Mia Serra - anyone taken classes or seen show?
- Thread starter jenc
- Start date
Greek Bonfire
Well-known member
I'm sorry - I've never heard of her. Where is she located?
Shanazel
Moderator
Certified teacher training after eighteen months of her speedy classes?
Ummm... :think: She's pretty and appears to be a very successful business woman.
Mia Serra Belly Dance
Ummm... :think: She's pretty and appears to be a very successful business woman.
Mia Serra Belly Dance
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Eshta
New member
Yes, I know quite a few dancers that started off with Mia. Not me personally, although I was contemplating it at one point. Having to pay for a whole course up front without being able to watch a class to see level etc put me off, and I went a different route in the end.
I haven't gone to her shows. I personally don't feel comfortable with belly dance being presented at madame jojos, one of London's most notorious burlesque/ "kitsch cabaret" nightclubs.
Was there anything in particular you wanted to know Jen?
I haven't gone to her shows. I personally don't feel comfortable with belly dance being presented at madame jojos, one of London's most notorious burlesque/ "kitsch cabaret" nightclubs.
Was there anything in particular you wanted to know Jen?
Shanazel
Moderator
Well, there's a red flag if I ever saw one. Where I teach there is occasionally an entire afternoon devoted to having the public come in and take a short dance lesson in any genre that interests them. I wonder if the school offers refunds if classes don't meet expectations.:think:
Maybe Mia will turn up at OD and explain things to Jen herself. Hope so. I'm always interested in hearing how people run their dance-related businesses.
jenc
New member
I just wondered as a follow on from the other thread asking what her levels were like. She is one of several who are very good business women and manage to fill classes that are more expensive when more authentic dancers are struggling.
I went to one locally, it was £8 per hour for a beginners class (including gym supplement) and it was very slick and speedy, with a kind of workout feel.
I was looking for more exercise combined with more practice and would have attended if it had not been that price for that level. We attended penultimate class of 12 and picked up their dance routine straight off. (it was last year) I would pay £8 an hour to advance my dance, but for a workout I[d rather go to Zumba for £4.
Of course I don't know if the Mia Serra classese are like that but with emphasis on speed I would expect they are - that's why I was asking.
By the way this local lady also puts on a show for which the tickets, as advertised to her class are £15.50, £7.50 for children.
I went to one locally, it was £8 per hour for a beginners class (including gym supplement) and it was very slick and speedy, with a kind of workout feel.
I was looking for more exercise combined with more practice and would have attended if it had not been that price for that level. We attended penultimate class of 12 and picked up their dance routine straight off. (it was last year) I would pay £8 an hour to advance my dance, but for a workout I[d rather go to Zumba for £4.
Of course I don't know if the Mia Serra classese are like that but with emphasis on speed I would expect they are - that's why I was asking.
By the way this local lady also puts on a show for which the tickets, as advertised to her class are £15.50, £7.50 for children.
Aniseteph
New member
Is that for a professional level show? Because I know if our end of year one cost that much I would be really uncomfortable about dragging friends and family along.
I don't know anything about Mia Serra's classes or teaching methods, but it's an interesting point about what attracts students and keeps them coming. I suspect the number of students who get seriously interested in the culture, authenticity (whatever that may be
), music etc is always quite small and not enough to keep classes running, People will also be coming for fun/exercise, glitter 'n' sequins (and/or looking hawt therein ), whatever social scene is associated with a class/school, professional ambitions and opportunities to perform, etc etc.And plain convenience... the potential catchment area London has to be huge - easy transport links and all those people who commute and can stay a couple of hours for a dance class.
seona
New member
Teela, you read my mind!
I'm sure when I first started dancing someone lent me a instructional dvd of Mia Serra - her name ring's a bell.
Jenc, interesting point about business, remind's me of the Dolphina conversation on another thread. Yes, maybe that's why authentic dance teacher's struggle to fill classes. In order to make a career some (I'm not suggesting Mia) feel they have to 'sell out' if you like, and appeal to the mainstream. ....May just ponder over to the mainstream belly dance thread lol.
I too wouldn't pay upfront for a whole course without knowing what the course was about. One lesson, yes - but not for a term/course.
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Mia Serra answers...
Hi guys
I just came across your thread - sorry its a bit late!
Just to clarify some of the things you were discussing:
- I did initially study with a Sufi master, Adnan Sarhan, an Iraqi teacher who is now in the US.
One of his meditations was to dance to middle eastern music & his drumming with your eyes closed - and he is a great belly dancer also, btw! It really attuned me to the dance and to really listening and following the rhythms & music.
I then spent 9 years travelling around the world studying with master belly dance teachers in Cairo, in the US and the UK and performing internationally.
As a certified pilates instructor I used my anatomical knowledge to develop a method of cuing and understanding belly dance movements and learning them quickly and safely. As you know with belly dance there is no short cut - but good teaching really helps students to understand the mind-body connection.
Our end of term shows in Great Portland Street are all about students growing in confidence and supporting each other, and our courses are 6 weeks technique and 6 week choreography. It's a great atmosphere.
I was one of the first people to really create a professional business model around belly dance. However, just because I did this -and many people copied me - doesn't mean I'm money grabbing and I don't care. Believe me - if money was my priority I would still be in banking! What I care about is inspiring people to grow - it's amazing to see the transformations people make.
Also, what I did by creating a brand, helped to bring belly dance in the sphere of the respectability of other exercise forms, such as pilates and aerobics, something unheard of 10 years ago.
Since then I have trained and personally mentored most of the main teachers in London - Fleur Estelle, Reshma Rose, etc etc
I hope you will join us in a class or at a show or that I will get a chance to say hi to you in the future. The industry can be tough and strangely suspicious, and I tend to just stay out of it all and keep a low profile these days.
Mia x
Mia Serra Belly Dance
Hi guys
I just came across your thread - sorry its a bit late!
Just to clarify some of the things you were discussing:
- I did initially study with a Sufi master, Adnan Sarhan, an Iraqi teacher who is now in the US.
One of his meditations was to dance to middle eastern music & his drumming with your eyes closed - and he is a great belly dancer also, btw! It really attuned me to the dance and to really listening and following the rhythms & music.
I then spent 9 years travelling around the world studying with master belly dance teachers in Cairo, in the US and the UK and performing internationally.
As a certified pilates instructor I used my anatomical knowledge to develop a method of cuing and understanding belly dance movements and learning them quickly and safely. As you know with belly dance there is no short cut - but good teaching really helps students to understand the mind-body connection.
Our end of term shows in Great Portland Street are all about students growing in confidence and supporting each other, and our courses are 6 weeks technique and 6 week choreography. It's a great atmosphere.
I was one of the first people to really create a professional business model around belly dance. However, just because I did this -and many people copied me - doesn't mean I'm money grabbing and I don't care. Believe me - if money was my priority I would still be in banking! What I care about is inspiring people to grow - it's amazing to see the transformations people make.
Also, what I did by creating a brand, helped to bring belly dance in the sphere of the respectability of other exercise forms, such as pilates and aerobics, something unheard of 10 years ago.
Since then I have trained and personally mentored most of the main teachers in London - Fleur Estelle, Reshma Rose, etc etc
I hope you will join us in a class or at a show or that I will get a chance to say hi to you in the future. The industry can be tough and strangely suspicious, and I tend to just stay out of it all and keep a low profile these days.
Mia x
Mia Serra Belly Dance
Amanda (was Aziyade)
Well-known member
For those of you who don't know him, Adnan is a highly regarded and well-respected teacher, who is recommended by (and has trained) a number of American dancers, including Eva Cernik.
I'm not exactly sure what specifically he teaches now, but he once taught similar concepts to what Ranya Renee teaches: breathing through movement, awareness of breath and energy, and flowing the energy through the movement.