Why the "Little" Shows Matter

As a producer of belly dance events I hear it all too often. “Well I can’t go this time, I’ll just catch it another month.” “I’ve already been once or twice.” “It’s just too far.” “I’m tired of seeing the same people.” “I only want to see professionals represent the dance.” All of these arguments have validity. However, in terms of keeping our community alive, I find them detrimental. It’s these little shows that keep the dance train going and recently I’m seeing a dramatic decrease in shows available to dancers who are not professionals.

So what is a “little” show?

I define “little” dance shows as places were a dancer of any level can participate without judgement. For example; haflas, revues, dance showcases, studio shows, etc. These little shows breathe life into the dance community in a way that for profit shows just cannot. But before everyone jumps down my throat, I am not putting down for-profit shows. I run a large yearly for profit show featuring mostly professionals. I also put on a monthly, public, free, all level accessible show. So why do I bother with my monthly show?

Positive Reinforcement

Not for profit shows allow dancers of all levels to progress and work on their skills. It gives room for creative freedom and experimentation. Terrified to try a sword dance but been working hard in personal practice? See ya at the hafla! Brand new baby dancer wanting to spread their wings? Can’t wait to see you at the revue! Having a warm and welcoming environment creates a positive place for those learning to feel like they are part of the community and not just consumers of it.

Representation

Let’s face it. We are all tired of seeing the same types of dancers over and over. Smaller shows give the opportunity to more types of dancers than just what is expected. This also exposes dancers and the community to more than just the straight white dancers. I often see a lot of teachers and show runners claim to be inclusive, yet still only showcase the same type of dancers over and over. Make opportunities happen! Reach out to more people you’d like to see in your shows. Give students more chances to shine, give under booked dancers a time to shine. I’d also like to see this continued into professional shows as well.

Community Building

As we saw in 2020, classes stopped. Shows stopped. Everything stopped. We lost the base of hobbyist who danced for fun. It’s taking some time but student bases are finally starting to build up again which means we’ll start seeing more and more hobbyists again. If we do not support or create these types of shows these hobbyists will have no where to go. Give people homes for their dance. Make their experiences awesome and they’ll stay.

In short, let’s continue supporting and creating smaller shows. If we continue the idea that “only professionals should be allowed to perform” we will just continue to shoot ourseles in the foot.