Create a File for Belly Dance Notes
Do you keep your belly dance class notes and workshop notes in a file? If not, you should. If you never know when you might need to credit a source, refer to something you learned a long time ago, or just recall a lost bit of information. Sometimes you are introduced to information that doesn’t [...]
Dance From a Place of Strength
When I was a new student, I tried to learn from as many different teachers as possible. I trusted everything they said because they appeared so fluid, beautiful and knowledgeable to me. I wanted to be just like them. The problem is, we can all only be ourselves. So, once you get a strong foundation [...]
Why I Am So Rabid About Music
I can only see the world through my own eyes. I can’t speak to other people’s experiences, but from what I see, I think I am more zealous about music than your average person. I can’t just sit and listen to it- not even in the car. Background music becomes noise if I can’t focus [...]
Why Get Certified?
Let’s face it. There is not likely to be a rush of demand for belly dancers any time soon. The demand for higher quality doesn’t seem to be around the corner either. Certification is not a requirement. The disparity in certification programs is huge. It takes a lot of time and money. And there is [...]
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 [...]
What Music Theory Does For Your Dancing
I was asked how knowing music theory helps in dancing. Let me break this down a little bit more. Think of learning dance like learning how to write. When you learn moves, that is like learning words. Combinations are like learning to put together sentences. Choreography is reciting something that you have already read. Music [...]
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 [...]
Costumes and Props Do Not Make the Dancer
I sometimes see dancers chasing the latest techniques, styles, combinations, teachers, fad props and costume designers thinking that that will give them the edge. I don’t deny that looking good matters, but those things do not make the dancer. Think about the golden age of belly dance when giants like Nadia Gamal, Samia Gamal, Soheir [...]
