PHOTO CREDIT: Above photo by John Rickman Photography, San Jose, California.

• Dance Career Planning
• Performing & Entertaining for Money
• Teaching

• Marketing
• Other Business Skills

• Belly Dancing: A Good Career Option? Find out whether you have what it takes to make a full-time living through Oriental dance.
• From Student To... What? You've mastered the basics. Do you jump straight to pro, or is there an in-between step you should take first?
• Why Does My Teacher Refuse To Help Me Start Performing Professionally? What can you do about it if you're eager to start a performing career and your teacher won't help?

PHOTO CREDIT: Photo by John Rickman Photography, San Jose, California.

• Do You Need A Stage Name? Should you adopt a stage name for use in your belly dance lifestyle?
• Doing Gigs. How to come across as a polished professional, from beginning to end, when doing paid performances. What questions should you ask when booking a gig? How do you engage the enthusiasm of the audience?
• Booking Gigs. Handling that initial conversation with a prospective client.
• Planning the Gig. After booking the gig, it's time to plan it!
• Bellygrams And Boomboxes. How to cope with your portable sound system when going on a gig without someone to help.
• Promotional Photos: Get the Most for Your Money
  • Working with a Photographer. How to choose a photographer and deal with contract discussions.
  • Preparing for Your Professional Photo Session. Plan ahead so your photo shoot can go smoothly.
  • Doing a Successful Belly Dance Photo Session. Make the most of the time you have with your photographer.
  • Selecting Photographs to Use for Promotion. By Saqra. Tips on what to consider as you decide which photos to use for publicity.
• Precautions to Protect Your Personal Safety as a Belly Dancer. Nearly everyone who calls you just wants to hire a dancer for a show. But what precautions should you take to ensure you're not lured into the clutches of a rapist or worse?
• Survey: Your Attitudes and Experiences On Personal Safety for Dancers. Use this survey to share your personal perspective.
• Stick To Your Guns. Make sure club owners pay you what you're worth! Suggestions from Despina on how and why to negotiate a fair fee.

PHOTO CREDIT: Photo by John Rickman Photography, San Jose, California.

• Dear Shira: To Cover Up or Not? Professional dancers usually advise against mingling with audiences while in costume. But are there situations where it might be acceptable?
• Dance Performances: Art or Entertainment? You'll be much more popular as a performer if you understand what your audience wants from you.
• Why Do You Charge So Much for Only 15 Minutes of Dancing? Responding to customers who question the prices we charge.
• Inconvenient Truths About the Business of Belly Dance. When you monetize your passion, these inconvenient truths rear their ugly heads.
• Tips & Tricks on the Business of Belly Dance. Tips for gigging and teaching as professionals.
• Tips & Tricks for Collecting Tips from the Audience. Thigns to consider when accepting tips.
• Dear Shira: What About In-Costume Tipping? Some ideas to consider on this hot-button issue.
• Opinion Poll: Collecting Tips? How does the belly dance community as a whole feel about this issue?
• Dealing with Restaurant Audiences. How general-public restaurant audiences are different from audiences at private belly dance events.
• How to Belly Dance for a Greek Restaurant Audience. By Amartia. How to connect with Greek audiences.
• Expand Your Belly Dance Business by Doing Princess Parties. By Amartia. Tips on how to get into the business of offering Princess Parties for young girls.

PHOTO CREDIT: This photo of one of Shira's performances in Egypt was taken by Andre Elbing, Bärbroich, Germany.

• Course Proposal. This sample prospectus written by Tedi Thomas may help you write a course proposal of your own when looking for a belly dance teaching job.
• Beginning to Teach Belly Dance. Tips for new teachers.
• Teaching Beginners Courses In Oriental Dance. Advice from Despina on how to keep beginners from dropping out of your classes and how to deal with problem students.
• Voice Control for Dance Classes. By Saqra. How to use your voice when teaching belly dance classes to create a comfortable classroom experience for all.
• Keep Asking. By Saqra. What new teachers need to know about teaching beginners.
• Tips & Tricks on the Business of Belly Dance. Gigging and teaching.
• Beware of the "Private Lesson" Fraud! By Shira.

PHOTO CREDIT: Photo by William M. Smith, Iowa City, Iowa.

• Bringing Middle Eastern Dance to Your Community. So there's no dance scene in your community? Here's how to start one!
• Working With News Reporters. By Christine. Read this before you send out a press release or schedule an interview with a news reporter!
• The Art of the Blurb. By Brad Dosland. How to write promotional text for web sites, press releases, and Internet message boards.
• Marketing Yourself As A Dancer. Use the techniques of people who market products for a living to market your teaching, performing, or merchandise.
• Marketing Your Belly Dance Business via Social Media. By Amartia. How to use social media to your advantage.
• Gig Clients, Students or Lonely Men: Who is Your Web Site Designed to Attract?. Your web site is part of your brand image. Is it attracting the right clients?
• Selecting Photographs to Use for Promotion. By Saqra. Tips on what to consider as you decide which photos to use for publicity.
• The Decline of Belly Dance? By DaVid of Scandinavia.

PHOTO CREDIT: Photo by Kaylyn Hoskins, Solon, Iowa. This was the cover of the May/June 2009 issue of Zaghareet Magazine.

• Your Dance Studio: An Arts Incubator? Thoughts on partnering with other artists to raise awareness of your studio.
• Secrets of Success. By Despina. What it takes to succeed in a career in Oriental dance.
• Avoiding Disreputable Vendors. By Shira and Scheherezade. Avoid being cheated by dishonest vendors, and learn what to do if it happens.
• Why Many Belly Dance Events Ban Flash Photography. Insight for belly dance event organizers on how improve quality of videos and photos for performers.
• Protecting Against Fraudulent Inquiries. By Saqra. How to separate legitimate inquiries for classes and gigs from schemes to cheat you out of your money. Placed online February 9, 2020.
• Our Value to the Public as Belly Dancers. By Saqra. Reflections on what your performance is really worth, financially speaking. Placed online February 22, 2020.

PHOTO CREDIT: Photo by Pixie Vision, Glendale, California.