Tribe.net. Local Connections Amira http://BDInstruction.tribe.net/thread/9c30c1db-9377-4467-a885-ec207a9f5363#454e46f2-5dd7-46dc-8fca-b3eb7fedea93 2007-08-02T19:36:08Z 2007-08-02T19:36:08Z

I agree with the rest! I still have doubts about my teaching abilities even though I see results in all my students. I was dancing & performing for 5 years before I started teaching. There is always room to grow, so take classes from different teachers & different styles. I tried cabaret & tribal and I took various workshops in both. I found a way to use all of it and used tricks from all my fellow teachers & students to pass along my knowledge of the dance to my students. Hang in there!

Amira 2007-08-02T19:36:08Z Samira http://BDInstruction.tribe.net/thread/9c30c1db-9377-4467-a885-ec207a9f5363#046e0144-0617-45b4-93b3-6d3e2e9f72cd 2007-07-30T23:28:13Z 2007-07-30T23:28:13Z

Alethea, It takes a LONG time, a lot of hard work and training AND investment. You took one class and you're asking about associations and videos. You didn't ask anything about classes, workshops, practice time etc. I would say- go to a class with someone who has been dancing professionally for years. You'll get the best feedback and most help. All of this takes time, dedication and money. You have about the same experience as "Beth" from the Biz of Belly Dance who was asking us about a specific venue and the inappropriateness of an owner. It was apparent her was vastly out of her league in trying to gig, but she still tried and the results were unfortunate. Take your TIME. Shay is exactly right: ENJOY being a student. Do you have any other sort of teaching experience? Do you have any other formal dance training? Please post a picture of yourself and post ore info about you so we know who you are. :)

Samira 2007-07-30T23:28:13Z Sian http://BDInstruction.tribe.net/thread/9c30c1db-9377-4467-a885-ec207a9f5363#2cc38e6f-6f3a-41c2-9e4b-6b4248b29e46 2007-07-30T10:38:14Z 2007-07-30T10:38:14Z

e Thats really interesting! I have been asked lately if I would start teaching. I 've been dancing for nearly 2 years now, and have performed a few times too. I have a little group of people who want to learn with me, so I was thinking about starting a fundamental's class which would accompany my tutors classes. Its just a thought at the moment, and this post is very interesting to read with this thought in my mind! Sian x

Sian 2007-07-30T10:38:14Z e. http://BDInstruction.tribe.net/thread/9c30c1db-9377-4467-a885-ec207a9f5363#ae6dcabb-096b-43f8-9969-e177798d6121 2007-07-26T15:57:05Z 2007-07-26T15:57:05Z

So I had an abrupt entrance into teaching, so I figure I'll share a small story.... But first, I can't emphasize how important it is to have regular practice, attend classes by your favorite instructors, and learn as much as possible about the dance form (history, music, other performers, I'd been a student of the Zafira Dance troupe here in the beautiful small city of Pittsburgh. Never had I taken a formal dance class before, but have I always danced around my house and at clubs/parties, and enjoy it thoroughly... My roommate, a drummer who started teaching for their classes, suggested I check it out. In the meantime, he had taught me a few basic rhythms and introduced me to some beautiful world music... Immediatly, I was hooked. So after about a year of Zafira classes (and *lots* of dancing at home), my friend Helen who has a bunch of experience in all kinds of dance forms, and I decided to choreograph a dance for an expo at our school. There were 15 beautiful ladies who signed up for the class, and it was my job to teach them how to dance. OK, a crash course in teaching, but I learned a LOT about what to do and what not to do. During this time, Olivia (Zafira) was teaching a Zill class that I was a part of, so as it turns out, the same weekend that our symposium show was going up, I was in my first-ever dance performance as a student of bellydance... WHEW!! During this time, I had friends (and family) asking me to show them how to teach bellydance.... I learned a lot of little tricks while trying to give them a crash-course in one fun move in 4 minutes or less. The success I had during these few months stemmed directly from the fact that I (a) attended my teachers classes regularly (2x a week, usually) (b) danced a lot at home (I think every day), and was open to suggestions, criticism, and trying almost anything. That, and my teachers (Tamara, Olivia and Maria of Zafira) are all *excellent* teachers, very diverse styles. I have been teaching ever since (barring a back injury caused from being a jerkass on a yoga ball), have started a dance troupe, and *am always learning*. I take workshops whenever possible and take classes whenever I travel. Getting exposed by finding videos and working on new moves is always fun too. And dancing with a troupe can give you motivation when you are lacking. Hope my story helps a little! Give it yer all, sister.

e. 2007-07-26T15:57:05Z Kira http://BDInstruction.tribe.net/thread/9c30c1db-9377-4467-a885-ec207a9f5363#5b13c6ad-88bf-4da2-929f-41a7bb23dd71 2007-07-25T05:45:18Z 2007-07-25T05:45:18Z

I have to say something. I didn't see where Alethea said that after one class, she wanted to be a teacher. She said it was a "life goal". I really do understand the point being made, repeatedly, that she should focus on her own personal dance skills before she decides to try to pass them onto another .It is a vaild point, a very logical and necessary point, but there really is another way to look at this as well. If you had known from the very beginning, that first day that you stepped into your very first belly dance class, that you might want to be a teacher one day....how enhanced would your own teaching be today? How wonderful would that be, to be able put yourself back in that position of being a newbie student again? To be able to not take your own knowledge for granted? I wish I had had the forsight to think that I might even have been interested in ever teaching when I first started. I certainly would have watched situations more closely, I would have asked my co-dancers what they liked and disliked in class, how they learned the best. Maybe this gal has more insight than everyone realizes. Maybe she is smart to think about this now. Maybe not, maybe she is jumping the gun and just really pumped about belly dance. I notice she hasn't made any comments on this thread. But...I like to give people the benefit of the doubt. I think that its not that bad of an idea to think about goals like that. BTW...I don't think anyone on here has been rude or anything like that...I just wanted to comment on my point.

Kira 2007-07-25T05:45:18Z "Shay" http://BDInstruction.tribe.net/thread/9c30c1db-9377-4467-a885-ec207a9f5363#375b6966-4c3f-4efa-ba8d-786d1800dcc6 2007-07-25T01:38:03Z 2007-07-25T01:38:03Z

My best advice is: ENJOY BEING A STUDENT FIRST! Like a child who wants to grow up to fast, they find out as an adult that they really should have enjoyed those carefree times as a child more, and taken advantage of the pure joy and freedom it afforded them. After only one class, deciding you want to be a teacher is somewhat alarming to me. It says to me someone who is overeager, and is likely to not only skip important steps in their development, but later have regrets about not being able to enjoy the pure student experience and all the beauty and joy it holds. When you become a professional performer or teacher, you look back and definitely miss some of those days when you didn't have to look at the dance with a critical eye, or make stylistic choices for this practical reason or that, or worry about your reputation or marketing or image or... Being a student means a level of freedom of expression and permission to make mistakes that a professional has to spend a lot of their energy trying to sidestep or avoid. Please please please. Don't be so eager to leap forward. Be right where you are right now, and let things develop naturally, without pushing it or forcing it. Enjoy this time. You will be glad you did, I promise.

"Shay" 2007-07-25T01:38:03Z Nadira http://BDInstruction.tribe.net/thread/9c30c1db-9377-4467-a885-ec207a9f5363#950aa801-dcac-43e2-98c5-c92097addf78 2007-07-25T00:27:33Z 2007-07-25T00:27:33Z

I agree! Took me 8yrs before I decided to teach, and it was by many of my fellow dancers twisting my arm for me to teach. I knew that there were things that I wanted to improve and do with my career before I devoted myself unselfishly to mentoring upcoming dancers. You have to be at a stage in your personal dance to be able to bring up dancers and have pride in them, and realise that they will move on and grow too. Take from as many teachers you can yes, and if you do decide to get videos, I would recommend you get performance videos from Egypt, Lebanon, Turkey etc. whatever style interests you and watch them over and over. What is seriously missing from American dancers and dancing from an Arabic stand point is the emotion, the understanding of what the music is saying, the longing. It is what I have heard so often from my Arabic friends and in dancing for the Arabic community. Learn etiquette of dancing for different venues and audiences. Be a dancer with the utmost of respect. There is such a stigma attached to being an Oriental dancer, and to be the artist that will be respected and sought after. I teach my students not only to dance, but why you dance, to have emotion, not a pasted smile on your face through the whole song, to know your music and to hold yourself as a lady before, and during your performance until you leave your venue. There is much to learn, and a true teacher realises that she/he is a student too. Travel if you can and learn the culture. Being an instructor is very rewarding but a lot of work. Much Happiness in your dancing journey!

Nadira 2007-07-25T00:27:33Z Annwyn http://BDInstruction.tribe.net/thread/9c30c1db-9377-4467-a885-ec207a9f5363#50e447ca-bc5a-48f4-b9a5-66c9a06cbdae 2007-07-24T23:25:41Z 2007-07-24T23:25:41Z

Know your BD history how can you teach a dance that you dont know the roots. The better you know your history the better you can interpret the dance. And of course everything every one said above. BECOME A GREAT DANCER then teach the dance.....

Annwyn 2007-07-24T23:25:41Z Devi http://BDInstruction.tribe.net/thread/9c30c1db-9377-4467-a885-ec207a9f5363#3bc27d75-c463-4ea8-a65c-7c009fd6b828 2007-07-23T17:39:32Z 2007-07-23T17:39:32Z

Alethea, You must be really new.. I see that you just became a tribe member and this is your first post on the same day .. You picked a big question for your first. As the others have said - become a dancer FIRST. Seasoned. Well studied. I hate when someone takes a few classes and because their family and friends say they are great - they think they can teach. I reall does take years to do it right. You do not want to pass on bad habits that you crreate by rushing it. Just take classes for a while - from a reputable teacher. Then work on performing [ student hafla's don't count, sorry] when you are a featured dancer some where and your name gets around as a strong dancer... THEN think of teaching. In the meantime - take notes. save every hand out from every class, every workshop. When you grow to teacher status - you will have a format to follow in teaching

Devi 2007-07-23T17:39:32Z Lisa http://BDInstruction.tribe.net/thread/9c30c1db-9377-4467-a885-ec207a9f5363#ca60cf6d-a498-4352-94f6-8358c21d2a13 2007-07-22T23:10:11Z 2007-07-22T23:10:11Z

note: see also the rigor in classical Indian dance...!

Lisa 2007-07-22T23:10:11Z Lisa http://BDInstruction.tribe.net/thread/9c30c1db-9377-4467-a885-ec207a9f5363#b9581ddc-4a5b-41a5-aa5e-753be2b56776 2007-07-22T23:08:55Z 2007-07-22T23:06:13Z

Adding some to what this brilliant person had to say-- Don't just study one form. Study all the different flavors, and study more than just belly dance. There are also centuries of experienced teachers in the Western dance forms. You can learn a lot about the rigor required to make dance "serious art" in these forms. Also, my new favorite analogy is that you can paint more with primary colors (because you can mix them to make new colors) - than you can paint with pastels or pre-mixed colors. Meaning: study the "pure" folkloric/tribal/raqs forms so that you can create your own fusions. And enjoy yourself!

Lisa 2007-07-22T23:06:13Z dandylion http://BDInstruction.tribe.net/thread/9c30c1db-9377-4467-a885-ec207a9f5363#cb8d1b99-01dd-4b86-9ab5-4c83a11bba67 2007-07-22T22:08:25Z 2007-07-22T22:08:25Z

Hi, If your want to teach - dance, dance, and dance somemore. Be aware of how you react to moves and teaching methods, how others react. take athletic first aid...go to your local comunity college see if they have classes on teaching adults...get uncle mufufo 's rythm music or mary ann donnely'sdance to this until you know which moves fit which music. . Study yoga abit, study some sort of martial arts a bit. After you have worked on all of this stuff find the best bd instructer in your area and see if she will take you on as a student teacher for a year And hang in there no matter what the opposition is :). On average my students who become teachers study for 3-5 years before looking at teaching - even if they have previous teaching experience. Dandylion

dandylion 2007-07-22T22:08:25Z Woodrow http://BDInstruction.tribe.net/thread/9c30c1db-9377-4467-a885-ec207a9f5363#29030ed2-e669-4673-b034-8a1a650301d5 2007-07-22T03:31:50Z 2007-07-22T03:31:50Z

I'll likely dup what some others have said; if so, please forgive me. * Focus, for now, on becoming the best dancer you can. Practice Practice Practice, and then Drill Some More. * Prepare to Wait. I tell people that you'll know you're supposed to teach when people who watch you dance are astonished you're not. That's as good a metric as any I've ever heard. * Network. I know it sounds odd, but really, you want to have a solid cadre of people to pull information and opinions from. Be sure to include people from outside your particular dance interest -- for example, having Egyptian Style dance friends if you do Tribal Fusion ala Rachel Brice. If you're in VA, try WAMEDA (google for it) for a group to join. * Learn how people learn. This is a tough subject -- there's a reason teachers go to school for this stuff! But there's lots of interesting information on the 'Net for this; a blog that's sadly on-hiatus that's GREAT for ideas on teaching is Creating Passionate Users (google for it). * Learn the history of this dance. There's a lot of myth, a lot of pablum, out there. Morocco's site ( http://www.casbahdance.org/ ) is a good starting point, and I posted a list on Amazon ( http://xrl.us/RaqsHistoryBooks ) with a bunch of resources that I consider very solid for learning about the form. * Learn about the human body. At the very least, bone up on some anatomy, and a good book on how dancers move (even if it's ballet-focused). Carolena of Fat Chance has an ACE Physical Trainer certification, and I've heard it's highly regarded in those circles. I'd recommend it over any sort of "belly dancer certification" at this juncture. * Do deep studies of the form(s) you want to teach. There's a lot to know, from weight-shifting to the variety and (re)combinations of movements to the details of where hands go as you move. You don't need to know it all to start teaching, but you need to know enough to not make severe mistakes. That takes lots of study and practice. * Develop a good sense of humor, and solid presentation skills (check out http://www.presentationzen.com/ for lots of wisdom in this arena), even when you're exhausted and drained. Too many teachers forget that humor is an amazing teacher in itself, and many of the teachers we recall best are the ones who taught tough, but also allowed for fun! Notice how little of what I say has to do with dance itself? Good teaching, the kind that gets you lots of gigs and students, takes far, far more than just sharing moves. Does any of this help?

Woodrow 2007-07-22T03:31:50Z B http://BDInstruction.tribe.net/thread/9c30c1db-9377-4467-a885-ec207a9f5363#e8253f4d-4a2c-4988-b02e-0a052efa7464 2007-07-21T16:00:00Z 2007-07-21T16:00:00Z

try to figure out your niche. after, of course, becoming a strong enough dancer to know how to find it! :) after you find your niche, develop it. realize who your favorite/best teachers are and sign up for their classes, workshops, certifications, private lessons. keep growing fully as a person, enjoying the prcoess. for now, have fun being a student and taking it all in!

B 2007-07-21T16:00:00Z Magdelena http://BDInstruction.tribe.net/thread/9c30c1db-9377-4467-a885-ec207a9f5363#bd9c5beb-054b-455a-b92c-d0b75def4e90 2007-07-21T12:42:32Z 2007-07-21T12:42:32Z

If is your ultimate goal to become an instructor - as mentioned above you will need to become a strong dancer & performer in your own right & this really does take years... I would also like like to add the necessity of seriously knowing middle eastern music. Know who the classic mucisians & composers are as well the pop perfomers. Know what the translations are or at the very least what the song is about. It is also necessary to know the country of origin with music - there is a lot of history over there & it will serve you well to understand some of that history (a perfect example is there still is a lot of resentment against the Ottoman empire - 9/8's were not performed to Egypt for years as a backlash against the occupation & a lot of Greeks still dont like the Turks even though the music sounds similar) Another point is to know the history of this dance & the dancers who have performed it over the years. I recently met a dance instructor (who said she had been teaching for 12 years) at a workshop who didn't know who Sohair Zaki & Fifi Abdo were - this same individual didn't know Mahmoud Reda had a troupe and this person was at his wokshop... I find this general lack of knowledge appaling in the age of the internet. Lastly - never ever stop taking classes & educating yourself - there is always something new to learn Just my $.02

Magdelena 2007-07-21T12:42:32Z Kira http://BDInstruction.tribe.net/thread/9c30c1db-9377-4467-a885-ec207a9f5363#cc5155b2-ac54-4abb-9b9d-8873b0aad923 2007-07-21T06:42:29Z 2007-07-21T06:42:29Z

I would take Sandra's suggestion one step further. As a new student and new belly dancer, this is a great time to log your own feelings, learning difficulities, issues with teachers and workshop instructors, variances in teaching methods and demonstrations that made a difference in how you learned best. These things can be vital to you one day if you become an instructor. Being able to accurately remember (never rely on your own memory, it will skew over time) will be a valuable resource to you and potential students as you will be able to better recall how it felt to be a newbie, on up to an advanced level student and dancer. Kira

Kira 2007-07-21T06:42:29Z Sandra http://BDInstruction.tribe.net/thread/9c30c1db-9377-4467-a885-ec207a9f5363#b2daa7f0-75cf-48eb-b8ba-307c0eaf65e5 2007-07-20T22:10:42Z 2007-07-20T22:10:42Z

Perhaps you should become a strong dancer before you think about becoming an instructor. However, it would probably be good to keep records on how other teachers teach things, what ideas worked for you, what didn't, etc. As for videos, they are never a substitute for an instructor. Eventually, you should take from as many teachers as you can (seminars) and continue to learn to continually grow your own style.

Sandra 2007-07-20T22:10:42Z Alethea http://BDInstruction.tribe.net/thread/9c30c1db-9377-4467-a885-ec207a9f5363#d34d3cd1-a910-4606-ac7f-30907c269ed6 2007-07-20T21:59:05Z 2007-07-20T21:59:05Z

A life goal of mine is to become a belly dance instructor. I'm aware that I have years to go, as I've only taken one class. But I was wondering everyone's advice on how to go to a novice to an instructor. What videos should I watch? What associations should I join? What are the steps from going to a novice to being able to perform? And after that, what are the steps to becoming a teacher? I know very little except what I learned in that one class and what I'm finding on the internet. What are the things I need to know, and how to I go about learning them? Thanks so much.

Alethea 2007-07-20T21:59:05Z