How do you keep from getting bored with video learning?

I am sad that no one is teaching within a 50 mile radius of me! I have a few videos but I am getting so bored of them even though I have not learned everything on them. Getting everyone out of my living room and moving furniture so I can work out kind of sets me up for a bad mood too. I miss seeing other students. I miss the variety a teacher brings because it's different every week and with a video you know what's next and it gets dull. The nearest class that happens next in our area is still over 50 miles away, that's a 100 mile round trip for an hour class and I don't think my old truck could make it! (on 8 miles to the gallon, it's a bad idea anyway!). You have to pay in advance for the whole 6 week session too. I wish there was other options. I love this dance and I want to get better, but dancing by myself in my living room is making me more sad than dancing should! What would you do? I am wondering about retreats or day long workshops. If I could get to a studio in the city and have real human interaction and learn some new things to bring home and practice, that would be awesome. Anyone else been in these shoes? What helped?

Have you considered attending more intensive workshops which can give you new input and things to work on in between workshops? Or online tutoring?

A workshop would be great, I have only ever been aware of classes that take place once a week and last for about an hour. There must be day long workshops out there right? We don't exactly have Internet here, not where I can watch a tutorial anyway. I am going to search for workshops.

Find the closest good teacher to you. Even if she is beyond a 50-mile radius, make a mental note of all your closest teachers and try to book a trip to them once a month or once every two months, if you can.

Scout out workshops in your area. Find out who sponsors them and keep in touch with the sponsors (get in their mailing lists if they have one). If you don't have any teachers within 50 miles of you, you probably won't have workshops within 50 miles, but you can keep yourself updated on what's going on so that you make the trip when you are able.

Look for classes in another dance style that you think might compliment your belly dancing, but that is more common. Unfortunately a lot of dance genres that I'd like to take for cross-training are even harder to find than belly dance (flamenco, Polynesian, Persian, etc), but even ballet, jazz, and modern have their benefits. If you can't find that, do something else like yoga, pilates, or martial arts. These things will keep you socializing with others, keep you moving, and make you stronger and more flexible.

I've been getting bored with all my DVDs too, even the ones that I haven't used extensively. I've been learning a lot more by just "playing" on my own, or watching youtube videos and copying them. You can try that and see if it's better.

I agree with the above advice. I also started learning with DVDs so what I recommend is that you don't watch the same video or the same move over and over again. I remember trying to practice chest circles over and over again because I really wanted to have them right but then I had to try some other move not because I got bored - like you - but because sometimes I felt frustrated I couldn't do it right. Perhaps it also works with you.

Look for weekend workshops - or even a full day (an hour isn't really a "workshop" - it's an orphan class). As an alternative, find a good teacher and book in a long private class. Maybe you can do it when you have something else to do in town so save fuel.

Here I have to fly over 1500 miles to another country to get the type of class I need. 50 miles and no passport seems a breeze

There's an article on my web site intended to help people in your situation. See:

Learning To Belly Dance: If No Local Teacher, Or The One That's There Doesn't Have The Knowledge You Seek

I have the same problem when working with the same few videos over and over. One thing that helped me is surfing around on ebay, I got 12 or 13 videos for 10 dollars. Having more videos helps, even if it's a different dance style, there are similar moves and it has something you can add to your bellydance eventually if you wish.

Shiro said:

I have the same problem when working with the same few videos over and over. One thing that helped me is surfing around on ebay, I got 12 or 13 videos for 10 dollars. Having more videos helps, even if it's a different dance style, there are similar moves and it has something you can add to your bellydance eventually if you wish.

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You can often learn moves this way but you tend to miss out the essence of belly dance - which is how to interpret the music. For this, if you haven't got access to a good teacher, you could try watching good belly dancers (both the "good" and "belly dancer" is vital). I'd suggest finding performances by the Egyptian greats (there are many good non-Egyptians too, but unless you have guidence you can easily end up with some wannba belly bunny prancing around in her underwear - or some jazz dancer in a bra and belt)

I do watch a lot of videos of belly dancers. I don't have much of a problem interpreting music. I just have a hard time learning or spending enough time learning, since my back is bad. I don't watch videos of anyone I don't consider a professional. I'm not terribly new to bellydance, I've been interested in it for 4 years and have watched thousands of videos. I hate videos of people saying they're bellydancers, and dancing around and shaking their butts in nothing but underwear. I mean, I dance around in my underwear... But dancing for me is just a fun activity for myself and no one else. We also have no AC, so underwear is common for keeping cool while exercising

Maybe Skype classes with a teacher. Ansuya offers online Skype classes. Maybe there are more people who do this?

Amulya said:

Maybe Skype classes with a teacher. Ansuya offers online Skype classes. Maybe there are more people who do this?

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And Darshiva (Raqs Riverine | Learn bellydancing with Darshiva in Echuca) offers online classes.