Who doesn’t love a birthday surprise? If you’re like me, you love planning a surprise as much as receiving one, so when Lynn contacted me to help her friend Linda plan a birthday surprise for Linda’s husband Matt’s 55th birthday, I was thrilled. Linda and Matt were coming to town to visit friends for Matt’s birthday and enjoy a little get-together in his honor Friday evening. Little did he know what was in store!
The event started early in the evening and my performance was to occur just after dinner and in time for dessert (you’ll see why in a bit). I drove out to a beautiful home in Vandenberg Village and sent a text message to let Lynn know I’d arrived. She quickly slipped out of the party, alerting a few key guests to create a visual distraction so I could remain out of sight in a guest room until the performance.
Tip #1: Have a plan for the performer to quickly alert you, or a contact person, when they arrive. This decreases
Photo by Ellen (guest)
the likelihood of the dancer being spotted.
Maria, the party’s hostess, described the performance space to me and let me see the layout as best I could while remaining hidden. She clearly described how to enter the room, the audience layout and the location of the birthday boy. I then had a few minutes to put together the last few touches on my costume, say hi to a few guests who stopped by, and wait for the show to begin!
Tip #2: If at all possible, give the performer a chance to view the space in advance. This will help her navigate her entrance and deliver the best performance possible. It’s also great to point out the guest(s) of honor so she can greet them during her entrance and give them a little extra attention during the show.
Since all the guests (except Matt), knew about the surprise, everyone knew the show was about to start when Maria asked everyone to quiet down so she could say a few words. She wished Matt a very happy birthday and then told him there was one more surprise… cue music and on with the show!
Tip #3: If possible to accomplish without making the guest of honor suspicious, move them to a seating area where they have an unobstructed view of the performance. This doesn’t really have anything to do with the dance, but it’s a nice touch to be sure they enjoy the show.
The audience filled the room with a wonderful energy and it was just FUN to dance for them. Matt was a good sport and got up during audience participation to show off some excellent hip drops – how’s the shimmy coming along? A few of the ladies got up to dance and Linda even showed off a few veil moves for her hubby (rawr!).
Tip #4: Keep it casual! Once the show starts, relax and enjoy it. A quality performer will be able to read your crowd and will absolutely do her best to make sure everyone enjoys the show. Sometimes the guest of honor may not react exactly as planned, but in those few and far between situations, the professional dancer you hired has the experience and know-how to adjust. If you’re having fun, everyone else will too!
To finish the show, we had one more surprise… presentation of the birthday cake!
In my early days, I danced at a restaurant with a room slightly off the main dining area that sat mostly larger parties. One night, a group was there celebrating a birthday for a young girl. I had passed through the room earlier that night and danced for them and they really enjoyed the show. I happened to catch a waiter heading out of the kitchen with the little girl’s birthday cake and thought, “I bet I could really make this special for her!” I asked the family member who had stepped out of the room to request the cake for permission to proceed with the idea, took the cake from the waiter, and danced into the room while the family sang Happy Birthday. Did I mention it was balanced on my head? Before the end of the birthday song, I brought it down to table level so the birthday girl could blow out the candles. She was THRILLED – and Mary’s Marvelous Birthday Cake Presentation was born.
The cake at this party was only balanced towards the end of the song. It was on a beautiful cut glass platter, and accidents are not part of the act. It didn’t matter though, it added a very nice touch and even the guests who knew about the performance in advance seemed delighted at the finale surprise.
Tip #5: Communicate any special requests with the dancer in advance. Whether it’s music, prop requests or special presentations, we want to make our performance at your event memorable (in a good way)!
A belly dance show can be an exciting and fun surprise for a birthday or other special event. For more tips on planning a surprise show, please visit my friend Carrara Nour’s blog post on this very subject!
Can you keep the surprise? Happy planning!
