TRIBAL FEST FAQ ? Answers to Frequently Asked Questions

Download this FAQ as an easy-to-read-and-print PDF!

WHAT IS IT?
Tribal Fest (TM pending) your not-to-miss event of the year! If you go nowhere else, come here and be amazed! Tribal Fest is the first and largest event of its kind anywhere. It started in 2001 and grows every year. It is very alternative, cutting-edge, sometimes naughty and always certain to entertain!

The bulk of our well over 40 classes every year precede The Show and are held on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. This is so you may enjoy the performances from Friday night through Sunday evening more easily. Of course there are a few classes also held on Saturday and Sunday for you “weekend warriors.” = ;- ) However, attendance from Wed. - Sun. is HIGHLY suggested for optimal learning and enjoyment. I always include many of the “big name” teachers as well as rising stars, so don’t miss out! Plan your vacation and come for all 5 days.

Our numerous indoor and outdoor vendors carry “tribal-and-related-alternative” goodies at this event, so you won’t see the usual beads-n-sequins for miles that you see at many other events, nor will you have to put up with much “classical” music. What you’ll see at Tribal Fest are items that an ATS bellydancer, tribal or other fusion dancer, folkloric, Indian, ethnic, Gothic, Burlesque or just plain ol’ “I don’t fit into any categories”dancers AND even non-dancer-alternative people would like to add to your collections. More than half of our vendors now elect to be set up all 5 days, so you can start shopping the moment you arrive on Wednesday!

And, the Community Center sells wine (you don’t see that too often at festivals) as well as the usual beverages. I’ve found a very good caterer to work with and his skills have been honed to a tee over the last few years. He has already surpassed in quality of cuisine any vendor I’ve ever found at any event - to the extent that Chuck and I have grown accustomed to festival-goers telling us over and over how much they love his totally fresh, homemade, locally-grown
organic food! They say it’s the best food at any festival anywhere, and I agree. He actually makes everything there every day (I know, I signed for a delivery of fresh veggies one morning) and always offers something for everyone, from several delicious vegan dishes and at least one chicken dish. We’re trying an outdoor barbeque-style food booth this year (2008) with side salads and other choices, so the hundreds of folks taking classes and vending all day don’t have to leave the premises. We can expect a wider variety of yummies than ever before throughout the 5 days!

What’s more is that you are allowed to bring in your own food if you prefer (there are both delis and a Whole Foods Market within a short distance of Tribal Fest)! However, you may not bring your own alcoholic beverages.*People found with outside alcohol anywhere on the premises, indoors or out, will be asked to leave without a refund, whether you are a teacher, attendee or vendor.* Please note that the venue has a very strict policy about this that we must abide by. Thank you in advance for buying your booze from the venue itself so this unique policy can continue.

WHERE IS IT?
The Sebastopol Community Center, its surrounding grounds and the Youth Annex Building next door, 390 Morris Street, Sebastopol, CA, 95472. This is about 1.5 hour’s drive up Highway 101 from San Francisco and is considered part of SF’s North Bay Area. Tribal Fest is in Sonoma County, California, best known world-wide for its award-winning wineries and vintners, cheeses, delis, world-class cuisine, one of the world’s most touted culinary schools, The Sonoma County Wine Train, Calistoga’s healing mineral spas, wondrous redwood forests, rolling hills of oak and the... (in?)famous Russian River!

WHEN IS IT?
This event is held the third weekend of May (and the 3 days preceding it) each year so you can plan ahead. It is 5 days long, from Wednesday - Sunday.

HOW DO I GET THERE?
If you are driving from the U.S. mainland, please print out a trip planner from your favorite site (such as Zip2, MapQuest or others). OR, find CA State Highway 101** and head north or south to Santa Rosa. From there head to Sebastopol (NOT Somona) on Highway 12 and the Community Center is located at the first light you’ll see for some time, past a Chevron gas station and a field or two of cattle. You’ll see Village Park Campgrounds on your left. That street light is a “T” intersection, so turn right (the only way you can) and you’re on Morris Street!

If driving from the Pacific NW, I suggest coming down Highway 5 to 505 (a bypass near Willows that will take you around the Sacramento traffic) to Highway 80, which goes from Sacramento / Davis towards Berkeley and Vallejo. TURN OFF (from the right lane) when you see the sign for Vallejo, it comes up pretty quick after going up a large hill with a lookout view and restrooms - from there you can see Marine World’s roller coasters. Proceed through Vallejo to Lakeville Highway. You will be going over the marsh flats and past Sears Point Raceway, and turn LEFT at that light. After the Sear’s Point light, take your next light (“T” intersection) that goes RIGHT onto Lakeville Hwy. (If you miss Lakeville, no worries, you’ll end up in Novato, so then take Hwy. 101 North from there instead.) But Lakeville is a “short-cut” and much prettier than the freeway traffic.

Lakeville Hwy. will take you through the outskirts of Petaluma (and past Papa’s Taverna, one of BSBD-CA’s regular performance restaurants with GREAT Greek food!) and will virtually pour you onto Hwy. 101 North once you pass parts of Petaluma.

Now you’re on Hwy. 101 North, so proceed as above from there, looking for the Hwy. 12 exit once actually in Santa Rosa, about 13 more miles. (See ** above.) This route used to take me about 10-12 hours to drive one way from Portland, OR to Santa Rosa, CA.

If driving from SoCal, I also suggest you take Hwy. 5 up instead of the prettier 101. It will save you about 5-6 hours. This route from LA used to take me about 7 hours to get to Santa Rosa. So, Hwy. 5 up, turning off towards San Francisco (do NOT go towards Sacto! - I did that once.... not a catastrophe but added at least 2 more hours to my drive). Drive past SFO* and turn from your right lane onto (we think) 380 to 280 which will turn into 19th Avenue, avoiding the center of SF. Pass through parts of the Sunset district and Golden Gate Park, continuing on 19th
Ave. This will pour you right onto Hwy. 101 North, going over the Golden Gate Bridge towards Marin County (Sausalito, Mill Valley, Novato, etc.) then Sonoma County. From there, proceed as above.**

If you are flying into either SFO or OAK, simply rent a car at the airport and follow the directions above from SFO* (see paragraph above). From OAK, proceed north towards San Francisco but DO NOT TURN OFF for SF, instead keep going through Berkeley, CA until you see the choice of either going towards Sacramento (you don’t wanna) or Richmond. I believe this turn off is in the left center lanes, so be prepared. That will take you over the San Rafael-Richmond Bay Bridge and drop you out right onto Hwy. 101 north in San Rafael, where you can proceed as above.**

OR take the shuttles north to Santa Rosa. Both airports have shuttle service every half hour and the cost is approximately $38 Round Trip. They run from 6 a.m. - midnight at both airports. You can check out Airport Express at: www.airportexpressinc.com (707.837.8700) and the Sonoma County Airporter, Inc.: 707.938.4246. You will take the shuttle to the Downtown Santa Rosa bus stop, and from there grab a cab to Sebastopol (about 10-12 minutes).

WHERE DO I STAY?
Please note that if you take the shuttle up from OAK or SFO and do not have a car and/or do not wish to camp, you really should stay at The Sebastopol Inn, the official Tribal Fest hotel, offering group rates when you mention you’re with Tribal Fest. Ask for Ashok: 707.829.2500 or www.sebastopolinn.com as this is the only hotel within walking distance of The Fest. We sell it out quickly every year, so it is just “us” (makes it lots more fun). Don’t delay in booking your room if you wish to stay here.

The only other option as far as hotels for non-drivers is The Holiday Inn Express Sebastopol, who will not give us group rates because we sell them out each year anyway. >:-( But they do have a shuttle that can take you to and from the Sebastopol Community Center at least: 707.829.6677

Village Park Campground loves our crowd and offers anyone who mentions they’re with Tribal Fest a 10% discount! And, they’re within walking distance! They have spots with full hookups or not. On a budget? CAMP in your car, tent or RV along with a bunch of other crazy dancers from The Fest. Every year there is some sort of fun rabble-rousin’, pot luckin’, barbeque-in’, (and sometimes fire-swingin’) party held there, arranged by attendees! Call for your space reservation: 707.823.6348

If you have a car, you have lots more places to stay possible. Try the neighboring little city of Santa Rosa, here are some nice places I can personally vouch for that are only 10 - 20 minutes from The Fest:
Hyatt Vineyard Creek Hotel & Spa (Santa Rosa, a a straight shot down Hwy. 12 to The Fest!):1.800.233.1234 (worldwide) www.vineyardcreek.hyatt.com
Hotel La Rose (Santa Rosa, and almost a straight shot down 12 to The Fest): 707.579.3200
Holiday Inn Express, Hopper Ave., (Santa Rosa): 707.545.9000 and www.winecountryhotel.com
DoubleTree Hotel Sonoma Wine Country (Rohnert Park): 707.584.5466

The following are options I cannot vouch for personally, but some folks have had nice
things to say:
Microtel Inn & Suite, Santa Rosa: 707.568.5782
Ramada Limited, Santa Rosa: 707.575.4600
Ramada Limited, Rohnert Park: 707.584.1600
Best Western Inn, Rohnert Park: 707.584.7435

ABOUT THE CLASSES
Tribal Fest now hosts 50 or so classes. They run the gamut from traditional dancecforms from along the Rromany Trail (where American Tribal Style - a.k.a. ATS - draws from forcinspiration, as well as from contemporary American culture) to classes you just cannot find at any other single bellydance event. These often include Burlesque, Fire Arts, Gothic Belly/Dance, Tribal and World Fusion Belly/Dance, Theatrical and Interpretive Dance, many specialty classes, music classes - and of course plenty of ATS BD! I’m very interested to hear what you’d like to see that I don’t yet offer and I’ll see what I can do in the future. Class offerings and many teachers are different each year, assuring you of many varying choices annually. = :-D

Since there are so many, I have them listed four ways to help you decide and plan around overlapping schedules more easily. (See Quick-Peek Buttons #1, #2 and #3 before moving on to #4 Detailed Class Info, from the Tribal Fest 7 button on the Main Page if you are reading this while there is Tribal Fest info up on the site, which is usually from Nov.-something - June-ish.)

WHEN ARE THE PERFORMANCES?
All performances are indoors, in the Main Auditorium. They run non-stop except for open floors, held throughout The Show for your enjoyment. Some years we may have 3 open floors featuring live bands and/or DJs, adding a short one on Friday night, other years we’ll have just 2, on the weekend only. The ones on Sat. & Sun. are always held mid-to-late afternoon, for about 45 minutes each. These are YOUR chance to “dance like no one is watching!”

The Show Hours are:
Friday doors open at 5:00 p.m., show starts at 6:00 and goes until 10:00 or 11:00 p.m.
Saturday: 10:00 a.m. until 10:00 or 11:00 p.m.
Sunday: 11:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.

SHOW INFO!
EVERYONE, PLEASE READ THIS!:
There are no advance ticket sales or discounted passes. Over the years we’ve found the easiest and fastest way to help you get through the door is for all to pay at the door every day. Enjoy your in-and-out hand stamp, but don’t wash it off on the same day if planning to come back inside. = :-O Please have cash in correct change handy for each day to help us help you move it along. Thank you!

Traveler’s Cheques in U.S. Dollars made to BlackSheep BellyDance and no higher than $50 is the only other way to pay besides cash. NO personal checks, NO credit cards, NO bills over $50 are accepted at the door.

Please be advised and aware of Tribal Fest’s “almost-no-holds-barred-alternative-bellydance- art” performance policy and extra-loud music so you can decide if it’s right for you and/or your younger loved ones. If your child “looks older,” please save hassle and hold-ups at the Door by bringing their photo ID showing date of birth so we don’t think they are a Teen. Due to our Show’s possible contents, it may be best to leave the young ‘uns with a caretaker.

Seniors and those who are uncomfortable standing for long periods of time should be aware that standing room only occurs at this event during certain peak times, but do take heart in knowing that Friday night’s Show has far more chairs available than Sat. & Sun. due to only 2 vendors indoors on that night, and Sunday usually is less crowded than Saturday, even though our stellar instructors perform throughout the entire 3 days. Otherwise, thank you for noting that paying admission does NOT guarantee you will have a seat just sitting there open and waiting for you. There are NO RESERVED SEATS and NO RESERVING of seats on your own.

Please Note: There is a strict policy about NOT saving seats at Tribal Fest. The policy is: You must have someone actually in your seat if you need to visit the restroom, get food, go shop, take a class, take a walk, or leave your chair for any reason. There are no empty seats allowed.

I know this is tough, and the fact that you may have a friend sitting next to your empty seat saying “someone’s sitting here” will be hard. But, face it, “someone is NOT sitting there” at the moment, so let someone else sit for second or two!

If you gotta go, wave at someone standing and offer ‘em a seat for a few minutes. Let’s be more “Tribal” and less greedy! If you see an empty seat, even if it has stuff on it, you have advance permission from The Producer to remove said stuff and sit in the seat. Place the stuff either in your lap or under the seat. If the owner returns, give them back their stuff and if they were only gone for under 15 minutes, to give ‘em “their seat” back seems reasonable. If they
were gone for a long period of time, that’s another matter. And remember, should you get up, the same will happen to “your” seat.

IMPORTANT NOTICE:
***All acts and any disclaimers I, The Producer, know about ahead of time will be listed in The Program. The Program will be for sale starting on Wednesday at Tribal Fest itself for a couple bucks or so. The full Program will not be listed on the Web Site,* so to get the detailed info such as descriptions of the pieces and the time of the dancers’ performances and open floors, you or someone in your group should plan ahead on buying an official Program.

Help to support our community’s advertisers and enjoy all sorts of wonderful artwork, event listings, troupe and teacher contact info, vendor contact info and other fun “schtuff” - it’s definitely something you’ll want to keep all year! In fact, you may wish to advertise in it yourself, so after you’ve read the rest of this FAQ, go back to the top and look to the left of your screen for a link that reads: “Advertise in The Program!” Several hundred Programs will be printed and sold out, so it may behoove you to take advantage of this opportunity. Not everyone subscribes to bellydance publications, but YOUR “target market” WILL be buying these suckers! LOL!***

Elsewhere on this site you will find lists of who’s doing the open floors on what day and what days all of our teachers and special acts are on. Usually I have that info ready by March or April, and of course things can change last minute. Check back then to find out who’s on when, thanks! Another great resource that is updated almost daily is our Tribe: http://bsbd.tribe.net I think you can view our Tribe without joining Tribe, but highly suggest that you do join. It’s
totally free, user-friendly and anonymous, so there is no reason not to, our entire Alternative BellyDance scene lives on there! LOL! Go to: www.tribe.net and just follow the easy directions to join.

In and out privileges are extended to all attendees via hand stamps that vary by day.

*Please note that Saturday’s Show price is different from Friday’s or Sunday’s, due to the huge length of time difference:*

Friday Night’s Show features 4 - 5 hours of performances. Sunday’s Show is 7 hours of performances. Friday Night and Sunday Show Entrance Fees are: Children under age 5 - free, Children between the ages of 5 and 12 - $10, Everyone 13 through 59 years of age - $15, Seniors over 60 - $10. Saturday’s All-Day, Extra-Long Show features 12 - 13 hours of performances. Saturday’s Show Entrance Fee is $20 for people between the ages of 13 and 60. 12 and under, $15, 5 and under $10.

Be aware that loud music will be played and that some acts may not be suitable for young children or queasy adults, depending upon your upbringing. Do not ask for the sound to be turned down, it won’t be. We like it LOUD. If you don’t please sit away from the speakers or stand in the back of the room where you will be more comfortable. Bringing earplugs is not against the rules, either, so take care of yourself but don’t be-atch!

There will be no total nudity to The Producer’s advance knowledge, yet it is not unusual to expect the possibility of burlesque-and-influenced acts, possibly down to pasties and g-strings, and other unique acts that push the envelopes and make Tribal Fest what we freaky bellydancers love and cannot see or express elsewhere. These are the very people I created this event for!

If you are frightened by alternative people, loud music, weird piercings and tattoos and who-knows-what kinds of surprises onstage, this may not be the event for you. On the other hand, Tribal Fest could open entirely new avenues of expression for you to explore! In fact, that is one of the reasons it was created for.

If you love freaky people and consider yourself one, this festival is for YOU. Bring your freaky selves and party down with your friends you only see here once a year! Wear what you want, dare to perform what you can’t elsewhere and love the event. Bring your open hearts and minds and keep The Fest Alive! One day, I’d love to see things like certain performance pieces, outdoor art, etc. that is created just for Tribal Fest, like people do for Burning Man. Let this event
be your inspiration for new ideas every year, pushing boundaries and envelopes until they pop with creativity!

SHOPPING:
You can shop to your heart’s content all five days outside! More than half of our vendors opt to sell all five days, so you will be able to have first crack at the one-of-a-kind goodies on Wednesday! Please note that our vendors sell goodies for Tribal dancers and related items that appeal to those of us who attend The Fest. You will not be blinded by acres of the latest from Cairo, and every vendor strives to be unique in their wares.

Vendors can be found Wed. - Sun. outdoors both on the Front Lawn and on the magical Labyrinth next to the Youth Annex. Saturday and Sunday they will be both out and indoors, in a classroom and in the main hall. There have been fewer and fewer vendors allowed indoors than for the first few years of this event to accommodate more chairs for the audience. Thank you to those of you who have noticed this and thanked us for it!

BEST FRIENDS ANIMAL SOCIETY BENEFIT RAFFLE & AUCTION
Each year Tribal Fest holds Raffles and Auctions throughout The Show to benefit Best Friends. The Producer, all vendors, some teachers and other kind attendees donate items of at least a $20 value for this cause. Often there are many items worth around $200 as well, and “combo gift baskets” made in advance by our vendors! Sometimes top name groups donate set lists covered with lipstick and DNA (sweat) in order to begin an auction-free-for-all, one year
raising $400 for The Indigo’s set list with the help of one of our bombastic announcers, Laura! Even our caterer gets into the action by donating his chef’s jacket covered with “the spoils of The Fest” and tons of teacher’s signatures, raising even more! 100% of the proceeds go directly to Best Friends Animal Society. Raffle Tix are available from Wed. - Sun. and are $1 each or the longest arm’s length you can find for $10! Read on to see why they are my favorite charity, and visit their web site, listed herein:

Best Friends’ home base is located in Kanab, Utah. They are pioneers in the field of no-kill sanctuaries and work with many other animal and environmental folks around the entire world. They never turn down an animal, no matter what shape it’s in when it arrives and have round-the-clock, almost all volunteer staff that includes veterinarians and surgeons. They fly adopted pets to their new families as well as pick up “unwanted” animals from places that are too
full and from hoarders, saving lives daily.

They offer summer programs and field trips for schoolchildren to learn to care for animals. They have programs where anyone can come and stay on site or in a nearby hotel, visit and work for a week in the animal department/s of their choice. They can help you become more involved in animals activism as well. I just cannot say enough about these folks at Best Friends!

They travel in teams to coordinate rescue efforts for those not allowed to evacuate with their families (and are helping with legislation to change that) during disasters such as Hurricane Katrina. Though the sanctuary is in Utah, they are everywhere either personally or via the Internet, working with groups and individuals not only across North America, but in places around the globe, including Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, India, Israel, Kosovo, Africa, India, China and Korea, keeping those who cannot speak for themselves from harm and showing people how to implement other alternatives and outlooks in cultures where this is a new idea.

They have flown many animals from around the world to Utah to live a life free from death or abuse, including cats from Saudi Arabia and Lebanon, race horses past their “prime,” elephants from crippling zoos or circuses, parrots who have outlived their human companions, wounded feral birds and animals for health care-and-return ..... the lists go on! They also lobby for heavier sentences for animal abusers, knowing that can escalate to human abuse as well, in an
attempt to stem that terrible tide of violence. Check ‘em out:www.bestfriends.org

VIDEO & PHOTOGRAPHY
People always ask about videography and photography at Tribal Fest, especially since my policy is so different from the rest of the events out there. Here are some quick answers:

***All recording devices, whether still or moving, are for your personal use ONLY. NO commercial use of any portion of any footage taken from Tribal Fest is allowed without written consent from the subject/s and the event producer. ONLY THE ARTISTS THEMSELVES ARE ALLOWED TO USE THEIR RECORDING in any public forum, such as YouTube (where you
can see LOTS of footage from Tribal Fest! = :-D).

No videos are available for sale at the event or afterwards due to recording label nightmares. There are NO commercial videos at all anywhere. We do not have “official videographers” that charge $30 for your own solo or group dance - invariably, done very poorly anyway. So, please bring your own camera, or a friend with one, to film your group’s set and whomever else you please as long as you follow the “agreements” below.***

VIDEOGRAPHY & PHOTOGRAPHY AGREEMENTS:
*No, you may not videotape the workshops. Even if it were OK with the teacher, the room would be too crowded with tripods everywhere, so NO. Perhaps your teacher has DVDs for sale, so ask her or him if you want something to practice with.
*Yes, you may videotape the show (or record by other medium) *UNLESS* the performer has requested in their announcement that they prefer not to be videoed. If you missed their announcement, use your judgement by looking around you to see if anyone else besides Chuck The Sound Guy (who is The Producer’s husband) is taping before you start. This includes your cell phone videos, too, so PLEASE BE RESPECTFUL of our PERFORMERS so that this policy may continue. Thank you!
*Still photography is allowed. No flashes right at a dancer, please! Be kind and thoughtful if using a camera of any kind and don't distract the performers. PLEASE POST A LINK to your Tribal Fest photo gallery on our Tribe: http://bsbd.tribe.net so that the artists you shot and attendees can view and save your photos of them. Asking for, or embedding into your photos your copyright is fully agreeable to dancers and only fair to you as the photographer, as a trade for allowing them to use your photos in promo, etc. It would be great if you could mention you shot these photos at Tribal Fest in return, thank you!
*Because of these unique policies, Tribal Fest tends to have lots of cameras. In order to keep this policy, the following AGREEMENTS for behavior must be upheld:
1. DON'T block audience members to get "that shot." Please do not be rude.
2. On Saturday and Sunday, cameras on tripods have only one spot in which you may stand to shoot from, which is to the left of the sound booth, where there will be fewer chairs to allow space for you and because Chuck - my husband and our Sound guy - needs to see the performers. Please be conscious of the vendor behind you and leave room for shopping at their booth. Naturally, do not block the Tribal Fest / BlackSheep BellyDance to the right of the sound booth, as chairs will come as far back as possible to that booth, allowing only enough room for Staff to get in and out. On Friday night, there are far more chairs and only 2 vendors total, so it will be easier to find a great place to shoot from, but be aware that on this night that will be pretty far back.
3. You may use hand-held cameras from the staggered rows of seats with great success, as long as you do not stand up in front of anyone to get a shot. Thank you!
4. You may also use your tripod from the center aisle seats as long as you have only one tripod leg in the aisle and the other/s over your own leg in front of your seat. This is obviously for making sure the aisle is not blocked at any time, a required safety necessity. Make sure the people seated behind you can still see The Show as well, thanks!
5. The Producer and Staff reserve the right to have you move if you’re blocking reasonable sightlines or are in the center aisle.

ARE THERE PAID STAFF POSITIONS?
Yes, two:
#1: RESPONSIBLE STAFF PEOPLE.
Optimally, I am looking for the same people every year to fill the same positions. If this is something you think you can commit to, definitely call me (# is below) and we’ll talk about what I can do to make each year more profitable for you, as you will become more valuable to me if you already know your job and have proven you are responsible. It pays to be a “regular!” = ;-) And, of course I’ll take the help each year from anyone willing to help out as well, “regular” or not!

Staff will be paid in cash after your shift/s are completed. Come to the Tribal Fest / BlackSheep BellyDance booth upon completion of your last shift to collect your pay and sign a cash receipt.

A minimum of 4 hours in one stretch per day is expected for Paid Staff and more is better. You will be paid according to the total numbers of hours worked that total 4 or more. If you cannot work 4 hours, we may still be able to use your help and you can still get in free to The Show that day, so ask anyway.

I will pay you $5 cash for every hour worked over 4 hours, on any day Friday through Sunday, and/or if you do the Friday set-up and Sunday take-down (mentioned below*).You will also get in free each day you have a shift to work and will be given the longest arm’s length of anyone you can find of raffle tix good to win prizes in our benefit Raffle for Best Friends!

If you wish to work one 4 - hour shift total, we welcome you to come in free on the day that you work and will still give ya that longest arm’s length of anyone you can find of raffle tix good to win prizes in our benefit Raffle. Depending upon the day, that is either a $25 or $30 savings, just for one shift!

**There are no Staff Positions open Wed. - Fri. afternoon** - this opportunity is for right before, after and during The Show only. *I need persons for Friday early afternoon and the same night after the show to help set up vendor tables, as well as on Sunday night after The Show ends to put them away. (Show ends by 6:00 p.m. on Sunday.) *Set-up and take-down crew can count both as one four - hour shift even though we’ll be done in less time!*

To become a Staff Member, please call: 808.891.8891 (24 hours) or email Chuck: mauimobilemusic@aol.com - with “TF Staff” in the subject line. Please tell us the following: your name, where you’re from, your email address (spelled out if calling), your phone number (leave it twice if calling), your age, your gender and relationship to Tribal Fest (attendee, student, performer, friend or significant other of a performer, etc.) and the day or part of the day from Fri. afternoon - Sun. night (including take-down) you are willing to work.

Be sure to take into consideration any classes you’re taking and/or your performance time, if any, BEFORE you ask to become TF Staff for a certain day or time period - thanks! If you contact us by phone or email, please be watchful for emails in the Spring and read them thoroughly and reply if asked to* after your email confirmation of receipt of your email from Chuck, or a telephone confirmation from me. Email will be our main method of communicating, and they will be sent out in bulk form of about 15 recipients at once (so please be sure to set your spam filters accordingly no later than March).

*(Sometimes we’ve had Staff who didn’t read their entire emails, assumed all was well, and showed up to find another person had been scrambled to be found because we thought you’d changed your mind if we didn’t get a reply as asked.)

This also happens when people “loose track of time” and show up for an expected position late. This is a very inconsiderate thing to do - remember that in most cases, you will be relieving another person from an already long-enough shift.

Thank you, Staff People, for being so responsible - without you The Fest would die, and I am not exaggerating!

and

#2: WRITE!
I am looking for at least four different Writers to Review your experience at Tribal Fest, so it can get the press it deserves. Reviews in our bellydance magazines help more than you can imagine. In fact, writing reviews is how I started getting my name out there to the global bellydance community and is what started my own writing career. Those early days gave me the wherewithal to write The Tribal Bible, too. I will gladly consider new authors as well!

Here’s how this will work: You must enroll in at least one or two classes during the week (Wed.- Sun.) and be there for as much of The Show as you possibly can stand. Entrance to your class/es and The Show will be paid by you and you will be fully reimbursed upon receipt of your review. You may even be forced to check out the vendors! Such torture!!! LOL! Still interested? Read on:

*You will then need to write about your experience honestly.

*I highly suggest your review contain brief (one or two sentence) quotes from random attendees, vendors, performers, workshop participants, teachers, maybe even the producer - so this is not a position for a shy person. Invest $20 in a small voice recorder for quotes (which are handy for workshop notes, too!) or a pad and pen if you’re a more old-fashioned reporter.

*You must also be able to operate a camera. The camera does not have to be professional, just pretty good to capture the ambience outside and a few performers, and maybe a photo of one of your workshops in action. Photos should be 300 dpi to be sure of publication, in any of the following email-able formats: jpg, pdf or tiff.

If you can do that, please call me at 808.891.8891 (24 hours) or email Chuck with “TF Reviewer” in the subject line (mauimobilemusic@aol.com) and in your message include your contact info: email addy and phone # (most important of all).

Once you’ve written your review, you will email it to the address above. I expect it to be finished within 1 month after the event has happened (say by the end of June). I will then tell you which magazine to submit your review to, as readers and editors hate to re-read the same ones and I will know who’s received what. This is why I hope for multiple
reviewers.

After we receive your emailed review and photos with your name and mailing address included, you shall receive a full refund for all show days you attended - and if you write an exceptionally well-written review using my suggestions above, you may also be refunded for one of your classes! You will be paid by business check in a thank-you card from
us suitable for framing. = :-D

We’ve learned oh-so-painfully over the years especially that although we’re sure almost everyone really does means well, that doesn’t mean they follow through. This is why we pay our Staff after they have completed their work, whether it be at Tribal Fest or as a Reviewer.

Please note that a Reviewer and a Staff Person can be the same persons in most cases. Gee, you might leave Tribal Fest with more $ than you came with! Well, probably not, let’s face it, us girls will shop at our giant once-a-year TribalMart until every last saved penny has been begged, borrowed and spent! Um, unless you’re a guy. Then you really *do* have a chance! Why be bored following your woman from table to table when you could be earning back some of that cash she’s busy spending? = ;-D

Thank you for becoming a Tribal Fest Staff Person!