Performance Opportunities for Amateur Dancers

Feeling ready to share your dance with the world, but don't know where to start? Then look no further. I have danced at all the events listed below throughout the years and they are all great stages for getting your feet wet:

1. Saqra's Monthly Revue: Hosted by Saqra, this event occurs the first Saturday of every month at Jimmy T's in Kent. Dancers of all levels are welcome. You can dance to either recorded music or try improv and dance with Saqra's RaqsBand. Very welcoming and encouraging environment for new dancers and a great place to hone your improv skills. Saqra's website has more details.
2. Med Fest: Seattle's biggest belly dance festival - two stages and two days of non-stop belly dance performances. First time soloists to world-famous professional dancers have graced the stages of Med Fest. Festival always happens in July. Registration for 2012 is not yet open, but here's the link for when it does. Claim your spot by completing the registration form and mailing it in.
3. Hasani's Hafla: Hasani hosts a quarterly hafla at the First Congregation Church in Tacoma. Her website has the future hafla dates for the next five years! Sign-up by phoning in once registration goes live.
4. Alauda: This event occurs the third Tuesday of every month at the Skylark Club and Cafe in West Seattle. (Psst! I'm performing at this event tomorrow!) Event is organized by Angela, Medea, and Katana. To register, email alaudabellydance@gmail.com. Insider tip: register early as this show fills up months in advance.
5. Leyl Al Arab: This event happens the third Saturday of every month at Enat's in Northgate, and is hosted by BreAnn and Trisha. Each performance includes one or two student dancers, one or two guest dancers, and a feature dancer. Check out the blog for more info.  
6. Delilah's Belly Dance Performance Class: Maybe not feeling quite ready to sign-up for an event yet? Then Delilah's performance class may be the thing for you. A legendary dancer and performer, Delilah will help you hone your performance skills and after six weeks of instruction, there is a student recital held at the studio that you can invite friends and family to. The recital at the end of this class series was my first solo performance ever!
7. And more! Other events come up throughout the year. And of course their are other instructors in the area who offer class series with recitals at the end. Sign up for BellyTalk, the Yahoo! Group for Seattle belly dancers, to stay in the loop as new opportunities come up. To sign up, you need a Yahoo! email account, then search for BellyTalk in the Yahoo! Groups section, send in a request to join, and a moderator will approve your request.

Now go forth and dance!