Tala Dorian

What my show actually looks like

I grew up in belly dance and came to striptease through that foundation, so my ethnic work is a technique rather than a costume. My hip work is different from any dancer who came from a pole school or from jazz — it is years of training and it cannot be faked.

I work with a sheer gold chiffon veil, an old eastern technique where the fabric moves ahead of the body and behind it. It creates something close to an illusion: it looks as though you are seeing more than you are.

My music is eastern, sometimes with modern bass underneath. I bring the playlist, and it matters more with me than with the others because the movements are built on specific rhythms rather than on any song.

Who I suit

Themed parties, eastern evenings, a birthday for someone who has already seen the ordinary shows. My Cleopatra is the character people request most.

A company event and mixed audiences — belly dance is familiar and accepted, which makes this one of the safest styles to put in front of a group that is not all men.

And cabins and villas with a garden, because my show looks good outdoors by candlelight.

Where it works

Two metres by two is enough and I am one of the least demanding in the gallery about space. What I do need is a floor — on thick carpet the footwork disappears.

I work across the area: Jaffa, Florentin, Herzliya and everything between, plus hotels and cabins further out.

What I do not do

I do not do a generic “eastern” show in a shop-bought costume. What I do is real technique, which is also why I do not mix styles in one evening.

No touching unless I invite it, no filming, and the show ends when it ends. The detail is on the shows page.

How I got into this

Belly dance from the age of twelve. My mother danced, so it was in the house before it was a profession. Until twenty two I performed at weddings and family events, which is a completely different world from this one.

The move happened gradually. I started doing private events because people asked, and discovered the technique I had spent years learning worked even better there, because in a small room every small movement is visible.

I am thirty one and nine of those years have been in this work. I still train twice a week, because hip work only stays if you keep at it.

What I bring and what I need from you

A bra top, a coin skirt, the chiffon veil, jewellery and the music. The coin skirt makes a sound on every movement, which is part of the show rather than decoration.

From you: a hard floor and two metres. A speaker that actually carries — eastern music runs on drums, and a weak speaker kills the rhythm.

And candles instead of a lamp if you can. It sounds like a cliché and it genuinely looks different.

Mistakes people make when they book me

Asking for “something eastern” and expecting only a costume. With me it is technique. If you wanted only the aesthetic, another style may suit you better.

A thick carpet in the living room. Half the footwork disappears there. Tell me in advance and I will build a show that fits.

A weak speaker. More critical with me than with the others because of the drums.

Asking to mix styles in one evening. I do ethnic work. If you want something else as well, a second dancer is better and it will look better too.

What I ask before I confirm

I ask less than the others because I need very little. But these four I do ask.

Floor or carpet. The first question. Footwork on thick carpet simply does not read, and that is a third of my show.

What speaker there is. Eastern music stands on drums. Through a weak speaker the rhythm disappears, and with it every movement built on it.

Who the audience is. I play well to a mixed group, which is rare in this business. If there are women in the room, say so and I will shape the show so nobody feels uncomfortable.

Whether you want the Cleopatra. It is the character most requested, at no extra charge, but it needs knowing in advance because of the jewellery and the preparation.

Booking me

Name, hour, address, how many guests, and whether the floor is carpeted. I always ask about the floor.

Standard price, no deposit. Closest to me: Yonit Dror for latin energy and Rivka Stone for something darker. The gallery is here.