Dancer Archive
Thread: Dancing as a Profession
Dancing is about Entertaining. It is NOT about dancing except as a secondary activity.
As a Dancer your job is two fold:
First to Entertain
Second to heal Battle Fatigue
The seconde is easy. All someone has to do is /watch you and their Battle Fatigue melts away. Nothing to it.
The First is a bit harder. Your clients are your Customers. The people who come into the Cantina to watch you. There's two ways of dealing with them. Ignore them and dance. They will ignore you, heal and then go on their way. They might even tip you. Don't hold your breathe.
Here's how I see the profession.
When people come in, they are generally either beaten and battered or celebrating a success. They've had a bad day out there and are looking for some peace and relaxation, some Time Out. Or they've come to tell of their achievements and receive well desrved praise.
I greet and talk to my guys. I get to know them. I listen to their stories, their victories, their defeats. I learn WHO and WHAT they are as individuals, as people. I try to become a part of their life that they can always count on to be there when needed.
When they are down I encourage them. When they succeed I cheer them on and share their happiness. I don't Flirt with my guys other than as part of my normal personality. And I don't try to pretend to be something other than what I am. I let them know me as I expect to know them.
I keep notes as to what outfit someone prefers. I keep notes as to what they are working on so I can keep track of how things are going.
I NEVER ask for tips. To do so is tacky. When they are down and things are going bad for them I will often Refuse a tip from them because they need it more than I do. I've occasionally tipped some of my customers myself when they needed it more than I did.
In their bad times I share their sadness and in their rich times they often share their success with me.
Over the spread of Beta I usually averaged between 2k to 10k a day in tips. And one fella who did very well tipped me a house deed one day.
Stay friendly with your fellow dancers. They are your best source of training. When a dancer makes a new level that no one else has made we often chip in so she/he can buy the training. Then when anyone else makes their next level, one of the other dancers can train you. Team up with someone else. Share clothes when you have spare ones. Clothes are the Dancers biggest problem. You NEVER have enough.
And avoid the **bleep** routine. Guys are attracted to it at first, but it gets old quick. Offer it and the guys expect you to carry through. Be yourself, not what you think some guys wants at the moment. Be yourself. Some people will like you. Some won't. Don't worry about it.
And if you DO need money quickly, go run a few courier missions. Pick two Delivery runs that go to the same city and then pick two that come back to your home city. and WHILE you're in the other city don't pass up a chance to check the Bazaar for clothes. Never know when you'll find a bargain.
Get to know some of the tailors. many of them will give you free clothes in exchange for telling others where you got them. But be selective. Get to know a tailor first and be sure she/he is a decent person before you send someone to them. Remember. The recommendations you make reflect on YOU. Send one of your guys to a jerk and they'll remember.
That's the core of it. I'll post more as it occurs to me.
Dancing is a great profession for people that like to roleplay and socialize. Whatever server I land on, I will be a dancer/tailor. I love dancing. I had fun doing mild flirting and dancing around chatting with people about their days. I just say if you want a very social non-violent profession then the cantina is where ya wanna be. =)
If you're not a "People Person" you'll probably find Dancing a boring profession. Entertaining is a VERY socially oriented business. You'll spend the majority of your time socializing and chatting with folks. Yes you'll be dancing most of that time but that really only affects your healing rate and your dance selections.
If you're the solitary type then Dancing is probably not the best profession to choose.(grin)
I agree. Dancing is pure social and fun. One of my goals as a dancer is to travel around the galaxy and see every venue. I also want to do the entertainer missions...they never worked for me when I was on Beta.
Any of you guys gonna do to other skills...im planning to master in dancing and pistoleer. Ill be adding Teras Kasi in the mix...
Here here! Well said FlawedDiamond. I enjoy playing the entertainer profession a lot. One of the things that annoyed me to no end in Beta were the dancers who would occasionally activate a macro that did something to this effect:
/shout Tired? Need your BF restored? Come to the cantina and take a rest. And don't forget to tip your entertainers.
I played regularly with a group in Moenia, Naboo on Bria, and as much as I can recall, none of us asked for tips at any time. Whenever I got one, I was very gracious, as it was a nice bonus.
I'll probably take some scouting skill, just so I can go and explore the worlds more than I did in Beta.
I've always planned to play a dancer, and I got my wish... (be careful what you wish for). I LOVE dancing, and the camraderie of the cantinas, but it's hard being flat broke busted all the time. Sadly, people just aren't tipping enough to make a living off it. This may change in the future, but for now I've taken up the artisan skill to pay the bills. 
So, right now I'm dancing for love, but surveying for money. But hey, on the bright side, I'll one day be able to make my own dancing outfits. 
Interesting view on whatyou think a dancer is but sounds more like a socialworker/psychiatrist/mother to me.
Dancing to dance is no less or more important than entertaining. I dance because I like to dance I have no interest in playing instruments, I want to roleplay, socialize and have a good time. We are not Entertainers first we are Dancers AND Entertainers. Our purpose in this life is to heal Battle Fatigue thats just a fact of life what we do with the rest of it is up to us. By dancing and socializing we entertain, if they want a stripper or a lap dancer or someone to unload their problems on they can look for someone else.
This is not to say I wont sympathize or don't care but if your looking for therapy well... You will never see me pretend to be a social worker or mother to people that come in. what you will see is me be friendly and chat with people while they get their wounds healed. This is a social profession and thats how I see it. I like to dance in real life and have alot of friends I go out and dance with and this is no different. Im in it to have fun and make friends.
I claim no one to by *my guys* thats a bit possesive and presumptous in my view. My clothing will not depend on what someone wants me in it will vary depending on what I want to wear.. I like variaty so I will have a nice selection and dance with a different outfit every night once tailors get going good. Variety is the spice of life.. no? and a girl can NEVER have to many clothes! Guys just do not understand this very essential fact!
I agree I will not flirt or advertise or ask for or to get better tips either thats bordering on prostituting myself, if someone wants to tip me thats ok but thats certainly not why im doing it. No winks suggestively or kiss you gently etc... thats farther than I want to go and just invites problems. I prefere that people tip the girls/guys that need it, I can do missions anytime I need cash to train so money really has nothing to do with why I dance. If I wanted a money making profession I would have chosen Architect.
Dancing is fun the moves are pretty good with a few exceptions enjoy dancing for dancings sake not to be a healer or worse.
I take the attitude that healing BF is simply a skill I have that is helpful to others rather than my main reason for existing. As I've said before I see MY role as that of an Entertainer. I build relationships with people who become friends and part of my life. I call them "my guys" as an honorific, a way of denoting the people I have come to know and worry about when they are out in the field. It's not more possessive than saying "MY" friends. Perhaps its the maternal instinct.
As far as clothes, when I am Off-Duty, i.e. not dancing and pursuing my own interests, I wear what I want and what I happen to be in the mood for. When I'm on duty I vary my clothes depending on the group, the venue and the people for whom I am dancing. Some of my guys happen to like particular outfits. When I know that I usually will wear it for them. No different from wearing a particular dress that my spouse likes or dresing in a particular way when going out with friends. I suppose that as a Dancer I could wear an old house robe if I happened to be in the mood for it, but then to ME dancing is a profession that requires two people. Me dancing and someone else watching the dance. If someone ask me to dance formal then, to ME, it would be silly for me to tell my audience "Sorry. I'm not in the MOOD for formal so I'm going to dance Popular." Same thing with clothing.
Now to address the "social worker" issue. I spect 3.5 years studying Clinical Psychology in Grad school and not to put down therapists but a LARGE part of that business is basically being a Professional Friend to people. Much of what Psychologists do is what Friends do in real life. Listen, advise, try to help those in need. While they have been Trained HOW to do it, it is not really THAT different than simply being a Friend. When you have friends you are concerned about them, you care what happens to them. You share in their joys and their sadness. You cheer when they succeed and you cry with them when they are unhappy. If one of my guys comes in and tells me he has had a great day and just suceeded in something that was a major goal for him I can't see telling him "Sorry. I'm not in the mood today to care whether you succeeded or not. Tell me tomorrow."
But that's just me. I wish you the best of success and I'll no doubt see you performing one of the days in concert and will gladly attend. I have no such lofty ambitions. I'm content with the smaller role I choose to pursue and with the relationships I build.
My goal is to try and help bring happiness, enjoyment and pleasure to the people I know and to make a living while doing it. I work hard in pursuit of that goal as a Dancer and in other ways. Nothing more but Certainly nothing LESS.
Im a male wookie dancer and I love the dancing profession. I am not a big fan of combat and infact the last thing I had killed was myself. I don't have the time to devote to building an Uber marksman or some other type of combat roll so I picked up the dancing profession. I am a very social person and love getting funky while I listen to the tales of the people that come into the bar to relax. The tales I hear well make up for me not being out there. All the thrills without the risks!!! I do agree if you don't like to chatter for hours, than dancing is not the way to go but for me the bar basicaly becomes a 3D chat room. I never get board there and will continue dancing untill I reach Master Dancer. Im half way there but the hardest and longest part lies ahead of me. If you are on the radiant server come on town to Bestine and dance with us! I will be there with my troupe and our black poles!!!!
Fenrir
I dance because I love to Dance- sometimes I dance in the woods. If others watch and get benefit or pleasure or even amusement that's fine with me, but it is not why I do it.
I fight too btw. Though mostly solo. My style of taking a lair is methodical and doesn't fit with "Kill em all and let God sort em out" or "Firepower!" styles. I fight to build my 1h and rifle skills because these will be part of the character I envision. It also makes nice cash and vents frustration. I am in no hurry ... except to get more dances.
I suppose my point is that there are as many ways to play a Dancer as there are dancers. FD's style works for her. Mine works for me. Different as night and day and that's why it works.
BigGuy
Tempest wrote:
Dancing to dance is no less or more important than entertaining. I dance because I like to dance I have no interest in playing instruments, I want to roleplay, socialize and have a good time. We are not Entertainers first we are Dancers AND Entertainers.
Tempest you make some good points for your style of play. I'll disagree with the final sentence above, on two counts:
- The title of the thread is Dancing as a Profession. That is, as a job. A dancer who dances for enjoyment and anyone getting healing is gravy is groovy. It's just not a profession.
- IMO, we ARE Entertainers first and Dancers/Musicians second. Now, this is a matter of opinion but I'm in FD's camp on this one. Yes, our game mechanic is that we heal battle fatigue. This is what makes us useful to the populace at large. A game mechanic is only a foundation for a role, though. Not the role itself. Our role is to lift spirits, soothe the soul, and send our customers out happier than when they came in, whether we do that with a smile and flashy dance routine or with a kickass Starwars2 medley.
Our purpose in this life is to heal Battle Fatigue thats just a fact of life what we do with the rest of it is up to us. By dancing and socializing we entertain, if they want a stripper or a lap dancer or someone to unload their problems on they can look for someone else.
This is not to say I wont sympathize or don't care but if your looking for therapy well...
You're taking what FD said a bit too seriously, I think. What she's really talking about is something I brought up in a parallel thread. Namely, the personal touch. Being a part of your customer's lives, or at least enough to make them feel special when they're interacting with you. That's not "therapy". It's entertainment, and good business to boot. I know dozens of people at this point who know me by name and many who would probably consider me a passing friend, simply by virtue of being there in the cantina to interact with them. That doesn't mean that they lean on me for sympathy or expect me to nod my head while they cry in their beer. It just means that they feel good about coming "home" to Club Dearic because I and my fellow crowd of regular entertainers have gone out of our way to make them feel "at home" there.
Dancing is fun the moves are pretty good with a few exceptions enjoy dancing for dancings sake not to be a healer or worse.
And there's nothing wrong with dancing for it's own sake. Everyone's got their own approach. Dancing for your own sake is a hobby, not a job or a "role". Look at it from that angle and I think you'll see that FlawedDiamond hits pretty close to the mark, even if what she's saying isn't your personal cup of tea.
/clap and /cheer for FD and Slick
Nice FD and Slick, very nice. /tip (entire bank account)
/bow