What Kind of Leader Are You?
Booker T. Washington said, “Most leaders spend time trying to get others to think highly of them, when instead they should try to get their people to think more highly of themselves. It’s wonderful when the people believe in their leader. It’s more wonderful when the leader believes in their people! You can’t hold a [...]
Get the $30 Secret to Belly Dance Success
Are you frustrated with your dance progress? Is your creativity on the down swing? Do you have big goals that never seem to get any closer to reality no matter how much work you put in? Maybe you are like I was. Maybe you are limited by techniques that can only get you so far. [...]
Hey, Teachers! Don’t Be Stingy.
I recently attended a non-dance class where the teacher was obviously avoiding direct questions to keep from giving away “trade secrets.” Now I ask you, why would you teach a belly dance class when you have no intention of sharing what the students need to be the best that they can be? I just don’t [...]
Knowing When to Break the Rules = Winning!
Are there any Adele fans out there? Any Grammy fans? If so, you may have heard that Adele’s six Grammy wins this year have people taking a scientific look at the cause of her magic. Guess what? It’s formulaic and can be repeated! (That’s what I love about knowing theory and the technical bits of [...]
The Top Skill for Successful Troupe Leaders is the Ability to Delegate
If you compare belly dance to other dance forms, we really work hard! In most other dance forms, no one is expected to be a performer, teacher, choreographer, marketer, accountant, AND troupe director, yet somehow in belly dance many teachers do it all. If you want to keep your sanity and stay on the success [...]
Good vs. Bad Improv
You often hear me praising the benefits of improvisation. It’s not because I think all choreography is crap. It’s because I don’t see it taught or performed as often as it should be given that it’s a folk dance. Still, for all my praise of improvisation, I have to say that there is a difference [...]
When Are You Going to Get Rid of that (Choreography) Crutch?
If you are a stage performer, troupe member or member of a theater production, choreography is a MUST! You can’t go out there without it if you want a cohesive, intricate piece that is reproducible and creates a predictable effect over and over again. Choreography even has its place in the classroom. It gives form [...]
Teaching to Seasoned Dancers of Other Styles
Belly dance is definitely its own thing. We wear costuming to class. We giggle. We play with make-up and only go to class once a week. I’ve taken Latin, Polynesian and ballet and those classes were just not like that. So, it can be challenging for a teacher to have dancers from other styles in [...]
Creating Combinations
Combinations are a great way to drill your skills, increase muscle memory, build in familiarity with new transitions, and to make your dance more lovely. But how do you do this? Here are some ideas. If you are a beginner and are still struggling with move names and the execution of basics, you can start [...]
Playing The Beledi Pattern on Zils
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P9qog4NsqLc If you are trying to play the beledi pattern, I assume you are already familiar with basic zils, but here goes the pre-zil stuff. The zils go on the middle finger and thumb with the elastic sitting just below the nail bed. MAKE SURE YOUR ELASTIC IS TIGHT ENOUGH TO TURN YOUR FINGERS BLUE [...]
