From The Hip - Page 3
It’s always disheartening as a teacher to have a student that you’ve helped become a successful soloist turn her back on you or act ungratefully in some way. The question is: what can I say on this subject that's going to be of any use to you?
The fact is that there’s not much advice I can give about ways to cope with it or react to the situation because, firstly, every case will be completely different from the next. And secondly, I don’t really know how to cope in a mature, healthy way myself (I just get pissed off...clearly not a mature or healthy response). The only thing I do know is that this kind of thing happens all the time.
The only explanation I can offer is that unless a student is herself teaching and helping people get to that point in their dancing, she will always act as the child and you as the mother in your relationship. And, in the typical mother-child relationship, the child is the one that takes and the mother is the one that gives. Particularly at the teenage stage of development (and I’m not just talking about kids here, I’m also talking about dancers’ I-know-everything-don’t-tell-me-what-to-do teenage phase) there is a certain egotism that makes for an attitude that is often selfish.
It’s quite a rare student that always keeps their mother-in-Bellydance in the forefront of their minds as the person who they should always show gratefulness and respect to. The student that does this is very mature indeed. For the others, the only thing that will show them the light is if they are ever in that position themselves: the position of a teacher or mentor getting other dancers on their feet in the business who then turn around and give them a proverbial slap in the face.
Until then, I know it sounds pessimistic, but don’t expect too much from the dancers you ‘gave birth to’ - they are human, and human nature is selfish. It’s not the best way to deal with this I know, but as I said before I have no actual solution. You can’t fight human nature, so work with it: engage in your human nature to protect yourself and do so emotionally by hoping for the best while still being prepared for the worst. Somewhat of a contradiction it seems, but so is biting the hand that feeds.
Okay, here are some harsh words for troupe performers wanting to performing solo:
Before you even think about performing solo:
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Performing in public means you have to be able to handle public critique, both good and bad.
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If you do a solo unprepared and don’t do a good job of it, expect your teacher to say something about it to you and the other troupe members. To you so that you learn from your mistakes, and to the others so that they can learn from your mistakes.
To the troupe leader:
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Never assume that because someone doesn’t ask for help in preparing for a solo show that they don’t need advice and guidance.
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Never assume that because someone says they have performance and dance experience they have it to the standard that's required for a solo performance.
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Never assume that a student successful in dancing with a troupe can handle a solo performance.
To the performer who gets critique and doesn’t like the critique being known to others in the troupe:
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Why shouldn't the other troupe girls hear it? It's the kind of thing everyone should hear, so that they know what the teacher expects.
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Particularly if you are going to perform the troupe songs in public, you are automatically open to critique, specifically from your teacher. It is their reputation on the line and they have the right to protect it.
To the performer who feels hurt by critique:
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The longer you dance the longer you’ll have to be on the receiving end of critique. It’s part of the game. Deal with it.
- If you can't take public critique, don't dance in public.
Does Loving Dancing Equal Teaching?
I have heard, over the years, a comment from many a student that goes something like this: “I love Bellydancing, so I want to improve, become an advanced dancer, and then become a teacher.”
There is a simple answer to the question “Is loving dancing enough of a reason to teach it?” and that answer is: NO.
To expand on that answer let me say this: no, no and no.
To expand on that further: teaching is not simply dancing. So loving dancing doesn’t necessarily mean you should be teaching. Teaching is a skill unto itself, and not everyone is made for teaching. Just like everyone is not made for performance - a skilled teacher is not necessarily a skilled performer, and vice versa.
And so the question to ask yourself is this: why do you want to teach? Because let me tell you straight up that once you start teaching you’ve immediately turned your hobby into a job. And that’s good on the one hand because it’s great to do work that you like, but on the other it can make what you love somewhat less enjoyable for you. Because no longer is it a simple matter of ‘want to’ it’s a matter of ‘have to’ and as soon as you add those two little words to any equation, your mindset shifts - and in some cases into a very negative place.
As a student, when you’re not feeling up to going to class, you don’t have to go. As a teacher, if you’re not feeling up to it, bad luck: you’re going whether you like it or not. Not only do you go, but you put on your happy face and teach the best class you’ve taught so far. And that 'have to' can really sour your love of dancing very quickly.
One of the worst experiences of my life was teaching an hour’s class while feeling very nauseous. Every movement I made, every breath I took made me want to hurl, but I had to keep on going - smile on my face - because I couldn’t find a replacement for myself that night. I have taught many classes with a pressure headache (similar to a migraine). I have sometimes spent months trying to get over a simple flu because teaching (the yelling over the music, the physicality, etc) don’t allow you to recover properly.
So there are downsides to teaching dance, just as there are downsides to pretty much everything else in life. So keeping in mind that there’s always a flipside to everything, consider the positive and the negative before you think that your love of dance will propel you through the world of teaching without a hitch. Love does not conquer everything - it certainly can’t conquer nausea or headaches, that’s for sure.
I’d like to know why, as soon as some dancers gain experience, they have no memory of what it was like to be new in the industry.
I got a call a few weeks ago from a dancer who needed a replacement. As is often the case, the story was that the restaurant owners were fussy and she needed talented dancer to be there in her stead. I had other gigs on and couldn’t do the favour, but suggested a student that I’d been training as a solo performer. The dancer said she didn’t want to use this new dancer as she’d never seen her dance.
The first irritating thing about that comment is that there no trust in my judgement. I'd seen the dancer. I know that some people say that another dancer is “really good” lightly, but I certainly don’t. (And the dancer looking for a replacement had been my student for many years - she should have known this fact better than anyone!)
The second irritating thing was that she was showing no trust in my ability as a teacher of performers. I'd taught her after all. What did she think I'd been doing with this student that was different to what I did to train her?
As a teacher I don’t churn out performer after performer. For the ten years I taught full time I produced about a dozen professional solo performers. There have been many troupe performers in that time, but I have taken very few students under my wing for grooming into professional soloists. Unlike a great many teachers, I didn't think of my school as a factory that mass-produces Bellydancers. I know some teachers who launch students after six months of classes, but I don’t consider my worth as a teacher to be measured by the number of soloists I produce, and the few students I have encouraged to be soloists were learning solidly for two to three years and performing in the troupe for one or two years before I started to groom them for solo work.
So my question is: if the dancer asking me to take her place knows me, knows and likes my dancing, doesn’t it stand to reason that some trust could be put into the idea that someone I trained would have similar qualities? Shouldn’t the trust in my dancing translate to trust in my ability to train another dancer? Maybe that trust wasn't there as strongly as I thought it was with this particular dancer who called me. I know that I wouldn’t trust every dancer’s opinion on who’s good and who’s not. Perhaps, but this was a dancer I'd trained. On top of that, I'd had this very same experience with two of the three other dancers that I myself had trained! Therefore, I reasoned, trust might not be what’s lacking, it might just be the need for a little reminder...
A week or so later, a similar incident occurred but with a different ending. It was the same dancer calling for a replacement, but this time, I laid this on the line: “She is new in the industry. She’s just recently started performing solo and is quite green, but still very good. She needs some opportunities to help her on her way, if you're willing to take a chance and trust my judgement in this. I mean, we were all new at one point and all needed a break. You were there only recently yourself.” And, to her credit, she gave the newie a chance and was very pleased, as was the restaurant.
I got the same results after another similar phone call a week later, and then again a day later. So, maybe it’s just a matter of reminding more experienced dancers: you were once new too. You were once a dancer that others didn’t want to take a chance on because they hadn’t seen you dance. You were, at one point, often not given a go because of your inexperience and it’s your choice now as to whether you continue that same cycle.
Call it trust by proxy. Think of the dancer who is recommending the newie and ask yourself:
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Do you know this dancer to be a good performer?
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If this dancer trained the newie, do you know her to be a good teacher?
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Do you consider this dancer as one who holds high standards all round?
If the answer is "yes" to all of the above questions, it's a great start. Beyond that, it’s a good idea to ask some questions about the newie herself because, don’t get me wrong, I’m not suggesting that you blindly accept any new dancer as your replacement without knowing anything about them. Here are some questions you might want to ask:
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How long has the dancer they been learning for?
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Who have they been learning under?
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What kind of costumes do they have and can they send photos via email?
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Have they done troupe performing and, if so, for how long?
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Have they done any professional solo gigs yet? If so:
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How many?
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Have they already secured any regular gigs?
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What were the follow-up comments by the restaurant owners?
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And if the answers satisfy you, take the chance!
Then, next time you speak to the owners of the place you sent the newie to, do a follow-up and pass any constructive positive and negative critique on to the original dancer who recommended the newie, or to the newie herself. Everyone needs feedback, especially when they’re inexperienced, so do them the favour of passing on productive comments.
My overall message is this: with trust in the recommending dancer and contentment in the information about the newie, be as generous as you would have liked others to be towards you when you had just started out.
How Do They Keep Getting Students?
There are teachers out there who are unkind to their students - some are passive-aggressive and others are outright insulting and rude. Other teachers are unreliable - they don't show up for class, or turn up half an hour late to a one-hour class. (And it's not restricted to teachers either - I've heard of performers who take deposits for shows and don't turn up. Still, the person in question is - amazingly - one of the most popular performers on currently on the circuit!)
The question I ask myself (and have no answer for) is how in the world do these teachers keep getting students? Why is the teacher's bad behaviour rewarded by students turning up time after time? All it does is enable the teacher to keep going with her terrible behaviour.
I mean, are people so used to bad treatment in their everyday lives that they'll put up with it under all circumstances (including one that's meant to be fun)? Do they think that if a teacher can afford to be mean or unreliable it must be because she is extremely talented (that is, that she's so good that can treat anyone any way she likes because students will come to her regardless)?
Like I said before, I have no answers. It's an interesting question to ponder though, and makes me wonder about the strange nature of human beings...
The question:
Although eventually I do hope to build it up to a viable business, my dancing is still officially classified as a hobby – in other words, it’s unlikely that I will earn more than $5000 for the year. However, I am concerned about public liability issues and am seeking your advice regarding insurance. I feel I should have it and am willing to get it, but want to know if you may know who is the best insurance agent to go through, what type is the best cover for our form of dance.
My answer:
Firstly, let me say that if you’re teaching anything, even as a hobby, you need to have insurance. All it takes is one lawsuit to send you not only out of business but out of pocket personally too. The minimum in NSW, Australia is 5 million dollars public liability [correct when this was written in 2004].
Many venues require that you have the insurance before you can even rent the premises, so I’m surprised that it hasn’t been asked of you already. It worries me because if they don’t require you to have insurance, I wonder if they have any themselves.
A great many insurance companies don't insure dancers. Here in Australia the best people to contact about who to go to for insurance is Ausdance (an organisation that oversees all dance in Australia). Their number in Sydney is 02 9241 4022.
To my knowledge there are few insurance companies that will insure dance teachers properly (I’ve heard of people being insured for tiny amounts of money who discover that they’re not really insured for anything at all!), so the choice then is not who to be insured with (there's very little choice anyway) but how much insurance to take out.
Talk to some local venues that you may hire in the future and ask them what their minimum requirement is so that you can plan for the future expansion of your business. My advice, no matter what they say, is to take out at least 5 million dollars worth as that is the standard requirement at this moment in time.
(The original version of the following article was translated into Russian. For those of you who are native speakers go to http://idance.ru/show.php?id_a=306 to check it out)
The tools necessary for mastering improvisation are:
- A large repertoire of moves: achieve this by going to loads of technique classes. Write down each new technique you learn and build yourself a dictionary of moves.
- Knowledge of Middle Eastern, Mediterranean and North African Bellydance music: you can get only so far without music so start your collection ASAP!
- Intimate knowledge of the piece of music you will improvise to: listen to the piece again and again and again...and again.
- Experience in choreographing: choreographing helps improvisation and vice versa. By choreographing you learn to think carefully about which moves go with what music, and how one move translates into another. With practise, choreographing skills will enhance your improvisation skills.
Remember:
- You don't have to do every move you’ve ever learnt within one song. To start with, six moves per song will suffice. As you get more experienced in improvisation, you'll be able to access your dictionary of techniques more readily and use many more moves within any given dance, but as a beginner to improvisation, keep it simple.
- Style and attitude go a long long way! Style comes from hands, arms and posture. Attitude comes from posture and confidence. Both add up to give you elegance, and both are gained from lots and lots of practice.
To start:
Set aside half an hour per week to practise improvisation. Use a different song every week and dance to it over and over again for the entire half hour. During that half hour you'll have ups and downs - sometimes you'll feel like you're on your way to becoming an improvising legend, and other times it'll be as though you've never danced before in your life. The secret to ultimate success is to keep at it!
The below is from an email.
Kate asked: Where do I find information on isolation Bellydance exercises? I want to increase my technical skills as well as those of my students but am not aware of many exercises, which will help achieve this goal.
I answered: Any move that involves moving one part of your body while keeping the rest still is an isolation exercise. That includes most Bellydance moves - isolation is the major skill of Bellydance. Bellydance is the art of isolation. So the answer is that you really need to increase your Bellydance repertoire. That way you'll have more and more moves to teach that, by default, are isolation exercises.
Based on a recent incident a friend experienced, I will simply say this: you need three clips at both joins on any Bellydance bra you intend to wear during a performance!
I got a call confirming the details for a wedding performance to be held the following month. This was not unusual. The other not unusual thing about the phone call is that the girl asked for a discount.
At one point in the conversation, she said: “Look, my father won’t forgive me if I don’t ask this, but he wants to know if that’s you’re best price.”
“I keep my price the same for everyone,” I said.
“Because, you know, you danced at my sister’s wedding three years ago, you know, so, he thought, you know, you could do a better deal because he’s giving you another job, you know,” she said.
No, I didn't know, actually, so this is what I said:
“You’ve got to understand, I have to run this business like any other business,” I said firmly but not unkindly. “When you walk into a restaurant you can’t tell them that because you’ve eaten there before you want a discount. It’s the same with me and my business. I’ve got to make things fair for everyone and the way I do that is keep it the same price for everyone.”
This bizarre belief that because someone hired you for a show in the past you owe them some kind of favour is quite common. So while the above is what I actually said, the following is what was going on in my mind:
“Well, gee, you know I do really owe your dad a huge favour. I mean, the show that your father hired me for three years ago has really kept me going all that time. In fact, without your dad, my business would have gone under by now! Without that 200 dollars he paid me I wouldn't have been able to pay bills, studio rent, mortgage, insurances, licenses, car payments, advertising, and all that stuff for the last three years. Without him and the two shows, I’d be dead in a gutter by now. He’s been keeping me alive all these years! And if he hires me for another show, I’ll sign over my home for him. I owe him at least that. Would he like a kidney too? I’ve got a spare if necessary.”
As a performer, you’ll encounter situations like this over and over. Whatever you decide the best response for you is, have your answer ready beforehand so you can be prepared. And good luck!
Many people have lower back pain at some point in their lives. Others of us find it to be a constant problem. Two things that I’ve found help immensely with this are hip shimmying and hamstring stretches.
With the hip shimmy, I’m not talking about the old-fashioned one that comes from your hips. I’m talking about the modern one that (illogically, when you consider the term ‘hip shimmy’) doesn’t come from you hips at all, but comes from moving your knees back and forth one at a time. Do that fast enough and you cause a shaking movement in your hips. See if you can build up to five or ten minutes a day. Sound difficult? You’re right: it is! But back pain is worse, so give shimmying a try. Not only will you be doing your body a favour, you’ll be improving your shimmy tenfold!
And then there are the hamstring stretches. Your hamstring muscles are the back part of your thigh, and stretching them out can help relieve lower back pain. Lie on the floor and put a yoga strap (or even a bathrobe belt) onto the sole of one foot. Hold the ends of the strap with both hands. That leg (the ‘working leg’) goes in the air while the other leg (the ‘support leg’) stays on the floor. Initially keep the support leg bent so that the foot is flat on the floor – when you get more flexible you can straighten it out too. So what you’ll have is one straight leg in the air and one bent leg on the floor. Hold the stretch, DON’T BOUNCE YOUR LEG OR PULL AT THE STRAP TO JERK THE LEG TOWARDS YOU - that will rip your hamstring muscle. Just hold the stretch.
Talk to the professional who’s helping you to look after your lower back about the what I said above to make sure that it’s okay for you to do. Hopefully you’ll be given the green light – and if so, happy shimmying and stretching!
One of the saddest things you'll discover at some stage in your Bellydancing life is that a great many people from the countries where Bellydance is traditionally done (eg. Egypt, Lebanon, Turkey, Greece) have little or no respect for the dance. Following from that, they have little or no respect for you as the dancer of that dance.
In my experience, I found that a large portion strongly disapproved of the notion of a female family member performing Bellydance. Some people would even object to members of the family participating in Bellydance classes (some students would lie to their family in order to go to class).
When I initially discovered this I asked why: I couldn't understand why people from the the very countries the dance is native to would reject their own dance. A veteran in the business (I was only a newbie at the time) told me that the philosophy for a great many people is that Bellydancing is okay as long as it's not their family member doing it.
Is this an across-the-board feeling? No. Absolutely not. But there is a strong attitude of "as long as it's not my daughter" among some people of the countries where Bellydance is done. Sad, but true.
Should that stop you from Bellydancing? NEVER! (Didn't stop me!) But it's good to be aware of it so that if/when you confront this attitude you'll be somewhat prepared (or at least not shocked).
Mollycoddling Students Doesn't Help Them One Bit!
I once took over a teacher's class and was surprised when I got a complaint via the management about the fact that I corrected the students' technique. The complaint wasn't about the way I corrected, just about the correcting itself - apparently one of the students was horrified that I would do such a thing.
Management informed this person that that's what a teacher is there for. And that's exactly what we are there for. Not correcting your students is mollycoddling them into a false sense that they're doing everything right. Now if the students were paying you for a class in false flattery then that's fine, but that's not the case at all: they're there to LEARN and the only way a person can learn is to have feedback which includes both encouragement and correction.
Offering Teaching Opportunities
I recently had an interesting experience after offering a couple of teaching jobs that I couldn’t do to an experienced student who is also a budding teacher. I initially had been given the wrong information about the times and when I was told the correct timeslots I realised that I would, in fact, be able to do the classes. When I let this student know that she wouldn’t be needed to teach those classes I got a telling-off along the lines of: “Don’t offer me work unless you’re sure…”
I explained to her that I had been sure, but the information I’d been given was wrong. This appeased her somewhat, but let me tell you (as I told her) that I am not going to pass teaching jobs on to her in the future. The fact is that it’s an unsure business (and unsure world, come to think of it).
What if it did go ahead as scheduled, with her to teach the classes, but they were cancelled due to lack of interest? Would that have been my fault as well? I told her as much and informed her that if she was going to get angry about inevitable changes she should steer away from not only teaching but (particularly) performing, as the people you deal with in performance are often much less reliable than with any teaching job. (In fact, it’s a million times worse in a million different ways: people trying to rip you off and lying to you, for starters. But that's a whole other topic for another time...) Changing times for classes (with plenty of notice, I might add - I had the corrected information the day after the initial offer) was small potatoes compared to the kind of run-around you can get as a performer.
I guess you live and learn. I never imagined the day I’d actually be told off by an inexperienced teacher I was giving an opportunity to because of a schedule change that was totally out of my control. And what I learnt from this experience is that it’s best to stick to giving students that show gratefulness (no matter how things turn out) for the opportunities you offer them.
A few years ago I sent off this group email to all the solo performers and teachers I had in my email address book.
Hello gang,
There's a stinking pervert calling around as of this morning (I know of two others who've received calls). Just giving everyone the 'heads up'. The conversation went something like this:
Pervert: Can I speak to Despina?
Me: Speaking.
Pervert: Hi, it's John.
Me: Sorry, uh, John from…??
Pervert: Just John. I found you on the web.
Me: Oh, right. The way you said it I thought you may have been someone I knew.
Pervert: No. Um, I'm calling because I want to know how much you charge for private functions?
Me: It's $200 for a 20 minute show.
Pervert: Right, and do you do private functions?
Me: Yes. What kind of function is it?
Pervert: Well, let me explain. I want you to come up to my apartment and dance for me and then we get naked.
Me: No.
Pervert: You're not into that?
Me: No.
Pervert: Well, I just thought I'd ask you know.
Me: Goodbye.
Unfortunately, I didn't tell him to sod off - I was too busy being stunned by the audacity. I was also busy being surprised from the fact that at the very beginning of the conversation I knew something was up. I mean, the way he said "It's John" despite the fact that he didn't know me told me that something was wrong. How did this seemingly insignificant fact tip me off? You tell me. I have no clue. All I know is that I knew. And I was irritated by the fact that I didn't take this gut instinct seriously from the beginning of the conversation so that by the end I would have been ready to give him the verbal bollocking he deserved.
One of the other girls who got a call from Mr Pervert politely explained to him that he wasn't going to find a Bellydancer to do what he wanted. When I told my boyfriend what happened he said that I should have said "yes" and gone around to his place with a bunch of guys to beat the crap out of him. Awesome idea! Again: bummer that I didn't think of it. (Note: he called from a private number, so there was no chance of calling him back to execute this evil plan. He's obviously an experienced pervert who knows that hiding your phone number is the first thing a good pervert must do.)
Anyway, you've been warned - pass the warning on to anyone else you think might need to know. He's trawling through through the internet it seems. Please, if he calls you, give him this heartfelt message: "F*** OFF AND DIE!". And make sure he knows it's from me.
Thanks!
Despina
The following is an e-conversation I had on the topic of rhythm, amongst other things:
Shelley: I was thinking last night (and yes it did hurt): is timing like rhythm where either you have it or you don't (and if you don't have it mastering it can prove to be close to impossible) - or is it something that is easily learnt?
Despina: Some people have it naturally and others don't. If one doesn't have it naturally, it's much harder to come by. BUT, if you have it when it comes to Western music but can't quite get it when it comes to Bellydance music, that is a familiarity issue rather than a rhythm issue and can be fixed of time with growing your collection of Bellydance CDs and listening to them lots. I reckon in generally takes about two years to start getting your head around the nuances of Bellydance music (assuming you've been attending class regularly and have been collecting music that whole time). I’m curious to know - after reading what I said above - which category do you think you fall into? Where do you think you're lacking?
Shelley: I'm one of those people that THOUGHT they had good rhythm their whole life (I think it started with playing the spoons as a kid) but I had a realisation a few years ago when I sat behind a friend’s drum kit (and bongos) and, seriously, I had not one single ounce of any sort of rhythm in my body! It was actually very embarrassing and I have tried several times to get any sort of rhythm out but nothing much happens.
Despina: Drums are really hard to play! So I wouldn’t freak out if you couldn’t play them immediately. I’d say they’re quite different to spoons! J I mean, I started learning tabla a few years ago (just on and off) and I was pretty horrendous to begin with. And I would consider myself to always have had decent rhythm, and to also have acquired some (because I certainly didn’t have it from the start) for Bellydance teaching and performing.
Shelley: But I believe that I can't possibly not have some sort of rhythm otherwise I would walk funny! Ha ha. So it must be that I need to listen to more Bellydancing music.
Despina: I think it's that too.
Shelley: I just think my timing isn't the best and I think it's mainly because I'm still concentrating on other aspects which should be coming naturally now (arm movements, shoulders down, guts in, bum tucked, you know the normal stuff) and still breathing at the same time. I'll get there one day!
Despina: Do you think that you're concentrating on those aspects because your teacher may not have been picky enough before? [Name of the teacher] is a FANTASTIC teacher and a great person, but she’s not the finicky type. She likes to leave things very loose in terms of specific correction - which is fine, as it makes for a very fun class, and excellent learning outcomes for lots of things, but not for learning the small details. And I ask this, by the way, not to have a go at your old teacher (not at all, I actually think she’s awesome), but to ascertain whether you think you feel you're personally not able to put all those aspects together yet, or whether it was the teacher you learnt under for the major part of your Bellydancing life that wasn’t into that side of teaching.
Shelley: I'm finding your Beyond Beginners class great as it covers many moves I never actually learnt over the last four years and I have no idea how that happened.
Despina: It’s nothing to freak out about. You're just going on to the next step with a new teacher.
Shelley: I'm also finding that I benefit from the way you do drills and repetition.
Despina: As all people do (even if they don't like drills and repetition). The difference is that you recognise it and will therefore benefit from it even more, while others (less enlightened than your good self) just want to move on without rewinding occasionally and getting into the details of stuff they've already learnt. You're on the right track - keep working hard and enjoy the journey!
Step 1
Enrol in a Beginners course where you feel comfortable with the teacher
and the atmosphere of the class. Here your focus will be on learning
moves. A good teacher will also teach you correct dance posture, leg
position, hand and arm position. Her classes should have a firm
structure and moves should be taught in the context of simple
choreographies or as drills (improvisation belongs at Beyond Beginners
level when some knowledge of the dance has already been obtained).
Step
2
By the end of one Beginners course, you'll know a variety of moves.
However, you still have many more basic moves to learn and can use some
polish for those that you do know. In other words, it's not time for
Beyond Beginners yet - you're still at the point where you need to
continue doing Beginner level classes. At this stage, you'll need to
make two purchases. One is a hip scarf. The other more important
purchase is music so that you can practice at home and reinforce what
you learn during class.
Step
3
It's now time for your third round of Beginners. If you've been
practising at home you'll have progressed quite a lot and be developing
more awareness of your hands, arms, legs and posture. With a little help
from your teacher, this will result in an improvement on the
all-important (but often overlooked) factor of style.
Step
4
After three rounds of Beginners, it should be time to move on to Beyond
Beginners. At this level you should start to learn improvisation, veil,
stick, and zills.
Step
5
A second course of Beyond Beginners will increase your confidence in
your dancing.
Step
6
A third round of Beyond Beginners is the next step and will give you
extra polish.
Step
7
After three Beyond Beginners courses (and as long as you've done plenty
of practice at home) you'll have reached the point where you're ready
for an Intermediate class. As long as your teacher agrees that you're
ready, take the big step and enrol in an Intermediate course.
Step
8
Go back to Beginners class for a course. This seems like a step back,
but really it’s just smart. It will give you an opportunity to look
carefully - now as a more advanced dancer - at your hands, arms, legs,
posture, overall elegance and style. You'll also notice how very far
you're come and can give yourself a big pat on the back.
Step
9
Do another Intermediate course.
Step
10
Go back to Beyond Beginners level for a course. Watch your dancing
carefully and ask your teacher for constructive criticism. Doing Beyond
Beginners may feel like you've slowed down your progress. It's not! It's
an invaluable step in polishing up any sloppy technique.
Step
11
Go back to Intermediate classes.
Step 12
When your teacher thinks you're ready, continue on to Advanced classes.
Believe it or not, a musician once stole my zills to try to get a date with me! He called me after my gig and tried to get me to meet up with him to get my zills back. Instead, I got him to give the zills to a mutual friend who then gave them back to me.
Now, if you experience this same situation but don't have a mutual friend who will help you get your property back, fear not! You can still thwart the plans of this manipulative jerk by instructing him to take your property back to the venue he stole it from so that you can pick it up from there. Whatever you do, DON'T give him your address - or even a PO Box - to send it to. If it comes to it, forget about your stuff - yes, it was your property, but better to lose that than your dignity by caving in to the scheming ways of this devious wanna-be Casanova.
I've been asked on several occasions how essential I think it is for a Bellydance teacher to have performance experience. My opinion: it's important. I think that as a teacher you're only able to do half your job if you haven't had the experience of being on stage. The teaching platform is, after all, a type of stage.
One teacher who asked me about this topic lived in a very small town and really had nowhere to perform. Obviously that doesn’t help the situation, but the way around it is to create public performances for yourself.
One place to perform is in the classroom. That's right: perform for your students! I’m sure they’d all love to see you dance. Even if you do a one-song performance every month, that’s better than nothing. Students learn from watching performance too, so you can treat it as part of their learning curve.
Also, when you hear of charity fundraising events being held in your town, offer a a ten minute performance as your contribution to the event. It’s good for your soul and it’s good for your teaching.
Interested in starting up your own classes? Lots of people approach me about doing this. All I can say is that it's easy to start up and very difficult to maintain. You need to be ten steps ahead in all areas of your business at all times.
You will often need to put a lot more effort in than you get back, especially at the beginning. The first two years of running my own business I was working 10-15 hours a day, 6-7 days a week. If you want to make it a successful fulltime career, be prepared to put in those kind of hours. And it doesn’t just stop after that. The long hours continue, there are often no days off for weeks on end. That’s what small business is like.
I mean, sure it eases off in some areas. For example in the area of advertising, word of mouth will start to work for you (so long as your classes are good). Does this mean you have instant, automatic advertising and you never have to do any for yourself again? Nope. Advertising your classes is an ongoing part of small business, and it will remain so throughout your time as a teacher. But you won’t have to do every single bit yourself as you did in the beginning: satisfied students will advertise you. All you have to do is keep the classes good! (And, hey, that's easier said than done too!)
You'll also need to be at least ten steps ahead of your students at all times. Ask yourself whether you'll be able to do that? Think about the following: Where will you get your dance tuition from? Are there classes by a master teacher in your area that you can attend? Are there workshops by overseas teachers you can attend? If the answer is ‘no’ to both those questions, are you willing to buy lots of DVDs of both performance and teaching in order to keep yourself educated in Bellydance?
They are just a few of the things to consider before you start up your own classes. Remember: it’s easy to think about starting, and it’s equally as easy to start. It’s sustaining the business for years and years that’s the tough bit. You need a long-term plan, something solid and workable. Put that into place before you do anything. Then think about it, study it, talk about it with family and friends, and think about it some more.
After you’ve done all that, ask yourself the following questions: Do you have the desire to do the work? If so, do you have the capability of doing it? In other words, are you both willing and able? If you have thought carefully and decided that the answers to both those questions are ‘yes’, you have my best wishes for success! It’s tough out there, so keep that chin up and good luck!
Let me be blunt (have you ever known me not to be?): the only other industries where you’ll find more insecure and egomaniacal people are the music and acting industries. Yes, that's right - the dance profession is rife with insecure egomaniacs. Why? Because we’re in entertainment, and that’s the nature of the game. Not every person will be like that. But many, many people are. You’ve been warned.