Zaheea ~ Pure Raks Sharki http://zaheea.com Professional Belly Dance Performer Mon, 03 Jun 2013 23:37:48 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 Graphic Design for Belly Dancers http://zaheea.com/graphic-design-for-belly-dancers/ http://zaheea.com/graphic-design-for-belly-dancers/#comments Tue, 11 Sep 2012 04:00:46 +0000 Zaheea http://zaheea.com/?p=454 Before I got my degree in Anthropology, I was majoring in Graphic Design. The antiquity bug got me and I found my passion with a career in Archaeology. But I still enjoy doing graphic design on the side. I’ve been Adriana’s graphic designer for years now, enjoying creating flyers, business cards and websites for her. She is so photogenic and easy to work for. I’ve recently branched out through word of mouth and have been designing for Malia of Hawaii who promotes the annual “Shimmy Showcase” and Hawaii Belly Dance Convention.

I do designs for myself from time to time but I really enjoy creating for other dancers and friends. With social media being as popular as it is, a bright and catchy flyer is leading the way in event promoting.

Some of my most popular designs include: Show flyers, business cards, postcards, brochures and website graphics. For both print and web based promotions.

Check out my Graphic Design page to see some samples of my work. I just like to express my artistic self not only through dance, but through design as well. It is fulfilling and fun.

]]> http://zaheea.com/graphic-design-for-belly-dancers/feed/ 0 The Restaurant Dancer – Ode to Marrakech http://zaheea.com/restaurant-dancer-marrakech/ http://zaheea.com/restaurant-dancer-marrakech/#comments Wed, 11 Apr 2012 01:38:09 +0000 Zaheea http://zaheea.com/?p=262
Zaheea performing at Marrakech in 1994

Zaheea performing at Marrakech in 1994

I just wanted to post an ode to Marrakech Moroccan Restaurant, my home away from home since 1993. I started out as a newbie with homemade costumes and a lot of “on the job” learning still to come. Who knew that all these years later, I’d still be performing regularly there. It is a joy and a blessing to have such a wonderful place to dance regularly at. I started dancing close to 20 years ago. Things were a lot different back then for us bellydancers. First of all, everyone took a stage name. It took me years to find mine but it’s been with me for so long, I don’t think twice about it. I am Zaheea! The practice seems to have fallen out of favor as a lot of dancers just use their real name. But hey, even in Egypt the most famous dancers all have stage names so I’m in good company.
Marrakech bellydancer

Zaheea using a tipping pot

When I started dancing, we didn’t have itunes, ipods, or CD’s or DVD’s. I would make my performance set using tapes, hitting record, and trying to cut the song off at just the right moment. There was no music editing software out yet either so, if you liked a track, you had to use the entire song (and a lot of arabic music is rather lengthy).  Practice videos were in VHS and there were not many to choose from. I even checked out “how to bellydance” books out of the local library. Dancers have it so easy now, with youtube, rakstv,  etc.
For years I accepted tips on my body; it was just how things were done. I wasn’t taught or shown any different until a saw a dancer in San Francisco (Nanna) use a tipping pot. That changed everything and for that moment forward I, and every dancer at Marrakech, used a tipping pot. No body tipping allowed! I think this has raised the respectability of not only the restaurant, but ourselves as well. Tips are always appreciated but never expected but since adopting this style of receiving them, I usually get a lot more people wanting to tip me. Back when I would get tipped on my body, most of them money would fall out, especially during the drum solo, and the waiters would have to pick them up from the floor. What a mess! I wish more dancers would adopt this style of receiving tips. It really is much better, IMO. In fact, I talk about this in a DVD produced by my friend Michelle Joyce

of Cheeky girls production.

Marrakech bellydancer

Wings of Isis at Marrakech

There is so much that I had to learn while performing. There are things that a teacher can not prepare you for. It is this experience that I’m able to call my self a professional. It is my opinion that knowing how to handle yourself in so many different situations, like if your costume clasp unexpectedly fails or a customer is rude/touchy/etc, is what makes a dancer a professional. And I’ve seen it all! I haven’t always handled myself with grace, but if a similar situation presented itself, I would not repeat past mistakes (which are thankfully rare, indeed!)

 

Until about 3 or 4 years ago I was also the entertainment director for the restaurant. That basically means I hired (and occasionally fired) the dancers and did all the scheduling. Luckily my friend and dance partner Mychelle Crown is much better at it that I was and has been doing a great job of keeping everyone happy, including the restaurant owner. Kudos to her!

 

So all in all, this has been an amazing 19 years (although I did “retire” briefly) of dancing at Marrakech in Sacramento. I grew up dancing there, and became the dancer I am today by years of experience. I feel very lucky to have such a great place to call my dance home.

Authored by Zaheea

]]> http://zaheea.com/restaurant-dancer-marrakech/feed/ 0 Belly Dancer for Your Wedding = Awesome! http://zaheea.com/hiring-a-belly-dancer-for-your-wedding/ http://zaheea.com/hiring-a-belly-dancer-for-your-wedding/#comments Wed, 21 Mar 2012 19:13:50 +0000 Zaheea http://zaheea.com/?p=161 Belly dancing is a beautiful, elegant, tasteful form of entertainment suitable for all ages.  You don’t have to have a Moroccan or Arabian themed wedding in order to enjoy a belly dancer at your reception. The professional show is suited for any style of wedding, from formal to informal.
 
Having a belly dancer entertain your guests is awesome because:
  1.  It is unusuall and your guests will certainly remember it.
  2.  It is elegant yet still exotic and fun.
  3.  It is appropriate for all ages and genders.
  4.  It will bring a multicultural experience to your wedding.
  5.  It is rummored to bring good luck to the bride and groom! 
 
It has been my experience that the best time to have a dancer perform at your wedding reception is after dinner but before the cake. The show is typically 20 to 30 minutes in length and includes audience participation. A great way to get the party started! For more information on rates please see the booking page or contact me at info@zaheea.com.

 

For more information, please read how to hire a professional dancer.

 
Watch a video of Zaheea performing at a Wedding Reception, Sacramento, CA.
 
*Please note that it is not typical to tip a belly dancer in her costume, especially at a wedding reception.  In this video, the bride really wanted to do this, but normally it is not allowed.


]]> http://zaheea.com/hiring-a-belly-dancer-for-your-wedding/feed/ 0 What it costs to hire a professional belly dancer (and what it costs to not). http://zaheea.com/hire-belly-dancer-sacramento/ http://zaheea.com/hire-belly-dancer-sacramento/#comments Fri, 09 Mar 2012 16:56:51 +0000 Zaheea http://zaheea.com/?p=134 There are several great articles on the web about what belly dancers charge, the reason they charge it and tips on how to spot the difference between amateurs and professionals.  For you, my discerning audience, I shall condense everything in a nut shell for your convenience.

Lets just start by creating a baseline for what it means to be a professional belly dancer.

For the Dancer:

  • Have spent thousands of hours practicing our dance craft and honing the most authentic way in which to represent raks sharki (belly dance).
  • Have spent thousands of dollars on music, authentic costuming, silk veils, and other dance props used to enhance the dance.
  • Have spent thousands of hours performing at restaurants, parties, special events and learning, when things go both wrong or right, how to effectively react and deal with situations in a professional manner.

For the Non-dancer (those who wish to hire a dancer for their next event)

  • Hiring a professional will get you the most awesome show you can imagine. Period.
    .:Read this:.
Zaheea performing at a wedding reception.

So how can you tell the difference between a professional and a non-professional (student)? Isn’t it all the same?

Completely inappropriate outfit. Not professional.

Ok, so if you actually care about the quality of the dancer that you hire then keep reading. If you don’t care, and it doesn’t matter if your dancer shows up late, maybe didn’t wash her hair, her costume looks like she drug it up from the bottom of her laundry pile, etc. then stop reading now. You will get what you pay for (and maybe not even notice the difference because you don’t care). The problem is how does the general public tell the difference?  Based on websites and photos alone, it is very difficult to tell who is a professional and who is someone who puts on a costume a shakes her butt and calls it art (there is a difference ya know).   Here is a tip – A non-professional will charge less than the going rate.You see, us professionals have sort of banded together and created our own baseline on how much we should charge for private parties. This fee is based on the bulleted list above, and many other things not mentioned.

For a standard show, a Professional Belly Dancer in Sacramento, CA will charge NO LESS than $200.
Please visit sacramentobellydance.net for more information.

Also, a professional belly dancer in this day and age will have a lot of videos of her dancing (type in Zaheea in any search engine and you’ll get lots of results).  Also, a professional belly dancer, for the most part, dances regularly at restaurant shows or other events. If they have public shows, you should go see her performance to see if it will be a mesh with what you are expecting for your event/wedding/party.

Zaheea

 

So, in a nutshell, if you CARE about getting a quality dancer, do a bit of research, don’t balk at the minimum $200 that we charge, and understand that the cliché “you get what you pay for” has never rang so true as it does for hiring a professional belly dancers.

Remember, the professionalism and fun your dancer brings to your special occasion will be worth every dollar.

Related articles:

3 things to avoid when hiring a belly dancer
Behind the Rates – Why Belly Dancers Charge What They Do
The High Cost of Cheap
The Connoisseur’s Guide to Hiring a Belly Dancer
My .02 cents On Rates

Gig Salad

]]> http://zaheea.com/hire-belly-dancer-sacramento/feed/ 0 All new site for me! http://zaheea.com/hello-world/ http://zaheea.com/hello-world/#comments Thu, 08 Mar 2012 00:07:45 +0000 Zaheea http://zaheea.com/?p=1 I’m changing my site over to wordpress. There is a learning curve to this so please bear with me while making the switch.

In the mean time, “like” my Facebook page!

 

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