Ten questions worth asking before you book a show

Most people booking a private show do it once in their lives, so they do not know what can even be asked. The result is unnecessary questions at the start and surprises at the end.

The list below is what is worth establishing before you confirm — with anybody, not only with us. Each question comes with why it matters and what counts as a good answer.

1. What is the final price, everything included

Not “how much is it” but “what am I paying at the end of the evening”. Those two questions sometimes produce two different numbers.

A good answer: one figure, immediately. Ours is 800 ILS solo, 1,400 duo and 2,200 VIP, travel included across our whole area.

Warning sign: “it depends”, “we will see at the end”, or a price that only appears after you have given an address.

2. Is there a travel supplement

A separate question from the first, because this is where most surprises hide.

A good answer: either “no, included”, or an exact figure given before you confirm. Ours is included across the whole service area; for the far points the supplement is quoted over messages in advance rather than at the end of the evening.

3. Is there a deposit

A question people are uncomfortable asking, which is exactly why it should be asked first.

A good answer: none. With us the whole payment is cash at the end of the show — no deposit, no transfer in advance and no card details.

Warning sign: a request for payment up front as a condition of booking, particularly to a private account.

4. What exactly is included in the show

A question that sounds obvious and is not. Worth knowing how long it runs, what happens in it, and what does not.

A good answer: a defined length, a description of what there is, and a direct answer about what there is not. With us it is a dance set and nothing else — guests do not initiate contact, the dancer sets the distance, and the boundaries are identical in every style and at every price.

If the other side dodges this part or answers in hints, that is an answer in itself.

5. Who is coming, and how do I know in advance

A completely legitimate question, and there is no need to apologise for it.

A good answer: a name, an open catalogue, and confirmation of who exactly is free on your date. With us all the dancers are in the catalogue with a profile, and whoever was booked is who arrives.

Warning sign: “we will send someone suitable” with no detail, or a catalogue that does not match who turns up.

6. What happens if we are running late

It happens on every other evening, and it is worth knowing in advance how it is treated.

A good answer: a reasonable margin that gets absorbed, and an explanation of what happens beyond it. With us fifteen to twenty minutes is almost always fine; past that it depends on the diary for that evening, which is why we ask you to say something the moment it is clear things have shifted.

7. And what if you are running late

The other side of the same question, and worth asking too.

A good answer: “we will tell you before you ask, with an exact time.” That is ours, and it is also the best test of the other side: anyone unwilling to commit to updating you probably will not.

8. What is the cancellation policy

A boring question that becomes important exactly once.

A good answer: a clear condition rather than a vague one. With us, cancelling up to two hours before costs nothing, and even after that we would rather move the date than charge for an evening that did not happen.

9. What do I need to prepare

The question that prevents most problems on the night, and most people never ask it.

A good answer: a short, concrete list. Ours is clear floor, light from the side rather than the ceiling, a stable armless chair if it is needed, and a speaker. Nothing to buy.

If the answer is “nothing, do not worry”, ask again. There is always something.

10. What language will this happen in

A small question that changes a whole evening, particularly with guests from abroad.

A good answer: a clear statement of what is promised and what is not. We answer in Hebrew, English and Russian, and send a dancer who works in fluent English when it is requested in advance. French, for instance, we do not promise — and we say so beforehand rather than afterwards.

Two questions to ask yourself

Not the other side — yourself, before you write at all.

What do we actually want from the evening? There is a difference between “the groom should have fun”, “there should be something everyone remembers” and “there should be something to do between nine and eleven”. Those three lead to three different choices of style and format, and when the other side knows which one you mean, they can suggest properly.

Who is in the room? A group of old friends and a room that also holds partners and colleagues are not the same evening. If the room is mixed, say so up front — it changes the recommendation more than anything else.

Those two questions save about five messages on average, and mostly they save you from an evening chosen wrong.

Three questions you do not need to ask

“Is there a discount for two dancers?” Not with us; the price list is flat. Better to ask what suits the room.

“Can we film just a little?” No, in any style. It does not change with the amount either.

“What else can be arranged separately?” There is no “else”. The service is a dance set, and that is all of it.

An eleventh question, if you are booking outside a city

If the evening is not in a town but at a cabin, an isolated house or a gated community, there is a question that did not make the ten and still matters: how they find you.

A good answer from your side: a map pin rather than an address, a name left at the gate if the community is gated, and somebody who comes out to meet. On unlit roads between villages, hunting for an address takes longer than the drive itself.

And what to confirm with us: that we come there at all at the same rate. Most of the service area is included, and for the far points the supplement is given in advance.

What this should look like from the other side

If your ten questions were answered in one or two messages, you are dealing with somebody organised. If after five messages you still have no final figure, that is already an answer.

With us the arrangement looks like this: you send the hour, the headcount and the kind of venue, and you get back who is available, an exact time and a final price. Everything else is in the FAQ, and it is the same for every area and every style.