Belly dancer at Delhi dos.Belly dancing is all the rage in the capital’s dos these days, but the firangdancers are very clear on which sort of audiences they’d rather not perform for!
The latest craze in the city’s party circuit is dancers who can shake their booty… err… belly. And it’s not just the big, fashionable bashes where belly dance has become de rigeur– even many birthday bashes, festivals and pre-wedding parties have a belly dancer as part of the attractions. But the dancers are quite clear that there’s a certain kind of audience they’d rather not perform for!
Real estate dealer Ajay Bharti, who had recently organised his birthday bash in the city, had belly dancers perform at the do. Ajay maintains that their increasing popularity may be attributed to the increasing need to offer something new to the guests. He says, “Till now, we had the option of calling a DJ to get the party going. But then, where’s the novelty in that? When every other party has the same stuff on offer, it gets monotonous and there’s no better way of breaking it than coming up with something new. One can’t organise a rain dance party in December. So we decided to call belly dancers.”Fashion choreographer Liza Verma wanted to make her New Year’s Eve bash a glitzy affair. “Belly dancers are quite a teaser, especially for men. ‘Nicely’ clad, they not only look attractive but also boost the mood of the party,” she says. “Apart from the fact that the dance form itself is becoming quite popular in India, these dancers also add a foreign flavour to the do.And what’s interesting is that they perform to Bollywood numbers as well. Of course, they are not the only attraction in parties – guests are often inspired
to dance after seeing them!”
Of course, these beautiful dancers can burn a hole in the host’s pocket. Charging anywhere between Rs 10,000 – 30,000 for an hour-long performance, a dancer can give a solo or a group dance performance. “One show includes five solo or group performances and the slot also includes the time taken by a dancer to change the costumes,” reveals Savio Pinto, of Destiny Entertainment.
Elaborating on the client interface, Ajay says, “The manager/coordinator comes to the host with the photos of all the dancers working for his agency.The client explains the concept of the party, the kind of gathering expected and the budget. The rates, I guess, depend on all these details.”
The age group of the gathering is also a factor, reveals another manager, on condition of anonymity. “We also closely examine the approximate age group of the gathering that is expected. Interestingly enough, some of the dancers have reservations about performing for an older audience! In such cases, the host has to cough up a little more moolah,” says the manager.
