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Belly Dancing: A Good Career Option?

May 26, 2000 - © Shira

  • You detest keeping records and doing paperwork.
  • You have no clue where to begin in setting up a non-profit corporation or writing grants, and the notion of learning how to do all that bores you to tears.
  • You are shy or insecure.
  • You don't like to view your dancing in terms of running a business.
  • You want the security of a steady, predictable income.
  • You want an employer to provide benefits such as health insurance for you and your family, paid vacation time, access to computer equipment and the Internet, and a pension plan for retirement security. (Did you know such benefits are considered to be worth about $15,000 per year in addition to your salary?)
  • You're afraid that dealing with mundane "business issues" such as local competition, sexual harassment by club owners, negotiating prices for dance jobs, etc. will destroy your love for the dance.
  • Your family obligations require you to be home most evenings and prevent you from traveling much. Some Education That May Help

    Whether you want to make dance your full-time career, or just do it on a part-time basis for a second income, you may want to check whether your local college offers courses in business administration, arts management, and law. Some specific classes that could help you make your dream financially successful:

    • Arts Management. Especially courses that cover writing grants and getting set up as a non-profit corporation.
    • Marketing. How to view your teaching and performing as a "product" and promote yourself. How to differentiate yourself from other entertainers.
    • Small Business Management. How to establish yourself as a small business, set up a tax ID, get a business license.
    • Sales. How to negotiate contracts, prospect for dance jobs, and close the deals.
    • Business Law. Understand your legal liability if one of your students becomes injured through taking your class. Learn how you would be affected by EEO, ADA, OSHA, payroll taxes, and other employment law if you take on a part-time employee. Study laws governing the mail-order business within your country if you sell merchandise. Find out what you need to know if you want to import or export goods.
    • Finance. How taxes affect your operation. How to evaluate investment opportunities and manage an inventory of merchandise that you sell.
    In Conclusion...

    In the final analysis, only you can determine the place that dancing has in your life. Some people have found that they love dance as an avenue of creative expression,

    The copyright of the article Belly Dancing: A Good Career Option? in Middle Eastern Dance is owned by Shira. Permission to republish Belly Dancing: A Good Career Option? in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

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