How to Get More Burlesque Gigs

Burlesque in the U.S. is one of the few art forms that promotes the idea that "anyone can do it". But in saturated markets like New York City and Chicago, 2 years into the business, many burlesque performers find themselves reassessing the profitability. If you are a performer looking to recharge your career or thinking of becoming a performer take a look at the tips below to learn how you can book more Burlesque Gigs. This article assumes you have already begun working as a burlesque performer and the steps outlined are for the early career to mid career professional.

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Steps

1. 1
   Examine your strengths as a performer. It's easy to spend hours focused on why you aren't booking (too old, too short, too fat, too thin, not classic enough, not edgy enough), but focusing on these things won't get you more work. Instead focus on what makes you a good performer.
2. 2
   Write down what your weak points are. Yep, time to be honest with yourself. If you have no idea what your weak points are then ask a friend who will be honest with you. Not good at dancing? Take a dance class. Not good at being on time? Learn to pack the night before and set your alarm to remind you to be at a show 30 minutes early.
3. 3
   Know what makes you unique as a performer. Remember if you're performing in a saturated market, then you better stand out or as the old Stephen Sondheim song says, "Gotta Get a Gimmick". Okay, so you don't have to "bump it with a trumpet", but you should aim to be the best at whatever you do even if what you do has been done by many.
4. 4
   Make a list of the shows you want to get booked in. Once you know which shows you want to work in, take a careful look and see if those shows currently have performers that look like you or offer your skill. Ask yourself it these shows could benefit from your service. If you only do neo burlesque and you want to work in a venue that only hires classic burlesque, then unless you are going to start doing classic, you may have an uphill battle convincing them that they need to add neo burlesque to their line up.
5. 5
   Let people know you would like to be booked. Seriously, This may seem silly, but so many performers make the same mistake. They post on Facebook that they are available. They stop by a show and tell a producer, they are available. They wait for the phone to ring or the emails to come in. Sorry, but that doesn't work for actors or models, so why on earth should it work for burlesque performers. Yes, it's good to post on Facebook, but also contact those shows you listed in the previous step and ask about getting booked. Sure talking to a producer in person is great, but if you are chatting at that producer's show, then chances are they are talking to a lot of people. Follow up with an email letting them know you liked the show and would love to work together.
6. 6
   Look back on your career and ask yourself why you entered the business. Yep, once again, you've got to ask yourself the tough questions. Why did you decide to start doing burlesque? Was it on a dare? Did you have a friend who enjoyed performing and told you to try? Did you want to be the next Dita Von Teese? The next Gypsy Rose Lee? Did you see Christina Aguillera's, "Burlesque", and hope to conquer a little night club while developing legions of fans? This step is super important because without it you can't move on to the next step.
7. 7
   Ask yourself what you want to get out of the business. Do you still want those legions of fans? Are you hoping to make enough money to retire? Do you just want to make some extra money while making new friends? Do you want to simply feel beautiful? Understanding why you want what you want, will help you to understand whether you can still get what you want from the business or if you will never get what you want. If you aren't getting what you want out of performing burlesque, then you either need to repeat steps 1-6 or accept that it's time to move on.

Tips

• Lowering your performance rates is not necessarily a guaranteed way to get more work. If you are performing for a discounted rate, then make sure it is known by the person who hired you.
• Be responsive. Performers who don't reply yes or no to a gig offer will find themselves with less offers. You don't have to take every gig, but a simple, note of "Thank you, but I will be unable to perform. Please consider me for future productions", will go over a lot better than just not responding. Not responding can leave a producer with the impression that you are difficult to work with and they will not refer you to other producers.
• Say Thank You. If you enjoy watching a show or being in a show, send the producer a note of thanks. If you enjoy a particular performer you can also send a note of thanks. Sadly this isn't done enough (genuine gratitude goes a long way), but when it's done right, it can have a huge impact.
• Don't try to be something you are not. If you can't dance and don't like to dance, then don't force yourself to be a dancer.
• If you aren't seeing the types of shows you want to perform in being produced in your town, then you may want to consider performing outside of your city or producing your own show.