My study plan and goals

LadyLoba

New member
I realized I've been learning for two weeks and decided to create a study plan to keep myself on track. (Of course I'm learning and practicing, not just studying).

At the end of 6 weeks my goals are:

1. be able to do 30 basic belly dance moves
2. be able to perform a basic dance along with a beginner DVD
3. be able to dance to a song using the moves I know


-Am I being too easy on myself? I'm not trying to be lazy, I just looked back over my first two weeks, saw what I had learned, and decided to set goals according to what it seems like I can do.

-I've learned not to say "these are THE basic moves" etc....because one thing I do know already is that I'm never going to know every move in belly dance, and that if I had thousands and thousands of dollars to spend and could do anything I wanted, and I took four different Beginning Belly Dance classes around a large city....I might get four different opinions as to what moves belong in a 6 week introductory belly dance class....and all of them would be valid.
 

Greek Bonfire

Well-known member
Those are lofty goals, LadyLoba! Do the best you can, but with such determination, you might even surpass these. But take your time too because even dancers with 30 years experience still call themselves "students."
 

Rania

New member
good idea! I have a belly dance Journal BTW..with BDF advice, a couple routines, numbers, websites...now Im going to add goals to it...

I have notebooks for everything!
 
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Punko

New member
Very good idea.

You ladies are incredibly organized, unlike myself. I just shimmy while i brush my teeth... and do the dishes and vacuum... Don't feel sorry for me yet, its a great drill. Miss Bonfire your a pebble toss away from me, if you have any suggestions on great instructors in the area, it would be greatly appreciated. :)
 

LadyLoba

New member
I use Google Docs for my journal...password protected and set to private. It keeps me organized because I can set colored tabs for different online notebooks. I have a prayer/sprituality journal, a notebook for my depression, and a notebook for my finances...with budgets and tax info and all that boring information I know you need to keep.

I have one paper notebook with belly dance info and notes in it, but it's a mess...mainly thanks to my handwriting...it's nice to meet another "notebook" person.

Punko...I think your drill sounds good! I catch myself doing that throughout the day....practicing while I brush my teeth, comb my hair..clean...I even jump up at work and "stretch" by practicing belly dance moves...I work from home...:)
 

Kashmir

New member
At the end of 6 weeks my goals are:

1. be able to do 30 basic belly dance moves
2. be able to perform a basic dance along with a beginner DVD
3. be able to dance to a song using the moves I know

-Am I being too easy on myself? I'm not trying to be lazy, I just looked back over my first two weeks, saw what I had learned, and decided to set goals according to what it seems like I can do.
I think you are actually aiming too high. I take small classes of beginners for 8 weeks - 10 hours with about 8 hours of dancing (the rest an introduction to history, culture, language, styles, music and musicality etc) In that time - with constant feedback - they are introduced to 11 basic isolations, a few few arm positions and moves, four or five travelling steps, a play with improvisiation and some combos .

I have never had one student who I considered "got" all the 11 basic isolations in 8 weeks (to a standard that I'd say they "had" it down - using the right muscles, smooth, able to be stopped and started on command, without other parts of the body bopping along for the ride). Yes, most have an idea of what is needed - but apart from anything else it takes time to build the co-ordination needed (10 000 repetitions to gain a new skill I've been told) - let alone the strength and flexibility if they aren't already dancers.

Pull back and select a smaller number and perfect them (you don't need 30 moves any way!!) Play with them. For instance, take a hip drop. Is your upper body steady? What arms can you use? Can you move your foot about? Add a twist? Walk into it ie walk (correctly) and hit one perfect hip drop on the beat?
 

LadyLoba

New member
I don't mind aiming too high....it's aiming too low that I want to avoid. I've taken two non-belly dance dance classes before...once as a kid and once as an adult...and both times we learned...next to nothing. The first time was billed as "ballet" but all she did was teach us a cute little kids' routine to "Thriller" and a cute little kids' routine to a Janet Jackson song so we could back her up when she performed...it was maybe two ballet positions then just her teaching kids a little dance to back her up. Cute...but more like "dance team" than a real class. The one I took as an adult was also supposed to be ballet. For that one we did do some very basic barre work...but that was the first few minutes...then we did aerobics.

I'm not upset that ballet didn't work out for me...I have the wrong body type for ballet anyway....but I want belly dance to go as well as it can..
 

Outi

New member
I'm with Kashmir.

It's not only the number of the moves, but the quality of them. That you'll find the muscles and can ingaged them properly. That you can truely keep your horizontal movements horizontal and execute verticals movements without twisting at all. That you can change your weight while doing a movement and not letting that effect to the quality of the movement. That you can walk with the movement, so that your weight changes with the movement, and that you can do the same without effecting to your movement. Then later doing everything with shimmy and on balls of your feet... there is so many things to do with "only" the basic movements.

Also listening music, just feeling it, reading about Arabic culture - espesially if you like Egyptian style dance, will help you grow as dancer. Watching videos of great dancers will be good for you.

It's great that you have goals and you are eager to learn!
 

LadyLoba

New member
Oh, I'm not disagreeing with Kashmir....quality...of course....I didn't note that because to me that goes without saying. I demand the best I can do out of myself in everything I learn. When I say "learn" I mean "learn" not "I did it once" or "I can pick it out of someone else's dancing."

I just posted that to make sure that I wasn't aiming to learn too few dance moves in that amount of time.
 

Kashmir

New member
Oh, I'm not disagreeing with Kashmir....quality...of course....I didn't note that because to me that goes without saying. I demand the best I can do out of myself in everything I learn. When I say "learn" I mean "learn" not "I did it once" or "I can pick it out of someone else's dancing."

I just posted that to make sure that I wasn't aiming to learn too few dance moves in that amount of time.
Problem is, with just a DVD, you don't actually get enough feedback. Forget a teacher correcting a figure eight generated from the legs or a bouncing hip drop. Even a couple of DVDs is a few hours subset of a teacher's beginner classes. You cannot cover everything in 3 hours. I could spend that much on any one move. So what you will be getting is 30 moves over lightly. It is not your fault. You are not a trained belly dancer. You don't know what to look for - but try and spend the time getting more depth than breadth. For instance watch some good, experienced dancers in the style that interests you. Even have a look at some in other styles. See what they are doing with the moves; how they interpret the music. Otherwise you may end up "knowing" a lot of belly dance moves but not how to belly dance.
 

Greek Bonfire

Well-known member
You ladies are incredibly organized, unlike myself. I just shimmy while i brush my teeth... and do the dishes and vacuum... Don't feel sorry for me yet, its a great drill. Miss Bonfire your a pebble toss away from me, if you have any suggestions on great instructors in the area, it would be greatly appreciated. :)

Send me a PM where you live and I'll see what I can find out for you.
 

Rania

New member
I use Google Docs for my journal...password protected and set to private. It keeps me organized because I can set colored tabs for different online notebooks. I have a prayer/sprituality journal, a notebook for my depression, and a notebook for my finances...with budgets and tax info and all that boring information I know you need to keep.

I have one paper notebook with belly dance info and notes in it, but it's a mess...mainly thanks to my handwriting...it's nice to meet another "notebook" person.

Ya I try to but typed paper in the notebook, so it easier to read :p

Even if people don't keep notebooks..if you practice it good. of course any notes will help organization
 

Belly Love

New member
You ladies are incredibly organized, unlike myself. I just shimmy while i brush my teeth... and do the dishes and vacuum... Don't feel sorry for me yet, its a great drill. Miss Bonfire your a pebble toss away from me, if you have any suggestions on great instructors in the area, it would be greatly appreciated. :)

Are you thinking about taking classes in Chicago?
 

goddessyasaman

New member
LadyLoba, I always believe in doing your best and aiming high is not a bad thing, after all Your state of mind also plays a big part in everything you do in life so keep up the hard work believe in yourself, Give your Goal all you've got and let us know how it turns out at the end of your six weeks, if you need any advice I'm sure us ladys here will be willing to help. Good Luck! :clap:
 

Amanda (was Aziyade)

Well-known member

Greek Bonfire

Well-known member
RAKSANNA !!!!

Belly Dance classes for fitness and fun in Naperville, Aurora, Plainfield, Oswego, Sugar Grove, Joliet, Sandwich, DeKalb, Romeoville, Bolingbrook, Warrenville and Wheaton


I don't actually know where she is, in relation to the Chicago metro area, but she is an AMAZING performer, and everybody that I've known who has taken her classes and workshops RAVES about her. I'm going to try and schedule a private lesson when we're up there next month.

Raksanna is about 40 miles outside of Chicago. But I would highly recommend her, and she is such a nice person too.
 

Punko

New member
RAKSANNA !!!!

Belly Dance classes for fitness and fun in Naperville, Aurora, Plainfield, Oswego, Sugar Grove, Joliet, Sandwich, DeKalb, Romeoville, Bolingbrook, Warrenville and Wheaton


I don't actually know where she is, in relation to the Chicago metro area, but she is an AMAZING performer, and everybody that I've known who has taken her classes and workshops RAVES about her. I'm going to try and schedule a private lesson when we're up there next month.



Miss Aziyade!! There is definitely more than just corn in Indiana!! Come closer to this tiny town of Pierogy infested loonies called Whiting and build an empire of glittery, jingly belly dancers. From a business point of view, this place has nothing to offer and would be a great to start a dance studio for the adults. It would be nice to get some culture in this place. This is just my selfish lazy, doesn't want to drive point of view. :p
 

LadyLoba

New member
Thanks for all the encouragement!

I know I put a lot more material into my "Beginning Belly Dance" study plan than I would find in most 6 week beginner belly dance classes...but I do want to make sure to aim for more rather than less. I did the same thing when I got my MA. Goddard College requires you to design all of your classes yourself as independent studies overseen by faculty members, and I always had about twice as much work as they really required me to do. That way I knew I had a solid Master of Arts program. I'm kind of paranoid about being "lazy" so I overdo things.
 
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