Raunchy dancing could be a lucrative profession, The Standard learnt last week.
BY SILENCE CHARUMBIRA
Ex-raunchy dancer Beverley Sibanda, who has now repented, topped the list of well-paid dancers in the cut throat industry. All she did was to shake her boot in night clubs for a few hours and get paid handsomely.
According to one of the leading dance promoters who refused to be named, Bev earned more in towns like Gweru, Bulawayo, Mutare, Masvingo and Beitbridge where fans, starved of her raunchy dances, were prepared to pay a lot of money to watch her.
In the capital city, the situation was different because she had become all too familiar, and fatigue was setting in.
Despite that, promoters said Bev was hired mainly for mid-week shows, which still saw her raking in substantial amounts of money.
A leading promoter in Harare said they could at times book Bev in advance for two months and pay her in excess of US$3 000.
“We used to give her shows during the week. We would pay for two months in advance so that at least the fee would not be too high when compared to hiring her for show after show.”
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He said the shows also had to be held at different bars, as part of their contractual obligations.
“While it looks more attractive that she got these large sums all at once, it was strategic that she performed outside Harare during weekends because that is where people were still eager to see her perform,” he said.
Asked whether or not Bev had made a positive move by ditching the industry, the promoter said anyone would have taken up Magaya’s offer. “If Magaya had invited me I easily would have jumped at the chance. In fact, I would even close shop and accept a container of clothes as has been promised to Bev, if it is true,” he said.
The absence of Bev means her rival pole dancer Zoey Norleen Sifelani could now be smiling all the way to the bank.
Zoey, who has spurned invitations to join PHD, is second on the earnings list and is said to be earning an average US$500 per show when she performs outside Harare.
“Dancing and showbiz take a lot of work and I think Zoey did not take the PHD chance as reported simply because she is in her prime.”
Although Zoey refused to shed light on her earnings, Glee Bafana, popularly known as Gonyeti, said she charged US$80 per performance.
“We charge US$80 particularly because Gonyeti and the Trailers is still a new outfit,” she said.
“Although it is difficult to know how much the likes of Zoey earn, I believe they charge well over US$150 per show.”
Other smaller dancing groups however are said to be paid as little as US$40 per show due to desperation. Some accept figures lower than that, meaning they live from-hand-to-mouth.
