Transplanted... Part 1: New Belly Dancer in Town

I have been transplanted a couple times over the past five years.  From experience and research, I have found that there isn't really a fool-proof system to follow in order to successfully integrate into a new dance community.  Every community is different, both the general community and the dance community.  Also every individual is different and has different goals.  Still, you gotta know if you're the only belly dancer in town, right?  I personally talk so much about belly dance that I try to find other belly dancers to give my poor husband a break.  He's very supportive and helps me tremendously, but that doesn't mean he wants to hear about it 24/7.

What I hope to do in this series is provide some advice that will help you formulate a strategy to continue what you love to do without catching the locals off guard.  Introducing yourself allows you to be in control of the first impression that others have of you.  I personally would feel miffed if I found out that a transplanted belly dancer set up shop and didn't even bother to introduce herself to me... especially since I do try to create a strong web presence.  Anyway, integrating into the new dance community will also help you build a strong network that will give you access to resources that you otherwise would not have or won't gain until much later.   

The first thing to do is gauge the general public and find other belly dancers.  I always feel like a private investigator every time I go through this process.  

Answer these questions: 

How many art and cultural events are there each year? What's the theme of the annual festivals?  Are there art centers or galleries?  Community centers?  Universities or community colleges? Farmers Markets?  Drum Circles?  Yoga studios?  Dance Studios? Hookah bars?  Middle Eastern restaurants?  What are the ordinances for busking and outdoor music? What dance classes are being taught in your area?  (I'm sure you can think a ton more...)

The answers to these kind of questions tell you a few things:

1. What performance opportunities you'll have in the future.
2. The type of audience you'll have in the future and the general groupthink of the community.
3. The likelihood of other belly dancers there are in town.  

If you do not find any troupes or soloists during this preliminary research, then hit the Internet.  If you're in a new state, see if there is some sort of forum or social media group that is specifically for all of the belly dancers in the state.  For example, Arkansas has two groups on Facebook.  We have a closed group called "Arkansas Bellydance Community."  This is where we have general discussions and keep everyone updated on our projects.  We also have a public group called "Belly dance EVENTS in Arkansas Bulletin Board" where we advertise all of our public events.  If the community is active and even have local belly dance festivals, you'll find these types of groups real quick.  If you don't have any luck, search for community groups in the neighboring states.  They may have some useful information about the dancers in your state.  When you find these forums, introduce yourself and continue your investigation.

If you're lucky, the troupes or soloists in your area will have their own website or an active social media profile that's easy to find.  Not all troupes invest in online marketing even if they are actively performing.  Why should they if they have a strong network with people in real life?

So you found out that there are other dancers in your town! Congratulations!

Or, you haven't found any dancers :(  It's okay.  They're there.  They just don't know that they're belly dancers yet.  Read "Lone Dancer in Town" for more details.

So... now what?

To be continued on "Transplanted... Part 2:  Introducing Yourself to the Community"