Business in the U.S. Odd & Bizarre Jobs: Belly Dancer

About odd jobs and bizarre ways to make a living in the United States, being a belly dancer.

Unusual Ways of Making a Living

Belly Dancer: Good exercise, good pay, flexible hours, and it's art too. Legitimate belly dancing is not just go-go dancing. It's an art, but because it has sexual overtones, it's a money-making art. Restaurants and clubs pay $5 to $15 per hour, depending on the dancer's expertise. One California sociology student took several belly-dance classes and now works her way through school by moonlighting in a San Francisco restaurant. She dances only 20 minutes out of each hour, spends the rest of the time studying. "It started as just a job," she says, "but I like it so much that I'm thinking of changing my major to dance."