Enthusiastic teachers often want their students to succeed so much that they end up working harder than the students do. Although this may feel like helping, this actually inhibits growth because it doesn’t allow the student to learn how to think, make mistakes, work out solutions, and develop creativity. Not sure if you are one of these teachers?

You Might Be Working Too Hard If…

• your students dance just like you
• every choreography your students know came from you
• every combination your students use came from you
• you dance along with your students in every class
• you never use lecture
• your feedback is always positive and flattering
• you send emails, texts, phone call and social networking reminders to your students about rehearsals and classes
• you are the troupe director, seamstress, choreographer, rehearsal maiden, and costume coordinator for troupe performances
• you provide costuming for those who don’t have it
• you let class fees slide for those who have a good excuse not to pay
• you provide music for those who don’t have it
• you find gigs for your students
• your performances are always student affairs

Obviously some of the things listed above are beneficial, but if you have a lot of checks, you might ask yourself if you are working too hard.

So, how might you do things differently so that you work less and your students learn more?

• Create regular opportunities for performances where the students have a choice of performing something from class or something they created on their own. This shows confidence in their ability to perform and create.
• Create regular opportunities for feedback. The situation above can be followed by a group or individual feedback session. Students will work harder if they know you are paying attention.
• Use various methods of teaching that engage different parts of the brain, such as video, audio, lecture, demonstration, games, and watching individual or pairs of students dance. This gives students a chance to see things in different ways or to get things they didn’t get when presented in a mode that didn’t click the first time.
• Let students be responsible for their fees, schedules, costuming and dedication to the dance. We all appreciate what we have to invest in more than what is given to us.
• Tailor the level of instruction to the level of the student. If your students are beginners, it is appropriate to dance along with them, but as they become more adept, you should dance less and guide more.
• Don’t be afraid to correct! How many teachers get students who have bad habits that have never been corrected? Once it’s in the body, it’s hard to override bad habits. When I hosted the East Coast Belly Dance Classic, so many contestants said they came for the feedback. It’s truly the most important part of the learning experience. Give it and make it honest and precise.
• Create policies and hold everyone to the same standard. If students know that everyone has the same rules, you will spend less time dealing with administrative issues and more time teaching.
• If you are not working on a group performance, give intermediate level students a range of what is correct. Everybody’s hip circle doesn’t have to be the same to be correct. Self-expression should be encouraged.

A well-run class is one where the students do their work and the teacher does hers. When one starts doing the work of the other, boundaries become unclear, things can get chaotic and learning suffers. Trust your students to be responsible. Ask them to help when needed. Let them show you what they can do, and they will continue to grow. A student who wants to be a good dancer doesn’t need to have her hand held. Show her what to do and then let her do it.

I was recently writing an article about what makes a cult a cult when it dawned on me that THERE ARE BELLY DANCE CULTS! Hear me out.

A “Cult” is defined as a group or sect bound together by veneration of the same thing, person, ideal, etc. Although the term is typically applied to religious groups, other types of groups can be considered cults such as multi-level marketing companies, political organizations, self-help groups, and BELLY DANCE! Cults tend to be viewed negatively by outsiders because they generally involve manipulation to get you involved and committed to the group.

Most people say, “I would never get involved in a cult! I could see that coming a mile away.” If that were true, there wouldn’t be between 3,000- 5,000 cults operating in America today with 180,000 new recruits per year. If you doubt that belly dance could be a cult, take a look at some generalities about cults and make up your own mind.

Lies

Cults rely on lies to keep recruits coming in, members interested, and members working towards their goals. If they were straight-forward and honest, few would be interested in their agenda. Legitimate groups don’t have to hide what they believe or practice.

Secrecy

Does your group have beliefs, truths, or teachings that are supposed to be kept secret? Are these secrets ancient or exclusive teachings that come from some very important source? Are outsiders forbidden to know about them? If so, this is a sign that you are in a cult. They don’t want you telling others what is going on for fear that someone who is not under their spell will burst your bubble.

Exclusivity

Like it or not, we are all attracted to exclusivity. That’s why we pay so much for a Bentley or a Rolex. Cults use exclusivity to get you hooked. They say things like, “You were one of the few invited….” or “We don’t normally let outsiders in, but because of (fill in the blank), we can see you are special.” Some legitimate organizations limit membership to people belonging to certain groups (like women, members of a fraternity, or Catholics), but they don’t try to make you feel special to get you to join. Cults tend to be small groups because they are easier to control.

Fear

Most cults play on your fears to get you to stay. The most notorious play on the fear that the end of the world is coming, but only members of their group will be saved – or something to that effect. In the belly dance world, it may be more like the covert or overt threat that your opportunities will be severely limited if you leave this group.

Intimidation and Intolerance

In cults, few will criticize the all mighty leader. It’s not tolerated. There may be threats of being kicked out or harmed in some way for disobedience. In legitimate groups, the choice to stay or go is always open. Investigating information on the group isn’t seen as dangerous or undesirable. It’s just what free thinking people do.

Isolation

Cults tend to be emotionally isolated from the rest of society. In extreme situations, they may also be geographically isolated. This isolation is self-imposed to keep them “pure” or keep them away from the “evil” outside world. Contact with outsiders is extremely limited. In belly dance, this may mean that students can’t go to other teacher’s workshops or events. They can only do things that are sanctioned by their teacher.

Love Bombing

Anyone can be caught up in a cult. They tend to attract people who are in a low time in their lives and in need of love (and who among us hasn’t experienced that at some point?) Cults play on this vulnerability by surrounding new comers with love, friendship, support and a feeling of being welcome. This can be very hard to give up if you are in a bad place in life. It also can keep you from looking too closely at what is behind it. If you start asking questions, the love may be withdrawn. Think of how many women feel beautiful, some for the first time in their lives, by the pretty sparkling costumes, sensuous belly dance moves, and honeyed compliments of their teacher.

A Single Charimatic Leader

Cults tend to have one leader who has an ability to make others love her. She doesn’t tolerate disobedience or questions and can’t be held accountable for anything. She seems paranoid about people outside of the group and feels safest when surrounded by group members. Although she can be quite charming, she can switch to being very cold at the drop of a hat if it suits her goals.

Sounds like any group you know?

I am not suggesting that all belly dance groups are cults. Many legitimate groups that have some of these characteristics, so how can you tell the difference between a healthy group and a cult? Healthy groups will have open relationships with the outside world. Healthy groups won’t intimidate you into staying or try to keep you from doing your own research on their group or other groups. Healthy groups don’t try to isolate you from your family and friends and encourage you to leave your former life behind. Healthy groups also don’t encourage you to work for them for little or nothing.

The comparison of belly dance to a cult started out as a bit of a joke, but any group relationship that robs you of self-esteem, functions from a place of manipulation, and works for the benefit of one person isn’t a healthy place to be. I sincerely hope that your group doesn’t have these characteristics, but if it does, maybe you should consider moving on to another group that has a give and take attitude, space to grow and ask questions, and the freedom to make informed choices.

There are people who like to take advantage of eager young dancer’s desire to perform. They make proposals that sound like they are open to the idea of having a dancer when all they really want is a free show. If someone isn’t offering you a fair wage in exchange for your work, walk away. So how can you tell if an audition request is legitimate?

Here are some signs of a real audition.

* You are scheduled to perform a short (2-3 minute) routine.

* There are many other dancers there.

* You have a firm idea of what the ultimate job is, when it is, how much it pays, and how long the contract lasts.

* The hiring party will ask for photographs beforehand or a video link.

* The hiring party will accept a press kit in lieu of a live audition.

Here are some signs that it’s not a legitimate audition.

* You are asked to perform a whole show (15-30 minutes) in full costume and make-up.

* You are asked to dance in a big show without being paid.

* You are dancing for just one person.

* The hiring party is vague about the terms and conditions of the job.

* You’ve never seen a dancer perform at this venue before.

* The hiring party schedules the audition late at night.

It’s incredibly rare that a hiring party needs a dancer to audition for a gig. Unless it’s a big production that is going to have a long run (like Bellydance Super Stars), it’s not necessary to do a full audition. Most hiring parties take a look at your website or other promotional material and say “yes” or “no.” Even weddings, which can have some tight schedules and strict hiring requirements don’t ask for auditions. This is not ballet, after all.

If you are asked to audition for a dance job, ask questions. Get a feel for what the client wants. Offer a press kit instead. Time is money. You don’t have time to get dressed, drive to the location, dance, and have a chat on your own dime. We make far too little as it is. Personally, I think that is asking more than I am willing to give, but it’s your call. Whatever you decide, be safe and be smart.

There are fewer and fewer venues now to see a belly dance show. Those of us who have a regular place to go are lucky. For others, it may be a special event that requires a road trip just to experience this. If you have never seen a live show or just aren’t sure how to behave while you are there, here are some guidelines that can make it a good experience for you, the audience, and the performer.

Let’s start with the Do’s.

* Plan to arrive about a half hour before the dancing starts. This will give you a chance to settle in, order your food, and at least be most of the way through dinner before the dancer arrives. The entertainment will compete with the food for your attention, and both should be enjoyed fully.

* If you need to use the restroom, pay the check, ask for another drink, or get up for any reason, try to do so before the show starts. You don’t want to have to cut across the dance floor during the performance.

* If you plan to tip, make sure you bring some dollar bills with you.

* If the venue plays Middle Eastern music and has a dance space, bring a hip scarf along. Why not shake your booty a little bit, too?

* Clap along. Show some enthusiasm. Get up and dance during the show if invited, but keep it to about 30 seconds. Remember, it’s not your show.

* If you enjoyed the show and have an opportunity to tell the dancer, do! We all like to hear that we have done a good job.

Now for the Don’ts

* I know you are excited and want to make the most of your time, but don’t start your own party in your little section of the restaurant until the show is over. The dancer is The Entertainment. Be respectful and honor that place. Once the show is over, the floor is all yours.

* Don’t go around telling everyone that you are a belly dancer and start handing out your cards. If someone asks for one, that’s fine, but otherwise it appears that you came to solicit business at another person’s gig. While there is nothing unethical with this, it will not be received well by members of your community. Playing well with others is a skill we all like in others.

* Don’t come with your classmates or teacher with the intention of doing a routine or practicing at the venue. This is not your show. Trust me when I tell you that you will look like students. I don’t think that this is the impression you want to share with the general public, is it?

* If it is obvious that you are dancers or students (meaning you have a hip scarf on and can do some moves), don’t get sloppy drunk. This could give people the impression that dancers are loud, obnoxious, out of control drunks. Party. Have fun, but don’t overdo it. You want to leave a positive impression wherever you go.

* Don’t perform. This doesn’t mean don’t dance. It means don’t perform. There is a difference between jamming and performing. Think about it. When you go to the club, I am sure there are trained dancers there, but can you tell who they are? In most cases, no. They aren’t out there showing off all their training and moves. They are just having fun. You can’t perform without invading other people’s space, creating an audience, emoting, and doing other things that are meant for a stage not a shared dance floor. I know you are excited and it’s a big night, but it’s not your night. Share it graciously.

* Don’t give too much sexy attention to other guests, members of your party, or the staff. Flirting outrageously can send the message that dancers are hookers or loose women. We already combat that stereotype daily. While it’s fine to have fun and meet new people, be discreet and ladylike when you can be identified as a dancer.

* DO NOT COME DRESSED IN COSTUME. While it is fun to dress up, a simple hip scarf is more than enough to spice up the evening. Costumes are meant for performances, not nights out with the girls.

* Don’t play zils while the dancer is dancing. If she wanted zils, she would play her own.

If you are not sure if something is appropriate, there are three things you can ask yourself: Will this interfere with the dancer’s show? How would I feel if someone did that during my show? Could this give the general public a negative opinion of our dance? If any of the three can be answered with “yes,” don’t do it.

Belly dance is a wild community. There are so many different varieties: American Tribal Style, Turkish, Classical Egyptian, neo-tribal, burlesque, Ghawazi, Bollywood-esque, cabaret, Saidi, vintage cabaret,  Fallahi, modern Egyptian… (sigh). You get the idea. Beginners routinely mix with professionals at shows and workshops. Big names are easily accessible via the internet. Beginners can look as stunningly costumed as pros. Everybody has access to everybody and everything.

That’s all good stuff, but it can make it really confusing when it comes to defining what you do and finding yourself. As a beginner, I started out going to whatever workshop was offered. That made for a broad education. I could do choreographies in many different styles, but it didn’t give me enough knowledge or exposure to know what I was really looking at or doing. As a result, it took me four years before I found my “happy place-” the style and niche that was most close to my heart.

Fortunately today the internet has made the search so much easier. Information is so much more accessible than it was 17 years ago when I started. My suggestion for finding your happy place is to go to youtube.com. Watch as many videos of different dancers as you can. Focus on the things that you most like to see. Find a handful of dancers that do that type of thing, then narrow your focus to watching them. Find out who teaches that. Maybe you like really theatrical stuff. Or maybe you are drawn to acrobatic things. Or maybe you are a purist who just likes folklore. You an do whatever you want, but having your niche will make your dance more meaningful and help you to spend your training and costuming dollars more wisely.

Also consider who you want to be when you grow up. Do you want to just dance for fun? Are you more of a troupe type girl? Do your goals tend to be more in the area of making a name for yourself? Once you know this, it’s probably best to fit your classes, workshops, dance friends and experiences around this. If you want to be a stand-out and are set on conquering the contest circuit, your will have an easier time of it if your friends are on the same wavelength and go to the same trainings that you do. If you want to have fun, it’s easier to do that if your pals are party animals like you.

Don’t forget that your path can change. As you are exposed to new things and your personal or professional life changes, this may impact what you feel is important. Leave room for growth and change and your dance will always serve you.

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 the classroom who may not understand how we do things. So how do you teach to belly dancers and experienced dancers of other styles in the same classroom and keep the attention of each?

In my opinion, there should be no difference. The teacher should always be on time. She should be professional. She should have a lesson plan that starts with something basic and builds from there. She should correct everyone, yet slow down for no one. She should pace the class in such a way that is comfortable for the class. She should be relaxed enough for everyone to have fun yet disciplined enough to always maintain control of the classroom. She should start on time and end on time. There should be some way for her and the students to gauge their level of learning.

A classroom that is professionally run will attract and retain students who are willing to learn. A classroom that is all about fun and looking pretty will attract students who want to have fun and look pretty, but probably won’t attract or retain students who want to learn. As class size continues to shrink due to the economy, I think it’s important to use every strategy to keep classes as full as they can be and attract a wider body of people. And after all, isn’t professionalism always a good idea anyway?

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 with listing the moves that you know in two columns. Write them once on the right, then once on the left so that it looks something like this:

hip circle              hip circle

basic Egyptian   basic Egyptian

hip drop               hip drop

Start with the first move on the left and combine it with the move on the right and continue down the list. Your drill above would be: hip circle/basic Egyptian, hip circle/hip drop; basic Egyptian/hip circle, basic Egyptian/hip drop; hip drop/dip circle, hip drop/basic Egyptian. Repeat for four counts of eight each before moving on to the next move.

If you are more at an intermediate level, you can use the same structure as above, but switch your focus from simply transitioning and doing the moves smoothly and easily to doing them with variations. Some examples are to change the speed, height, direction, intensity or emotional quality. Instead of doing four counts of a hip circle and four counts of a hip circle, you could do a hip circle for 6 counts and the hip drop for 2 counts. You could go up and down on the hip circle and turn on the basic Egyptian.

To create combinations from scratch, pick a piece of music that is the same intensity and same all the way through and loop it. Pick four to six movements to work on. Use only those moves and dance in a free style way using dynamics changes. Write down anything that is fantastic. At the end of the exploration, drill the fantastic combinations so that you remember them. Do them backward, reverse the order, shift your weight, change direction, change speed- just play and have fun.

I hope that this gets you more comfortable with putting moves together and creating new ideas on your own.

One of the items in the BDT Code of Ethics says, “Colleagues: Instructors shall treat dance colleagues with professionalism and refrain from public defamation.” Let’s take a look at what that means.

“Colleagues” are associates. “Dance colleagues” are students, other teachers, dancers, employers, fans, vendors, musicians and sponsors. When put that way, it’s easy to see why we’d want to treat them professionally, right? These people hire us, enjoy our performances, inspire us, act as our audience, and help us to feed our dance addiction.

But there are lots of dancers out there who treat selected associates with rudeness, unprofessionalism and disrespect, right? It’s usually out of interpersonal differences or insecurity. That’s not a good reason to be unprofessional. Even when we are provoked, it makes us look bad to return negativity for negativity. More importantly, it harms our environment and the reputation of our art form.

If you are new to belly dance and see: two dancers fighting, a teacher badmouthing another teacher behind her back, a student viciously criticizing a workshop sponsor, or a dancer loudly arguing with a restaurant owner about pay in the restaurant, what do you think? If you are an old timer and read ugly remarks online from one dancer to another that aren’t about a problem, but are about personality, what do you think?

When we are in public, we should all be treated as professionals. This doesn’t mean that we don’t have disagreements or can’t have personal feelings about other people. It just means that we keep them to ourselves. When we do share, we do so with trusted friends in private.

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 AFTER A WHILE. Your zils will eventually fly off if your elastic is not tight enough. Been there, done that. Trust me, you don’t want to be the one responsible for hitting an old man in the nursing home in the head with a flying piece of metal.
• You are aiming for a clear bell sound, not a clack or smack (usually- sometimes that is desired and effective). To achieve this, hit the rim of the top to the rim of the bottom.
• Keep your fingers close together. Opening your hands wide is not attractive and it slows you down.

Okay, now that we have the preliminaries out of the way, we’re ready to play. Here’s how to interpret the video. R  R RLR  R  RLR means that you are going to play the right hand, then pause, then play the right hand again. Then you are going to go right, left, right (pause), then right again (pause), then right, left, right.

If you are reading the 1, 1, 3, 1, 3, that is basically the same thing as above except that you are counting the number of hits before a break rather than paying attention to which hand you are using.

If you are a drummer, just think of the drum sounds. Dum is the center hit with a deep sound, tek and ka are rim hits and are like popping sounds. In general, if you are using the drum method for zils, dum is your dominant hand, tek is the same hand but hitting on the rim (of the drum, not the zils . Ka is a rim hit on the non-dominant hand.

Good luck!

It should go without saying, but every so often I see students who have had a bit too much to drink who are in a performing environment. Ladies, please don’t drink and dance. You might think that no one can tell, but we can smell you and we certainly can see you. While it may feel like you are more confident and graceful than you have ever been, the audience sees a different story. Alcohol negatively impacts coordination and perception. You’re not as graceful as you think.

You’re nervous. I get it. But liquid (or other types of ) courage is not the answer. Practice more. With practice comes confidence. You may never get over those butterflies completely, but drinking only compounds the problem.

Drinking is social and I know you just want to have fun, but wait until the show is over. Drink socially in your street clothes with your friends, but don’t do it in clothes that identify you as a dancer where other people can see you. It could send the wrong message. Better to be safe than sorry.

Now, just because I am focusing on drinking doesn’t mean that other drugs are okay. On the contrary, ANY mood altering substance should be off limits when performing. It’s not pretty, sexy or professional to see someone laughing too much, talking too loud, having no awareness of themselves or other people and clumsily executing their choreography. You may get away with it a few times, but eventually it catches up with you. So my advice, just don’t.