June 28th, 2018

 To Tip or Not to Tip?  That is the question….
This is a controversial topic among many dancers in the belly dance community.  This is my perspective/opinion on the topic, take that for what it’s worth as there are many opinions on the subject. There are two main things I consider when deciding what is appropriate.  The experience level of the dancer and the client.
The experience of the dancer is important because accepting tips in itself is a skill to be mastered.  The first time I observed belly dancers accepting body tips was at a restaurant. There were multiple dancers that night and all were at varying degrees of experience. The dancers were taking their turns doing individual sets throughout the night.  The first couple of dancers were not as experienced and the acceptance of tips was unnatural and somewhat clumsy. Belly dancers should be comfortable with a variety of factors before accepting body tips. They should be fully aware of the variety of ways to accept tips, what is appropriate, what is not appropriate and be comfortable with improvisation with audience members.  This can get complicated as some audience members can be aggressive and inappropriate.  It is then up to the dancer to set boundaries in a way that you maintain composure and be clear on how you accept tips.   When feeling uncomfortable with an audience member, I will take the tip in my hand and will often place it in my belt or shoulder strap. I prefer not to place the tip in my bedlah top even when putting the tip on my own body. I feel that this is bit too much especially for a family friendly audience.  I have seen dancers accept tips in their bedlah top.  However, I would not recommend this as this confuses the audience boundaries.  If the audience members are being respectful and understand boundaries, I have no qualms about them tipping on my shoulder strap or belt.  As long as you, the dancer, are perceptive, read your audience, body tipping can be a classy and fun experience for the audience and the dancer.
The audience/client is the next thing to consider when accepting body tips.  It has always been my assumption that most audiences will body tip if they feel comfortable.  However, I have come across a few clients that have specifically requested no body tipping.  This may be due to the type of event, conservative family members, or personal choice.  This can be somewhat tricky as some audience members will not be aware of the client’s requests and may still try to body tip.  As the dancer, you need to set the boundaries and remind audience members in a fun and playful way that tipping is not accepted by “shaking the finger” or bringing a basket for tips.
Remember that tipping can be fun and completely respectful if done correctly, classy, and with experience. It can be a fun way to engage and play with the audience.




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