Duvet
Member
How often do you bring in the subject of history when you are teaching bellydance? Not your own personal history, but the theories about bellydance origins and development, and the known details about historical or cultural changes, dancers or promoters?
Do you think it should be left out entirely (this is a dance class not a educational session) or do you think its important to know something about the dance background? If you do incorporate it, is it as an occasional aside in response to student questions or as throw away comments, or do you devote a formal set time to talk about it, or do you give a few notes out with weblinks that students can investigate further if they want to.
Is there a tendency for teachers who do include history as an important part of the dance 'knowledge' to be pushing their own agendas? - 'x' is a goddess dance and I'm being really spiritual; I'm the one who does the purest form of 'y'; those people who dance 'q' don't know the truth like what I'm telling you; etc...?
Teachers will and do run classes however they want to, and however works best for the clientele they want or manage to keep. Few of my teachers gave me any historical information that I found plausible to believe, so maybe its best just to keep stum, but if you do make a comment to be clear that its your own opinion/perspective which might not agree with what others say and the student is best advised to do their own research and make their own minds up about it.
Do you think it should be left out entirely (this is a dance class not a educational session) or do you think its important to know something about the dance background? If you do incorporate it, is it as an occasional aside in response to student questions or as throw away comments, or do you devote a formal set time to talk about it, or do you give a few notes out with weblinks that students can investigate further if they want to.
Is there a tendency for teachers who do include history as an important part of the dance 'knowledge' to be pushing their own agendas? - 'x' is a goddess dance and I'm being really spiritual; I'm the one who does the purest form of 'y'; those people who dance 'q' don't know the truth like what I'm telling you; etc...?
Teachers will and do run classes however they want to, and however works best for the clientele they want or manage to keep. Few of my teachers gave me any historical information that I found plausible to believe, so maybe its best just to keep stum, but if you do make a comment to be clear that its your own opinion/perspective which might not agree with what others say and the student is best advised to do their own research and make their own minds up about it.