As Printed in the Quarter 2/2006 Issue of The Belly Dancer Magazine
"Troupe Directors Re-Assess"
By: Nizana
A dance friend, also a Troupe Director, and I were talking recently, and she asked me if I had written about the topic at hand yet. I told her I had not, but that perhaps I would. She offered some good insight to add to my thoughts, and it was interesting we had just been doing basically the same thing in our separate cities. She said she spent a Tuesday reassessing her degree of time/energy investment in her troupe. While I hadn't formally sat down one day to reassess, I had been giving it some thought over time, thinking many of the same things as she.
While I had different angles going for my reassessment, one of my, and her main question was, "In view of the bleak economic forecast, how do you suppose we can keep our classes and troupes going with enough attendance to prevent red marks in the books?" She has experienced her troupe members having legitimate financial issues, such as the rise in gas costs, but at the same time, she has seen them claim financial distress, then show up to practice with all kinds of "new" stuff that was not troupe related.
Being in a troupe is a commitment. Along with needing to attend practice and maintaining good attendance for performances, there are associated costs, and if you can't handle those as a dancer, it limits your commitment to the troupe, and should be part of the decision as to whether being in a troupe is a good fit. Most Troupe Directors are conscious and aware of cost issues. She and I, and I'm sure other Troupe Directors, have done things to keep costs down, such as trying to do more local events, scaling back events throughout the year, doubling up with others on an event, and trying to design troupe costumes and accessories so that there is a minimum of financial outlay. For example, my troupe has items that can be used in multiple ways with different costumes. We often buy our fabrics in bulk at a discount, keep our eyes out for accessories that would work from different types of vendors and stores, do comparison shopping for items we need, and think outside the box as to what would work best where and for how many venues it could be used for before we create a new troupe costume.
There are also the additional costs associated with traveling for out of town events. Carpooling, sharing rooms, and bringing coolers full of food all help in this area. Planning ahead is helpful in order to prepare financially in advance. Then, of course, there are the fabulous workshops to take and vendors to buy from!! So yes, this art form can be costly, especially in these tight times. However, it is do-able if it is taken seriously, and techniques such as listed above are followed. I have seen my friend go to the thrift store, do some sewing, and come up with an amazingly delightful troupe costume for very little cost. Certain clothing items can be recycled into costume pieces. It doesn't always have to be about pounds and pounds of glass beads and glitz.
Another tip to stretch out the funding is to have a set of dances for each costume to perform in so you can get the maximum benefit out of each costume. We have a troupe costume that is lovely for our Latin-Arabic set, that with some accessory changes, turns in to a regular belly dance costume that we could do another set to.
Troupe Directors need to set the parameters of the troupe guidelines so potential members understand troupe requirements and financial outlay. They should ask the member before they join if this is something they can live with. And when the dancer starts to fade out on their agreed upon troupe requirements, the Director must gently remind them that this is what they agreed to, and what is necessary in order for the troupe to continue on professionally. Directors should also be open to ideas from members that can also assist in saving money, and spending wisely.
Being in a troupe can be really magical. The interaction and eye contact on stage, the friendship, preparation and energy to make it look really good, and the coming together of a beautiful choreography is really something special. It also requires time, energy, and finances. The balance can be found with determination, creativity, patience and an occasional reassessment........
