Make your next event extra special! A professional belly dance performance adds an exciting and dynamic flavor to birthday parties, wedding receptions, corporate events, art gallery openings, wedding or baby showers, and international-themed parties.

Services available and base fees
FAQs about hiring a belly dancer

Imagine you are hosting a special party. You have put much effort into preparing your home or other venue and preparing or catering the perfect selection of food and beverages. Your guests have gathered and begun to enjoy the evening. Suddenly, lyrical strains of Middle Eastern music begin to play. As the guests turn their attention to it, a dancer makes a dramatic appearance in a swirl of brightly colored silk, beads, and glittering jewels, playing finger cymbals in perfect accompaniment to the music. Your guests are surprised, then delighted, as they learn why belly dance has been described as “visual music”. The dancer moves with both fluidity and percussive sharpness, interpreting each subtle and layered element in the music of flute, drums, and stringed instruments. As the mood of the music changes, the dancer takes each guest on a journey through drama, introspection, and joy. She alternately holds their rapt attention, then makes them laugh with humorous and light-hearted interaction. This will certainly be a party everyone will remember and talk about for a very long time!

Services Available

Here is a breakdown of what we offer. Base prices are listed.

 

Please note: For all options, travel outside the immediate Carbondale area, short notice bookings, and/or holiday bookings will incur additional fees.

Party Gram ("Belly Gram"):

Great for any event, this is a 12-15 minute performance by one dancer, plus some time to get guests up to dance (if desired). May include veil, finger cymbals, drum solo. Total time around 15-20 minutes. Pricing begins at $150. Second set with costume change available at a discounted rate.

 

Ladies’ Belly Dance Party:

Very popular for wedding, baby showers, and birthday parties for girls young and old! This includes a basic party gram performance (see above) plus a fun dance lesson for your guests, including loan of hip scarves to heighten the experience. Length of dance lesson can be tailored to suit your event. Pricing $200 and up depending upon dance lesson length.

 

Longer shows

Wedding Receptions, Longer shows, additional sets with costume changes, shows with more than one dancer, group performances, and large event performances are also available. Pricing $200 and up. Contact us to discuss the details.

 

Educational Presentation and Performance

From elementary schools to universities, Nile Breeze can work with all educational institutions. Our dance company includes several academics; thus we have not only the dance experience, but the scholarship and pedagogical skills to effectively present well-researched cultural and historical background of Middle Eastern ethnic and folkloric dances. School budgets are taken into consideration; contact us to discuss details.

 

Charity functions

Nile breeze donates their time generously to several worthy charities, educational programs, and community events each year; however, our time slots available for charity performances are limited and fill quickly. Contact us to discuss details.

 

Frequently Asked Questions

Q. What is your area of operation?
A. Murphysboro, Carbondale, Carterville, Herrin, and Marion areas of southern Illinois. We may also be available for outlying areas, but additional fees for travel time and expenses will be added to our basic rates.

Q. Is it OK for children/wives/grandparents to be at the belly dance show?
A. Absolutely! All Nile Breeze performances are family-friendly and appropriate for all audiences. Women and children enjoy watching our performances immensely!

Q. How much do you charge per hour?
A. We charge per show, not per hour, because there is so much behind-the-scenes preparation (see below). Show lengths typically range from 15 to 30 minutes. We offer a discount on a second show (with a costume change if desired) at the same venue provided there isn't an extended wait between the two shows. Hosts sometimes overestimate their guests’ attention spans; 15-20 minutes per set, and 1-2 sets is generally optimal.

Q. Can I get a lower rate if I request a shorter show?
A. The preparation and expense for one of us to get out the door to your event is the same whether the performance is 5 minutes or 20 minutes. We can do shorter shows if that fits your needs, but they will not be discounted below the minimum party gram rate.

Q. But I just want to embarrass the birthday boy. Can’t you just show up in a costume for a few minutes?
A. We provide quality cultural entertainment that will impress, enthrall and uplift your entire party, not just embarrass the guest of honor.

Q. Who provides the music?
A. Generally, our dancer brings a CD with her show music burned onto it, and you provide the sound system. Some of us can bring the show music on an mp3 player and plug directly into your sound system if it has that capability. Because this dance is a visual interpretation of the music, it is important to have a good quality sound system filling the room at the appropriate volume. For small venues, the dancer can provide a boombox if necessary (electrical outlet must be available). For large events, we can provide amplified sound systems for additional charge; however, advance notice is required.

Q. What kind of music is used?
A. We dance to Middle Eastern/North African dance music. Most of our musical repertoire is Arabic, and includes more traditional, classical music, popular music, and folkloric music. If you have special requests, or are planning an event for guests of a particular ethnicity (Egyptian, Turkish, Lebanese, etc.) let us know.

Q. What kind of props do you use?
A. Most standard shows will include finger cymbals and veil. Provided there is adequate performance space we can include folkloric cane, and some of our dancers will include sword balancing.

Q. What will you wear?
A. All of our belly dance costumes are high-end, professional quality, culturally-appropriate costumes imported from Egypt or Turkey. You can see some examples in our media gallery. We also have theatrical folkloric costumes appropriate for different ethnic and folkloric dances we perform. For belly dance performance the costumes are usually two-piece costumes that show the midriff. However, we are happy to accommodate requests for more covered costumes if you have a very conservative guest list.

Q. Can you bring costumes for me/my guests to wear?
A. If you request in advance, we can generally bring some hip scarves for your guest to wear.

Q. How/when is payment expected?
A. We welcome payment in cash or check when the dancer arrives at the event. For larger events, or for high-demand dates (for example holidays) we may ask for a 25% deposit.

Q. Do you dance at bachelor parties?
A. No, we do not perform at bachelor parties, stag parties, or similar events.

Q. Is tipping allowed?
A. Tipping is appreciated, although our dancers prefer not to accept tips on their body.

Q. Will you get the guest(s) of honor up to dance?
A. Absolutely, just point them out to the dancer. But we want to make people happy, not miserable, so if someone really doesn’t want to dance, the dancer generally doesn’t force the issue.

 

Considerations when choosing a professional belly dancer to hire

As with musicians, actors, or any performing artist, our real expense is in our preparation and training. By the time she arrives at your event, a professional belly dancer will have spent hours rehearsing the specific show for your event, custom editing the music for your event, selecting and performing maintenance on her costumes for the perfect look, preparing professional-quality make-up, hair, and nails, and traveling to your event. But more importantly, a skilled dancer will have spent literally thousands of dollars on professional dance training, a large Middle Eastern music collection, opulent costumes, make-up, accessories, and props as well as typical business expenses of advertising, web development, business cards, and promotional photographs. She also will have spent thousands of hours practicing the dance, studying music, altering costumes for the perfect fit, and performing in a wide variety of venues. The dancer is also a musician in that the finger cymbals take years of training and practice to play proficiently, just as any musical instrument does. Our fees reflect the skill and experience that make it possible for the dancer to be able to give you the quality entertainment you deserve.

I found a much cheaper belly dancer – why do you charge more?
Our prices are in the same range as the rates of other reputable, professional dancers in the area and in other small Midwestern towns (rates are much higher in large metropolitan areas). If you ask around, you will find most reputable, professional dancers charging near the same rates for the same service.
If you find a dancer charging significantly less, you can expect that individual to have lower than professional standards. Some of these dancers may be students who launch into performance with no experience and insufficient training, or women who do it as a hobby, but perhaps don't take it very seriously, or worst of all, dancers with no Middle Eastern dance training at all. They are probably not investing in the normal time and monetary expenditures of professional dancers (ongoing advanced training, 6+ hours of weekly rehearsal, quality costumes, etc.), so they can more easily afford to underprice themselves. The outcome will almost certainly be a much lower performance quality. At best, they will leave you and your guests unimpressed. At worst, they may embarrass you or offend your guests.

As with just about everything in the world, you will get what you pay for. When only the best will do, you can rest assured that Nile Breeze Dance Company will fulfill your highest expectations. The enjoyment a professional dancer brings to your special occasion will be worth every penny you spend and more.

 

Book an Event with Nile Breeze!