Thread: How Best to advertise?

Hello there everyone. I'm not entirely new to the burlesque scene but i do find myself at a bit of a loss in how to go about getting paid dancing jobs! How does it work? Do you need your act(s) on video somewhere on the web for people to see when hiring for shows? Is it a good idea to have your own web site? Or can you do it on you tube? Do you even need vids or will photos be enough? Or do you need both? Thoughts please - any replies much appreciated - I just want to be able to move onto the next level and perform professionally!

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Hello

I use facebook and find thats quite good but I also have a website aswell. I put up selected photos and make a short 30 second vid of snippets of routines that ive performed. You dont want to show them everything (a whole routine) just a little taster. Same idea for youtube. Photos would be enough but I think a short vid is a good idea so at least they can see the way you perform and some audience reactions is good aswell. i found it hard getting jobs untill we set up a site and had enough footage to put a vid together. I put a website together for free at wix.com, if i want my own domain it costs £12 a month. i hope this helps.

Bambi xx

That's great advice, thax a lot babe! x

hiya lovelies!
Generally, the way to go about getting paid work is to get yourself out there... Video links are essential (and speaking with my promoter/producer head on) I won't book an act unless I've seen it either in person or on a video link.

A lot of people whop have been performing for under a year get themselves 'newbie' slots on the various shows across the country. These are generally unpaid but are good for getting your name on the circuit and getting to know producers, promoters and other performers who might put on their own shows or recommend you to people who do.

Generally most performers take this route rather than expecting to get paid shows straight away when they are new to the scene as it's a great way to continue learning not only how to perform to a live audience (all the preparation in the rehearsal room or during lessons cannot prepare you for how an audience is going to react to your act or how you are going to feel on stage in front of a live audience) but also how your acts are going to work with an audience. I've been performing burlesque since 2009 but I still sometimes like to take a newbie slot to test out an act (I don't expect producers to pay me for an 'un-tested' act!!) to see how it works to a live audience... that way I can change any bits I need to...

Also, there is plenty of advice on what to charge, once you do start charging on this forum... RedSarah wrote a few guidelines a few years ago and if you puit pay rates in the search box, it should cokme up with a few useful threads...

I hope all that helps!
Good luck XX

Really useful stuff, thank you very much. xx

dont forget to join Facebook groups. They often post jobs there too. As well as on this site under casting. Networking is key.