Classroom
Tips for Studying Belly Dancing
Your body is an instrument
that has to be finely tuned. How long it takes will vary from
individual to individual. There is no magic date or set time when
everything will fall into place for you. It will happen only
after you have done all the necessary preparations. However, here
are some things that you can do to make your class and practice
efforts more rewarding and help insure success.
- Attend Class Regularly. For every class you
miss, it takes two classes to make it up. If you are a
new or slow learner, poor attendance will have a negative
impact on your progress. If possible, take two classes a
week. The second class will give you a review of what you
learned earlier and help reinforce your newly found dance
skills.
- Position yourself close to
the teacher. The closer you are to
your teacher, the better you can see and hear.
- Keep changing places in
class so you can see the instructor and dance movements
from different angles. This will also help you
when you dance so you don't stay in one area of the
stage--the same area you stand in when taking class!
- Dress appropriately. Don't
wear clothes that restrict or obscure your movements or
that don't give you proper support.
- Take notes. It is hard to remember
everything when you get home. Refer back to your notes
when you practice at home. (You will have to develop a
vocabulary for yourself if you can't remember the names
your teacher uses. But this will force you to analyze
what you are doing.)
- Practice, Practice, Practice! At
home, in front of the copier at work, while cooking
dinner, anywhere and any time you get a chance. A minimum of 30 minutes a week
will help you. Work on basic isolations
and your posture if not on actual dance technique and
choreography.
- Think about the basic
movements you learn each week in class and how to do them beginning with the head
all the way down to your hips and even dance walks. Make
a list or if your teacher has a technique video, use that
to help you practice.
- To understand movement, look
at the line and shape of the movement. Is it horizontal,
vertical, circular, or on the diagonal? Does it lift or
drop or twist? Does it follow a straight line or weave or
curve? What muscles are used to execute it? What are your
feet, legs, knees, hips, and torso doing?
- Know your Learning Style. Are you a Visual,
Auditory, Cerebral orTactile/Kinesthetic learner?
Find a teacher who understands the various learning
styles and incorporates the appropriate verbal
explanations, physically demonstrates the movements,
draws or diagrams what she/he is teaching, and writes out
descriptions of technique and choreography.
- Get a Dance Bag and Get
Organized. To have a successful
class, you have to have your tools with you. These
include your hip sash, zills, veils, dance shoes,
notebook and pen and other items your teacher has asked
you to bring.
Words of
Wisdom to Dance By
1. You don't need
a perfect body to dance; you need feeling for the movement and music, a
sense of rhythm, and good coordination. Things that can be learned
and perfected as long as you have a real desire to dance.
2. Learn how to work with your
body and make the most of it. Your body type will determine the way
you move and how movements look on you.
3. Dance is about self-discovery of your own unique capacity for
movement. Technique is built upon your actual
capabilities and body construction and not on what you wish they
were.
4. The dance class is a laboratory, a place to work and to try out
new things. Don't fret or try to hide your mistakes--learn from
them.
5. Beginner dance students would be wise to come to class as free as
possible of expectations. Learning to dance takes time, cultivation,
and a real sense of humor.
6. Don't compare yourself to your classmates and don't worry about
how you look or how long it is taking you to learn. There will
always be students more and less advanced than you are.
7. A correction from your teacher is not a put down but an
indication of her belief in your ability to make progress. A teacher
who gives no feedback isn't really teaching.
8. Beginner students should wait several weeks before trying to
practice technique. They should practice their basic stance, muscle
isolations, and work at improving their posture. Experimenting with
your body between classes helps you learn where your muscles
are.
9. Give yourself at least 16
weeks to decide if you are making any progress. The measure of your
progress is the improvement of your own insight and ability over what is
was in the past weeks or months. Here are the signs of
progress:
A). You are enjoying yourself and
can do things with your body you couldn't do before.
B). You are feeling new things in your
body.
C). You look better.
D). You can pick up the steps faster.
E). Your dancing has consistency.
F). You have more confidence and a stronger sense
of yourself as a dancer.
10. Learning to dance is a
partnership between you and your teacher. Both parties have
expectations and both must realize that becoming a dancer is an
eventuality not an instantly attainable goal. So when you are frustrated
about your real or imagined lack of progress come back to these words of
wisdom:
Students should realize:
If I want to do it right eventually, I have to be willing to do it wrong
for a while.
Teachers should realize: If I want to see it right eventually, I
have to be willing to see it wrong for a while.
B 2004-2006 Sallamah Chimera