properly labeling class levels
2007-03-07 02:38:00
WARNING! Here come a rant!I am really perturbed by people who mislabel their class
levels
. I mean, if you are calling yourself a teacher, shouldn't you know what level of ability a student has? Or do you just judge their level by how many classes they have taken? If they have completed "beginner I and II", does that make them intermediate level dancers?"Beginner" isn't some arbitrary label. It means that the student is building foundation level skills. They are learning gross motor movements. They need a lot of break down. They need a lot of repetition. I know some teachers teach all their classes with the same beginner level technique, which isn't targeting the needs of more advanced learners, but the label should be focused on the level of the student, not the teacher. ;)Anyway, I accept that "Suzy's" beginner classes may be more advanced than "Lucy's" intermediate level class, but it frustrates the heck out of me when TEACHERS don't seem to put any thought into what the labels
Read more: labeling
"good" as compared to what?
2007-03-09 13:11:00
I have about a bazillion and five dance videos and DVDs. I started buying only performance videos a long time ago because instructional ones seemed to be targeted to beginners. Well, I saw one on Amazon.com that got rave reviews from everyone who saw it. It sounded really good so I bought it... and then the DVD arrived.(sigh) I really do trust owner reviews more than those of the manufacturer, but if you are going to write a review and say that something is good, please put "as compared to what". If you are a student who has been taking lessons for 5 weeks with one teacher, that would be good to know. It puts your comments in perspective. If you knew nothing about the subject matter and this is your first introduction to that, that would be good to know.The DVD that I bought was beginner level. None of the reviews reflected that. The instruction was solid, but definitely at a beginner level. It's incredibly frustrating to have to break every single thing down when you don't need that
horning in on someone else's gig
2007-03-10 12:43:00
I really don't understand why some people think that it's totally okay to horn in on someone else's gig. Examples:1) Showing up at a performance as a dancer (meaning that you have a hip scarf on and are belly dancing between sets) and then proceding to "audition" or make the whole venue aware of the fact that you are a dancer.2) Soliciting for a gig that you know someone else is either working on or is already at.Both scenarios are just low class. If you are a guest at someone else's performance, by all means have fun, but don't be out there looking like you are auditioning. If the house dancer is struggling, dance with her if she asks, but don't show her up if you are better. Don't make it YOUR show. And don't be in performance mode if you are out on the dance floor. It's tacky. Perform when you are being paid to perform and support when you are not.As for trying to get a gig that someone else is going for or is already working, all I have to say to that is when you do that,
Separating and Indivuation
2007-03-11 13:18:00
Okay, I know I am going to sound like a therapist here, but I can't help but see the parallel in teens separating from their parents and students separating from their teachers. As teens/students move to maturity and start to gain their own identity, it's natural for them to pull away, make themselves distinct, and do something different. I get that. What I don't get is when it has to be difficult.Isn't it the parent's/teacher's role to support the emerging independence of the child/student? Isn't the point of all that nurturing to make it so that the child/student CAN stand on her own two feet? If both parties understand that, then there should be no ugly battles for individuation. It's not healthy for parents and children (or teachers and students) to be enmeshed. There should be distinctions of where one ends and the other begins. If there are differences in style, goals, or ideas, that is to be celebrated. If this is not understood by either side, perhaps it is something t
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The value of good advice
2007-03-29 01:10:00
I am not an American Idol fan, but recently some friends of mine were talking about the worst of the 2006 auditions. The stories sounded so humorous that I had to google them and see it for myself. ... I have to say, it was pretty bad.I have to wonder if these people are surrounded by people who are "nice" and just give them compliments? They blow up their heads to make them believe that they really can sing.Reminds me of a lot of belly dance teachers. It really is one of my pet peeves when teachers compliment everything a student does. I think it gives the student a great disservice because one day she could be in an Idol-like position and become the laughingstock of the event if she doesn't get honest feedback from someone she trusts. It's better to get it off stage than be humiliated in front of hundreds of thousands of people by scathing comments by someone like Simon Cowell.
leadership
2007-03-30 18:58:00
Respect as a leader isn't something that is given to you just because you hold a position of power. Respect is something you earn. If you act like a leader, you will be given the respect that the position deserves. If you are wishy washy, let people make decisions for you, don't challenge things that go against your rules or values, people will walk all over you. This doesn't mean you have to be heavy handed. It just means you have to be firm, fair, consistent and decisive.When teachers have troupe problems, it is almost always due to the director not having well defined rules. When students feel unfairly treated, it's often because they don't understand the rules or the rules are not consistently applied.It might seem like being a leader is a great place to be, but you are creating all kinds of problems for yourself if you are not willing to do the "work" part of it. If you want to be an effective leader, lead. If you want to be walked on, don't.
Overlook the Diva Attitude, Please
2007-05-21 13:32:00
Fortunately the East Coast Classic doesn't attract a lot of divas, but anyone can have a bad day once in a while. There was a contestant this year who had a bad attitude about not winning. I heard from some of her competitors that she said some inappropriate things in mixed company. I was a little surprised because I knew this dancer vaguely and didn't know her to be that way.Anyway, the next day everything seemed to be put back into perspective and she was her normal self again. So, the moral of the story is, "Overlook the diva attitude on contest day, please." Stress brings out the worst in people and things may be said that aren't meant.That's really no excuse for insensitivity or rudeness, but if you keep it all in perspective, you should realize that it's also no reason to get bent out of shape if the comments are directed to you or said within your hearing. It's probably just someone having a bad moment.
Read more: Please
"What a nice costume!"
2007-05-21 13:19:00
I stuck my foot in my mouth. I didn't mean to. You know the old saying, "If you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all" and the belly dancer version which says, "If you can't say something nice, compliment the costume
"? Well, I stuck my foot in my mouth apparently when I complimented a dancer's costume. I wasn't meaning to insult her dancing or to say that she didn't do a good job. Sometimes the costume is just stunning and you want to tell somebody. I guess it's not perceived as a compliment unless you also gush over the performance. (sigh)
Belly Dancers of Color
2007-05-26 08:46:00
Now before anyone jumps on my back for posting this, let me say that I have nothing against BOCA. I have friends in the organization, am thinking about joining and attending this year's event. I won the Oasis Belly Dancer of Color
award and am very happy to have a people's choice award. So the issue isn't with an organization or person, but with the concept. So here goes the rant.What's with the "of color" thing? Who gets to decide whether someone has enough color to be "of color"? If white, porcelain, alabaster, and peach are colors, wouldn't we all be people "of color"?I have a friend who is very pale. If you didn't know her ethnic background, you would swear she was white, but she does not identify as such. Would she be considered a person of color? Who gets to decide?I am obviously "of color", but my daughter's father is white. She looks white to most people, but she is highly offended if you call her white. She doesn't have anything against white people. More than half her
Read more: Dancers
vabellydance.com is no more
2007-06-15 05:59:00
I created http://vabellydancer.com a year ago because I kept getting emails from people who were looking for dancers or teachers that were not in my area. Dancers were also asking for a central clearinghouse for events and workshops. I thought it was a good idea, but it didn't get much support from the dance community. I got TONS of inquiries from the general public for dancers and teachers and continued to send them to the site for referrals, so the public got a lot of use out of it- limited as the resource was. But because it was not supported by the dance community, there were not that many listings there. So, I decided not to renew the domain. If someone wants to take it on, it's yours. If not, bye bye vabellydance.com.
Links, Links, Beautiful Links
2007-06-28 18:30:00
Okay, my site is overgoing a makeover. Any dead links will be purged. Any new links will be added. If you have already sent me a link that hasn't posted, I still have it. It's just that the portal is the last thing that will be redone, so you don't have to send it to me again. If you want to send a new one, go ahead and email. Just make sure to tell me what category you best fit in. Thanks! :)
Read more: Beautiful
"Don't Let the Parade Pass Me By"
2007-06-26 07:13:00
Okay, the synchronistic message of the week seems to be, "Don't Let the Parade
Pass Me By." What I mean by that is, I am seeing a lot of people speaking against progress for fear that it means that they won't be able to keep up. I don't see how making things more entertaining, more professional, or more ethical should mean that anyone would miss out on a chance to dance. If a pro dance company is created, that doesn't take away from the lady down the street being able to have her social belly dance group. If the pro dance company invests in high dollar costumes, that does not mean that you can't enjoy sewing your own. If the pro company takes only young, thin dancers, it may mean that you don't get to dance WITH THEM, but it certainly does not close any doors that have always been open to you. I don't understand why some would have us continue to be the step-sisters of professional dance just so that they can feel good about what they do. A rising tide lifts all boats. When mor
More on "of color"
2007-07-04 13:09:00
I have gotten a few emails on my post pondering the "of color" thing. I really don't understand why I have been misunderstood, but I am not against any person or organization that wants to support, network, or otherwise uplift a group of people. I just don't get how you can separate who belongs to a group that is based on color. When is someone colorful or colorless enough to be included or not included? THAT is my issue.I say this as someone who is "of color" and went to a historically black college. I was not black enough to be accepted. I was reminded of that every day in every way. So, it wasn't about color, but culture. But even that was an erroneous conclusion based on assumption.Anyway, I get that people of a minority might want to associate with others of that minority because it just feels comfortable. I get that they would face similar issues and be able to identify and support each other through that. I get that together, they create a more powerful coalition that can adv
referrals
2007-07-04 13:04:00
Well, vabellydancers.com expires this month. I have been using it for the TONS of referrals I get for dancers who do not live in my area. I actually hadn't thought of using my portal (duh!) as a referral source, but it makes more sense because I get requests for dancers that aren't in VA. So from here on out, when I get a request for a dancer or teacher, I am going to refer them to http://www.taaj.org/portal.html. It's junky right now, but I am finished revamping and downsizing the rest of the site so I can focus on cleaning up dead links and redoing the portal now. If anyone wants to link up, just let me know.
What happened to the "Middle Eastern" in M.E. dance?
2007-07-02 11:05:00
I like good fusion as much as the next person. I love it when someone does something so creative, funky and out of this world that you just can't wait to rush up to them and tell them how much you loved their performance. I love wild and crazy costumes. I love being transported to a different place. But what happened to the "Middle Eastern
" in Middle Eastern dance? Maybe it wouldn't be so bad if what was billed as Middle Eastern dance was the exciting stuff I described above, but most of it is just dancing to western music in a belly dance costume. I don't get it. I have no explanation for when I take a friend or family member to a belly dance show only to see no belly dance. How do I explain that the girl in the belly dance costume, isn't actually doing Middle Eastern dance? It's easier to see that when the music isn't Middle Eastern or the moves aren't Middle Eastern, but the costume throws them off every time. More and more shows are fusion rather than Middle Eastern. I wonde
I recently saw The Departed. Everybody raved about...
2007-07-09 07:21:00
I recently
saw The Departed
. Everybody
raved about how good that movie was, but I thought it sucked. Leonardo Dicaprio was the only good actor. Although it was a star-studded cast, the rest of the actors were show boating the entire time. I found it very distracting. The story had a lot of irrelevant moments. The ending was a surprise, but by that time, the end was far overdue and the movie had gone too far into the, "who cares" realm.But I bring up The Departed to illustrate that I think that some dancers are stars and some are chorus girls. It's possible to cross over or even to do both, but most only do one well. When they get cast in the wrong role, it isn't very pretty.A good troupe should blend. No one should stand out. No one should look like a soloist. Each member should be a part of a seamless whole that compliments the big picture. When a soloist stands out as a soloist in a troupe piece, she ruins the whole beauty of the piece.At the same time, if a soloist looks like a ch
It's official. Nobody loves me.
2007-07-06 14:33:00
So, I went to a historically black college where I wasn't black enough to fit in. Today I was at the Asian grocery store and couldn't get any service because I am not Asian enough. There were a bunch of people in the store being helped. Meanwhile I was standing there like the invisible woman while every pure bred person got service. THEN, I got the kicker. An African American friend of mine told me today that he thought I was white!!! I am not claimed by anybody! What's up with that? (lol)Actually, you know who claims me? Hispanics, North Africans, and Middle Easterners. Every time I go to a country where those people live, they always mistake me for one of them. The "problem" is, I DON'T HAVE A SINGLE DROP OF BLOOD from any of those places.Isn't it ironic? I get flak from people from groups I do belong to, but acceptance from those I don't. Funny.
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Is the Customer Always Right?
2007-07-06 05:43:00
I have been self-employed since 1994. I believe that if you don't have a product the customer wants to buy, and you don't have customer satisfaction, you won't be in business long. I have used that as a guidepost in my belly dance business as well. I strive to be professional in appearance, ethics, and business dealings. I pay attention to what is selling and cultivate a product that fits within my beliefs and abilities as well as the marketplace.Having said that, I have to ponder about whether the customer is always right. I think the customer has a right to say whether she wants a spiritual dance class or an exercise class and choose accordingly. I have no problem with that. If a customer wants a blonde dancer or athin dancer, I have no problem with that. But what about when the customer wants something that is discriminatory? Is that to be tolerated?The protected classes are age (in some cases), race, national orgin, religion, and gender. Protection extends to employment, schooli
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, Right
hee hee hee, I couldn't resist
2007-07-12 10:54:00
There is a post on The Biz of Belly Dance Tribe looking for "10 black female dancers" for a Bollywood shoot in India. I had to ask what did the poster mean by "black"?lol. I am not trying to beat this to death, but I am curious to know what does that mean? Is it someone with dark skin color? (She did say, "black".) Is it the hair? How would one know if she fit what the gig was looking for?I think it would be neat to go to India to do some Bollywood work, but I have no idea how to do Indian fusion and I doubt I would meet the physical criteria anyway.
Read more: resist
, hee hee
talking politics
2007-07-11 05:56:00
I try to avoid talking politics
or disclosing what mine are. But I think it is safe to say that a lot of people are disillusioned with how things are going politically. The bickering of the Republicans and Democrats are getting us nowhere. Our budget is spiralling out of control. Our borders are not secure. There is that mess in Iraq... Anyway, there is a new movement to change things by electing someone for President who is not a part of the good old boy system. Someone who is not beholdened to big business. Someone who does not owe a lot of favors for getting him/her into and keeping him/her into politics. In other words, someone new. If you are interested in being a part of this, please see http://www.unity08.com. I am not sure who this "someone" is going to be. I don't know if it can even work, but at this point, I am willing to look at options other than those we currently have.
shimmying is a dead giveaway
2007-07-16 07:17:00
So I was sitting in a bank lobby waiting to speak to one of the officers when a female came in and stood in the teller line. She had long hair and was wearing a broomstick skirt- suggestions of a belly dancer, but what gave her away was that she was shimmying the entire time! She shimmied as she stood in line. When she waited at the teller line, she shimmied while conducting her business. I thought, "That girl has got to be a belly dancer."I remember what it was like when I shimmied everywhere. It was like I was on auto-pilot. Shimmy- shimmy- shimmy- shimmy- shimmy- shimmy! lol. I have never seen anyone else do that, so it was really funny being on the outside looking in.
The Importance of Knowing History
2007-07-15 06:46:00
Some students of mine were reporting about a show that they had seen. They were asking, "Why did she do that?" This just reminded me that time passes, new people start dancing and they are not aware of what happened in the "good old days." The things that they were asking about were fashions and styles of the 70s and 80s. Some were American and some were Egyptian, but we used to do stuff differently in costuming and performance style. I think that when you know that stuff, it gives you a broader appreciation for other people's performances. It also gives you ideas of things to borrow from years gone by. Things evolve. Things change, but some dancers stay the same. Some intentionally go retro. If you don't know what you are looking at, you may think it's new. You may just think that the dancer has an odd sense of style.Anyway, I think a knowledge and appreciation of the past helps you to be a better dancer and teacher in the present.
Read more: History
pale imitation
2007-08-01 10:20:00
So, I am watching this instructional video of a dancer that I really, really love. She is entertaining to watch. She's genuine. You feel like you are really seeing *her* when she dances. She has a unique style and is just enjoyable all the way around.Anyway, I don't know why she decided to put her students on her video dancing to her choreographies, but she did. I have to say that I hated watching every minute of that. I watched because the teacher didn't perform those choreographies and I wanted to see how she did it, but there was so much *wrong* with it. They all had different body types and some stuff just doesn't look the same on everybody, so I didn't like the particular choice of movements on some of the students. The execution was also off. It was like the student was off half a beat or something. It didn't look like it flowed naturally- probably because it didn't.I understand the reasoning for teaching choreographies, but I don't understand why people would want to per
How to Get 'Er Done
2007-07-20 06:15:00
A couple of people have asked me this week how to accomplish big tasks. Everyone is different, but I do it by chunking it up into small pieces. I write a list of what needs to be done. Then I put them in order of what needs to be done first. If a particular piece has a deadline, I note that too as it creates a sense of urgency in me. Then I set about tackling each piece at a time.This works for me, but I am okay with going long periods of time without seeing any tangible evidence of progress. I know that each step moves me forward, and that is enough to keep me moving (remember that an object in motion is a lot easier to keep in motion than trying to start it moving from a standstill).A tip I got from Michele Blood is to approach your To-Do list as if someone were paying you to complete each item. In essence YOU are paying you to do those things because you reap the reward of your efforts. This idea also keeps me motivated to do a little something each day.So if your project seems insu
boycott?
2007-08-21 07:08:00
There has been some discussion about boycotting belly dance vendors, teachers, restaurants, etc. I don't think there is anything wrong with boycotting. We essentially do it every day when we choose where to shop. The only difference is whether or not there is an intention to "punish" the vendor.I pretty much shop at the same places because I like what they have to offer, like their prices, like their business practices, and the convenience they offer. I choose not to shop at other places because they do not offer what I need. I only intentionally stay away (or boycott) the stores that have done things I don't approve of.But I think when people talk about boycotting, they mean more than just being choosy about where to shop. I think they are talking about soliciting others to share their sentiments and habits. I don't know if I agree with that. I've had lots of negative experiences with vendors, but I don't go around telling people about it in an attempt to get them to stop shoppin
BDT certification update
2007-08-20 06:56:00
Well, I am really excited about how the Belly Dance Trainer certification program is going. I have students in the USA, Canada, Japan, and the Carribean. Inquiries from other places also come in, but so far they haven't turned into students. But it's cool because in the not-so-distant future when I say, "Contact a Belly Dance Trainer near you" there will actually be someone they can talk to near by.Things are going more slowly than I'd like. I have lost some of the original guinea pigs (testers) for the program due to moves, family problems, job issues and life. Getting releases, packaging and all that kind of stuff has taken longer too. I was budgeting 2 months per chapter. So two months for me to get each chapter together, then another two months for the guinea pigs to get it, test it, and get it back to me. I made it available to the public when I had three chapters completed, so I should have been rolling out each chapter in two month intervals, but that hasn't worked out beca
It's MINE!
2007-08-24 19:08:00
The theme of the week appears to be the attitude of possession. What I mean is, I am seeing a lot of people claiming things that can't really be legally or realistically claimed. Choreographies, music, written words- things like that can be copyrighted and protected. Ideas can't. So I don't understand why some people claim that they "invented" belly dance or belly dance moves. Huh? I've got two problems with that. First, there are so many people doing the same things in geographically diverse places that it's impossible to attribute a move to a specific person. Second, even if that person was the first to do it (which I highly doubt), you can't patent or copyright an idea. It's not done and it's not logical. There is nothing new under the sun. What makes something novel is the way it's put together, but is it *really* new? I haven't seen anything I'd call "new." Many people have a unique style, but all the moves are based on the same dozen or so movements and variations ther
Either Or or Both
2007-08-24 06:41:00
I don't understand why some people close themselves off to options. I mean, why does a student have to choose between X's class and Y's? Why can't she do both if she wants to? I get it if the choice is restricted by time or money, but if both options are open, why not choose both?I am a "both" kinda girl. If I can't decide between ice cream and cake, I will have both. If I can't decide if I want to vacation in Cambodia or Vietnam, I will go to both. If I can't decide between the new red costume or the green one, I will take both. Same with people. If I like A and B, I want to be friends with both, so why should A mind or try to force me to choose? I really don't like that. That's not my way and I don't appreciate it when someone tries to force me into their way of thinking. The world is big enough for both, so let me have both. Nobody loses a thing by my choice of both. And that, I think, is the crux of the problem. There are insecure people who really believe that if you hav
BDT update
2007-08-26 07:45:00
Hey! I was just doing a review of the Belly Dance Trainer program. You know, looking at the books, how well advertising is doing, how many people are in the program, etc. It's good news! I just found out that I have students in 13 US states, four countries, and one territory! AK, AL, FL, ID, MA, MO, NM, OH, OR, PA, TN, TX, and VA; USA, Canada, US Virgin Islands, Japan, and South Africa. That's pretty cool, eh? I've got representation on the east coast, south, midwest, west, and southwest, and northwest. Now I've just got to get to the other areas and grow the number of people in each area.I am really excited about how things are going. The guinea pigs are a HUGE help with refining things. The music releases are coming together. The text for the entire program is almost finished. It just has to be tested, revised and then released of course, but it's all working. The artwork for the packaging is finished. It was stalled for a while, but the momentum is picking back up again. I'm f
It's All About the Music
2007-08-26 06:36:00
How do you teach if you don't know where the "one" is?How do you dance if you're leading the drummer? Doesn't that put you ahead of the music?How do you teach improvisation or choreography if you don't understand patterns and structure in music?What are you dancing to if you don't understand musicality?I am seeing a lot of absence of musical training among dance teachers and I am just wondering how does one dance with no understanding of music? It boggles my mind. If you don't understand music theory, you are missing a vital tool to reach your students. If you don't understand how music is put together, how do you lay movement on top of it and expect it to make sense? I am not saying that dance teachers need to get a degree in music, but you do need *some* training. Some people have well developed ears and can put movement to music in an aesthetically pleasing way innately, but even then, if you don't have the words to express what you are doing, how do you teach others to do i
Read more: Music
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