dance show is a great way to top off a fancy meal or an evening out. Don't be afraid to clap, cheer and join in the dancing. The dancer will value your enthusiasm just as much as your tip!

DANCERS !

If you would like advice on how to accept tips, plus 1001 other ideas and hints on how to improve your stagecraft, check out "Becoming a Belly Dancer: From Student to Stage" - the stagecraft handbook for all belly dancers !

Becoming a Belly Dancer on Amazon

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​If you like this blog, go back to my blog page and check out some others like:

Teacher Knows Best
Dealing with Difficult Students
I'm Perfect for Belly Dance (and so are you)
Why Belly Dancers need to Walk the Line
Teaching Belly Dance: Making Corrections
Being Part of the Solution

Or check out my Hub Blogs including:

"Your First Belly Dance Workshop"
The Top Ten Belly Dance Tunes for Performance"
"Finding a Great Belly Dance Teacher"

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​Sara Shrapnell is a belly dance writer, teacher and performer.

She has taught more than 4,000 belly dance classes, both in the UK and US.  She now teaches in Pleasanton, Dublin and Livermore in the SF bay area, as well as workshops world wide.  Her classes are known for their humor, detailed breakdowns and cultural context.    Students who have studied with Sara have gone on to teach and perform in all styles of belly dance and many have made their living through performance or teaching.

Sara’s first book “Teaching Belly Dance” was published in 2014.  Her second "Becoming a Belly Dancer: From Student to Stage", co- written with Dawn Devine, Alisha Westerfeld and Poppy Maya, is a stagecraft handbook for belly dancers of all styles and levels.  Both are available on Amazon.

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