Description
My glamorous first year as a professional belly dancer:
Income: about $6,000
Home: a tent 😂
When I first decided to Bellydance full time, the only place I knew of to get regular work was the Renaissance Festival. So I packed all of my belongings into storage, put my costumes in my car and started doing Renaissance festivals.
I started in Arizona. The troupe I connected with there already had their slate of dancers for the season, but invited me to come and dance for tips whenever I wanted to. So I got a job at a jewelry booth down the lane and ran over to their stage during my two breaks each day to perform. On Saturday nights, I would sleep in a 7x7 tiny wooden box above the jewelry booth. Just me, my sleeping bag in a tiny black-and-white TV my mom gave me to help pass the time.
While I was in Arizona I l studied at the Domba studio every free moment I had. Through one of their dancers I was invited to perform with an amazing West African dance troupe - Nommobugunte - at the Michigan Renaissance Festival and of course, I said yes!
While in Michigan, I lived in my friend’s garage during the week and helped her make costumes for her booth at the fair. I studied lots of West African dance with her during the week and then I would drive up to the festival with my tent on the weekends to perform.
And of course, I would always come back to Texas for our local Festival each year! And while I was in town, I started getting more gigs at restaurants, nightclubs, and parties… And for the first time I began to feel like maybe this crazy lack-of-plan might actually turn into something sustainable.
I don't romanticize those years. There were some really fun adventures and some really tough days. I relied a lot on the kindness of others to stay afloat.
And I learned that I could figure things out as I went. And I’m still at it over two decades later.
#bellydancelife
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