When booking a flamenco performance, consider that you are hiring people to work as professionals and entertainers. A solid project plan based on the following considerations helps shape expectations of event organizers, artists, and guests.
Is your audience roving or seated?
Guests who are passing through or networking may enjoy a live guitarist who plays a mix of rumba flamenco, traditional flamenco, and Spanish classical music, as a form of memorable background entertainment. Guests who are seated will be able to pay full attention to a flamenco cuadro, the technical term for a group that includes a dancer, guitarist, singer, and palmero (hand clapper). This is what is popularly known as “live flamenco”, and it is not the same as a solo guitarist playing flamenco music – live. Sometimes, the cuadro may incorporate extra performers to suit the needs of a larger space.
How savvy is your audience?
It just takes one discriminating world traveler in a flamenco audience to qualify the talent that you hire. When the traveler says, “You know, I was in Seville back in… and I saw lots of flamenco there,” he’ll follow up with a comparison of the performers before him and that which he saw abroad. Savvy audiences require top talent, and in these cases, seek out professional talent; find those who trained in Spain; and make sure that you match quality with the expectations of the audience.
What is your venue like?
Flamenco is at its root an art form for intimate spaces: a living room, a restaurant after closing time, or a small night club. That is where audience members turn into ‘witnesses’ (thanks to Paul Hecht for that word), the true observers of a flamenco experience. Nonetheless, flamenco artists take the stage at festivals, in concert halls, vast ballrooms, even fish tanks and horse fields. Make sure your performers number enough to fill the space provided. And, when the space is small, make sure they do not interfere with the flow of people or conversation. Round spaces are deadly for acoustics, and meeting rooms swallow the sweetness of a warm guitar or finely tuned footwork. These concepts should be cared for in the planning process.
What is your budget?
Professional performers will charge from $800 – $2,000 per night for a cuadro (4 people on stage, total) on a weekend. This buys 0 – 120 minutes of entertainment, based on the size of venue, length of show, and other factors, and the performance uses the group’s typical repertoire. Amateur prices of $200 – $600 per cuadro (in this case, 4-8 people on stage) on a weekend night, performed by a group of people who may be on stage for fewer and/or shorter sets. There is quite a range of budget, repertoire, and experience between those two extremes. Please do not hesitate to ask for an explanation when encountering such a range. Shows on weekday nights and during daytime hours typically cost about 20% less. Any travel beyond 15 miles will incur fees, and the client is usually expected to cover travel and hotel costs. Even when performance times are less than two hours, these prices are typically the minimum charged. Everything is negotiable when considering number of performers on stage and scope of the project. If you have no budget, then please consider that professional artists are performing to make a living and they will limit their unpaid appearances.
Are you hiring a “world-class” artist?
World-class artists are musicians and dancers who make their living performing in major theaters around the world. This ranking is not for artists who have performed in more than one country or “internationally.” This ranking is only for elite performers – the superstars – who have a reputation for superior work in the most prestigious international arts venues. Their resume and employment references should reflect such engagements, as well as awards. And, these artists should be difficult to book, because they are in high demand, internationally. They are not typically available to perform at private parties, local arts festivals, or in schools. If you are lucky enough to book such an artist, then expect to pay at least $1,000 for a single performance.
Do you have a stockpile of sound and stage equipment?
Don’t worry if you do not! Professional performers can provide you with all the details that they require for a performance, including details such as the number of microphones and chairs on stage. Presenters should provide the requested items when possible and make comparable substitutions when they cannot. That said, many times performers upon request can provide their own stage and sound equipment, which for live flamenco includes, but is not limited to a level wooden-surfaced dance floor, two to four high-quality microphones paired with one boom stand with tripod legs per microphone, and a professional sound system that is adequately powered to fill the venue with balanced sound. Specific needs of performers vary depending on factors, such as number of musicians, singers, dancers, and size and shape of venue. The final outcome of sound and stage equipment should be agreeable to both the presenter and the performers.
How is your accounting?
Professional performers can send you a contract and invoice detailing all arrangements within 48 hours of a verbal agreement. Contracts are usually simple documents that outline the details for final review and approval. Many times performers request a 25 – 50% non-refundable deposit upon contract signing. This is a sign of good faith between the presenter and the performer, and it is encouraged to hold dates for professional artists whom often receive multiple requests for performances on the same date. Full payment of all balances should be made on the day of the performance, prior to the start of the performance.
How organized are you?
As presenting performances is project management, setting and meeting expectations is the key to success. The audience and the performers will want things to run on schedule. To make that happen, performers will usually arrive about one hour early to set up their equipment and perform necessary tests of the equipment, and they will strike the set and leave immediately following the performance. Early arrival beyond this norm, and meetings with planners, directors, decorators, etc., require additional time. Performers may charge a fee for this additional time. Scope changes made after contracting may incur additional charges. And, in the moment of the performance, performers can always elect when requested to entertain the crowd for additional time, based on the fee structure outlined in the contract.