In my active gigs years I had a especial strategic on how I prepared and organised my music for multiple gigs which saved my life so many times. I always preferred to have an individualised approach to every event, to make sure I prepare a program that fits the best to the client's needs. As a result, my music playlist was almost always different in every performance. Often I had up to 4 different events to perform on a single day. So, how to make sure there is no mess with the music, and all performances go smooth?

My rule #1: I always put my playlist into one continuous track. This way DJs will never confuse the order of songs because there are not many options. Also, I can control how long pauses between songs are: do I need a few extra seconds to put my prop away, or should these songs blend into each other without even a stop, etc. I use Audacity, a free software for all my music edits, but there many other alternatives.
There is nothing else on the USB except my music for this specific evening/day.
Each event is separated into a different folder with recognizable title (venue/DJ's name/ type of event, whatever works better).
If I do several acts at one event, there will be separate folders for each entrance, and both folder and track will be named "1st costume", "2nd costume", etc. Make it super obvious for the DJ that dances are in different costumes, so he won't play the second track right after the first one. That's why they are separated in different folders, as well as clearly marked by what is what. And btw, better to still tell him in-person that there is a break between these tracks for your costume change.
I always have music on three devices: CD, USB, and phone. Even in situations when I was told to bring just CD, or just USB, having my music on a backup device saved my life many times. Some restaurants have old sound systems that read only CDs, for instance. Once I had a situation where event organizers had to change the DJ last minute, and his new sounds system didn't have extra plugs for USB, but they forgot to update me on it. So it's always better to be prepare for any unpredictable situation.
I also start putting music on Dropbox (or Google drive) in case none of my devices work. This way I can send a link to a Dropbox folder on spot, and if the DJ or venue has access to Wifi, they can download music directly on their computer/phone.
It may look like overkill but I also have two USBs with me. It is super helpful especially if you have several performances within one evening. You never know if the DJ returns back your USB, or someone else’s that just looks like yours. It’s definitely not the best surprise to discover such mistake once you arrive to your next venue.

Treat your music preparation seriously, because at the end of the day it's an essential part of your dance show. And once you get used to this system, it just become a pre-show habit that will solve a lot of possible headache during the event.

If you want to dig deeper on this topic, I highly recommend to check out my Business Course for Belly Dancer which talks more in depth about preparation to the show. It also includes several lectures exclusively about structuring, editing and preparing your music playlist for the show.

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Author: Iana Komarnytska
Photographer: Pedro Bonatto