WHAT ’ S IN A NAME ?
By Amaya
“ What are you going to name your dance studio ? The yellow page ad deadline is today ,” asked the impatient telephone book salesperson .
I was a new owner of a dance studio in Austin , TX . The business set up had been quite easy , but it was the business name that stumped me . I weakly suggested , “ Maria ’ s Belly Dance Studio ?”
“ Ah … no . Too common ,” he said . In Texas it seems that 80 % of the female population is named “ Maria .” My legal name is Maria Amaya . In those early dance years , I was performing under my legal name of “ Maria .” Then my salesperson got a bright look on his face .
“ I know ! You should name it “ Amaya ’ s Belly Dance Studio !” You will then get top listing under the dance studio category !” And so there it was . My stage name was chosen by a yellow page ad salesperson !
My new professional name became simply “ Amaya .” At first it felt odd being called by my last name ( imagine this scenario if your last name was “ Smith ” or ‘ Johnson ,” etc .). I knew it was the right name , when shortly afterwards , I got a personal call from the George Abdo , famous singer from Boston , MA , asking to speak to the famous Amaya !
Over the years since , many people have asked me about their name … should a dancer switch to a stage name ? Stage names can give you control over how you are perceived ; how you want to be identified . For instance , if you are a blonde from the Midwest , you really could not fit a name such as “ La Tormenta .” A beautiful sounding name can stick in a fan ’ s mind far longer than even a beautiful costume ! While there are many well-known stars out there successfully using their birth certificate names ( i . e ., Frank Farinaro , Suzanna del Vecchio , Pablo Rodarte , Karen Barbee …), many dancers choose for an alter-ego style name .
30 The Belly Dance Chronicles � May 2021