About
What is Caravanseray Vienna Dance Festival?
Caravanseray Vienna Dance Festival is a four-day hybrid event dedicated to the art and community of fusion bellydance and related art forms, with 8 workshops, 3 shows and surrounding community social events.
-> About
When is it happening?
The 2023 edition takes place on Friday, 23rd to Monday, 26th of June 2023
-> Schedule
When can I book my workshops and tickets?
The booking opens in specific booking windows:
- Very Early Bird 1.-10.12.2022
- Early Bird 1.-10.2.2023
- Regular Bird 1.-20.4.2023
- Late Bird 1.-25.6.2023
For workshop descriptions and prices click here.
Booking & Workshops
How does the booking work?
All bookings will run via the eventbrite platform and the prices will rise with each booking window.
Each booking window opens at midnight on the first day and closes at midnight on the last day. There will be no booking possible outside the booking windows! This gives us time to process and reply to everyone, get a feel of the response and interest in the festival, allocate our resources and be able to react accordingly for the next booking window.
You will be able to book a package of 4 workshops or a package of 8 workshops. The bookings are non-refundable and the singular workshops from the packages are non-transferrable. There are no single workshops available for now.
Can I select the workshops for the 4-Pack workshop booking?
Yes, click on the different options via Eventbrite. We highly recommend booking as early as possible to have a full choice of workshops. As these choices will have to be filed in manually by us after you book, there’s a tiny possibility some of the workshops you chose have already sold faster than we can manually update stock, but be assured, we’ll register everything in booking order and will get in contact with you if that should happen.
Can I come live in person or participate online?
Both are possible, we’re a hybrid dance festival.
Can I combine live and online participation in one booking?
Eventbrite will let you choose a live or an online option. There’s no option to choose for each workshop individually – if you do need both, we recommend you book the live option and write us a message how you plan on attending each workshop. It’s always possible to switch from live to online attendance even on short notice, the other way around is only possible if there still are free live spots.
Will there be recordings?
Yes. You’ve asked for it at CarVie22, it worked great, so we’ll do it again. Please simply choose the online attendance option during booking, and if we don’t see you participating online in the zoom meeting during the festival we’ll send you the link to the recording.
How long will the recordings be available?
Recordings will be available to watch for around two weeks after the end of the festival.
What do the workshop levels mean?
We are glad to be able to offer various workshop themes by an international teacher team. The levels are marked as open or intermediate. Open level means no prerequisites or previous experience in fusion bellydance is needed. Dance or movement experience is of advantage but not required, you will be able to get a lot of input from the open level workshops regardless of your level. Intermediate level workshops expect a certain experience or knowledge level, stated in the workshop description. This year it concerns the FCBD style workshops and the Improv Performance Creation workshop because of the prerequisite knowledge of one of the group improv languages so that you’re able to dance with the other participants. Generally you could also sign up for an intermediate workshop if you are a brave and motivated beginner!
Are there any other requirements for the workshops?
All humans are welcome, from independent teenagers to enthusiastic golden-agers. We do realize bellydance is perceived as a very feminine dance form, but our goal is to have all genders participating in class, so that it’s not an oddity anymore and everyone can feel comfortable. We’re proud to say that it is slowly but steadily getting more varied each year.
Come as you are!
If you have a pre-existing health condition or are worried about health risk, please discuss your intention to join a belly dance workshop with your doctor or specialist before attending a workshop. You are reminded that you attend at your own risk.
Are the locations wheelchair friendly?
Yes, for the shows: Theater of Desire at SimmCity, Oasis of Dreams at Outdoors and the Breakfast at Motto am Fluss. Maybe for the Feast of Desire at Martinsschlössl. Sadly no for the Workshops & Bazaar at Loft25.
In which language are the workshops taught?
English, but let us know if you need translation help in other languages, we’ll try to find you language buddies.
I have financial troubles, and still want to take part, what can I do?
The past few years have been hard on everyone, so if it’s an issue, please go check out the new Caravanseray Community Dance Pot – link. We’ve been successfully using this system for our Nakari classes since 2020 and are now bringing it to CarVie as well. Please take and give as much as you wish.
Performing
How can I perform at the Caravanseray Vienna Festival?
Performance Applications will open in each booking window and are bound to the workshop booking or the performance fee. We will answer the applications after each booking window and select the best evening to showcase your proposed performance. First come – first serve, your chance is the highest, the sooner you hop on!
What are the requirements for performers?
You need to fill out the performance application form. Please be aware that it is mandatory for each solo, duo or trio performer on our stages to book at least the 4WS Package. For the groups of 4 or more dancers, three WS Package bookings are mandatory and there is the option of paying a performance fee instead of booking workshops by the additional group members, in case some are not interested in taking workshops.
What if I want to perform multiple times?
If you want to perform multiple times, e.g. solo and with a group, you are very welcome to send multiple Performance Application Forms. Performers with more workshop bookings for more performances will be prioritized.
What will I need to fill out the performance application form?
All details are listed in the form. The form is basically our place to go for all your performance information in one spot. We do realize that you probably won’t have a performance already ready and filmed in Dec ‘22 for a performance in June ‘23, but don’t worry. In the first booking window, we just have to get a general idea of what you want to do, style and atmosphere of your performance and whether it is a solo or a group piece, how big the group is, etc., so we can decide on which evening to book your slot. You’ll be asked to update the forms with detailed information closer to the event.
A little cheat sheet for the performance applications: You will need stage name of the group or soloist – legal names of all group members – city & country – contact phone number – website – instagram account tags – a text about you or your troupe – your completed workshop bookings or performance fee tickets – for each of your performance options: performance title, video of the piece (can be rehearsal video as well, in this case please send us a photo or video of the costume planned), style, music title and artist, track length (solo 3min, duo 4min, group 5-6min), text about the piece – link to your promotion photos which you have legal copyrights to (google drive, dropbox) – codeword: bald eagle
Can you guarantee me a performance spot?
Yes for the Very Early Bird Booking Window and highly likely for the Early Bird Booking Window as well. In the past few years we have always managed to find at least one performance slot for everyone who applied and fulfilled the requirements, and we shall manage this year too. We just have to match the performances to the best suited show evening and ask for a bit of flexibility from you and ourselves.
What kind of performances are welcome?
Caravanseray Vienna is Austria’s biggest international dance festival for Contemporary Bellydance, Tribal and Fusion Art Forms. We welcome all dance styles, Contemporary Art is open and flexible in mixing many styles together so that everything finds its place. We aim for rich shows with many different pieces, please send us performance options for more than one show location!
How are the three show evenings different from each other?
Theater of Delight on Friday is taking place at SiMM City, there is a stage with a dance floor and stage lights. Please be aware that there is very limited time for solo performances, we have our teacher team, big groups and Dumbledore’s Army performing here.
Feast of Desire on Saturday is at a cozy Austrian restaurant with a small stage and a dance floor that invites communication between performers and audience. Next to our beloved bellydance and fusion pieces, the stage is now open to hot and spicy burlesque acts as well! Stage is perfect for solos, or small groups.
Oasis of Dreams on Sunday takes place outdoors on a meadow of Prater if the weather is kind. It’s ideal for space-filling performances, aerial arts, circus props and LED or even fire; the performance projects will perform here, and we’re in general more flexible with this show; in case of bad weather we have an indoor alternative at the studio.
When will I know if I got a performance slot and in which show?
First come – first serve principle. After each booking window closes, we sort out the performance applications and decide which performances fit best to which show, you’ll hear from us via email.
Our troupe does FCBD / ITS / Dialects Improv, can we still apply without a choreo video?
We love you and we would like to have you all with us at the CarVie. Therefore we need to know from you, as we do from all the other performers, what you are planning for your performance. We know that you are very adaptable and diverse, nevertheless we need specific proposals with music, possibly props. Please send your favorite option as the first option, you can send as many additional options or special ideas as you like.
Is Fire Dancing an Option?
Please be aware that dancing with fire is in a legal grey zone in Vienna, so it might be best if you also have another option for us with LED or other alternatives, which you can switch to if needed. If we have a very hot summer with no rain, then there will be a general open fire restriction.
Are Aerial Acrobatics possible?
We had a stage pole and an aerial rig already at CarVie in the past and we have the possibility of renting an aerial rig this year, where we could mount silks, hoop,…it all depends on what performance wishes we’re getting from you. You’re welcome to think out of the box. Please be aware that we won’t be able to assist with transportation and construction of the rig on the day of the show as we are organizing everything else, so you’d have to take care of that yourself.
What are the deadlines for performance information, music etc?
Deadline for completing the performance information and submitting the music track is April 20th, 2023. (end of the third booking window)
Can I send you performance information via email or message as well?
Please don’t, instead update your performance application form anytime you want to add any details and only send us a message to inform us that you updated the form. The form is the only place where we have all your information we need for announcements, advertisement and stagetime in one place. We usually need that info weeks and months after you send it to us, so it’s impossible to sift through loads of individual messages from everyone. We want to work efficiently and try to save precious time, so please be clear and keep everything in the form.
Why do I have to book workshops for a performance slot?
We organize this festival because we are two idealists who love the dance and the community around it. We don‘t receive any funding or government support and have to finance everything through the festival and our own pockets only. The past two years have been very hard for the festival’s financial situation and we are very unsure at the moment if we can afford to continue organizing Caravanseray. We do want to give the fusion bellydance community the proper stage and platform that we feel it deserves – so we’re trying things differently this year with a new booking system and raised prices, to hopefully get the amount of money we actually would need to make this possible without depleting our personal ressources. The festival only exists with your support, financially and otherwise. This year is a testrun for the new system – we’ll see if the community is still interested in having a big festival and platform like this.
Will there be photos and videos of the shows?
Yes, we have a team of photographers and videographers documenting the whole festival. The photos will be shared on social media after the festival. Performers will have the opportunity to purchase high res photos and video material of their performances.
Vending & Teaching
How can I vend at the Bazaar?
This year’s bazaar space is already fully booked. If you‘re interested to vend at a potential future edition of the festival, please contact us at nakari@nakari.info in July 2023 with a description of your products and how they fit in the CarVie concept.
How can I teach at the festival?
The teachers are selected by Doro and Michaela based on personal experience in teaching, performance, personality and their presence in the bellydance community. Your best bet is to come to CarVie as a participant, experience the festival first and meet us in person. We plan each edition more than a year in advance with the next teacher team already in mind and there is no teacher application for the festival.