Amanda (was Aziyade)
Well-known member
That's a good question Charity.
I think one of the issues with YouTube and "amateur" experts is that they often don't really know what they're doing, or more to the point -- they don't know what they don't know. But the same goes for videos. Janine Rabbit's video is still on the market and I see it on ebay quite a bit.
For what it's worth, I think there are 2 kinds of students:
1. The kind who want to learn for fun, to play around with it.
2. The kind who want to be taken seriously as a dancer.
For #1, I would hope they choose GOOD video instruction, but ultimately they're just wanting to do something fun. I learned basic salsa moves from a dvd. It's fun. I'm learning poi spinning from a dvd. For fun.
For #2, I don't believe these students CAN learn from video instruction, at least at first. I'm still on the fence as to whether an "advanced" level dancer can get a lot out of videos. I've learned a lot, but I think I'd be a MUCH better dancer if I had a regular advanced class every week.
I have listened in on some conversations on other forums where Dancer A complains that her "art" isn't being taken seriously. Well, I saw Dancer A dance and frankly, you could tell she hadn't taken a live class in her life. She wasn't being taken seriously because she hadn't had serious instruction.
I guess I'm just still smarting from some issues I've had here, trying to fight the stigma that bellydance is the masturbatory crap you see on a lot of YouTube videos.
It goes back to the issue that you can watch a few videos, learn a few moves, and decide all of a sudden you're ready for the stage, and then people like me have to pick up the pieces and try to get the dance taken seriously again. (I'm just on a rampage right now!)
I think one of the issues with YouTube and "amateur" experts is that they often don't really know what they're doing, or more to the point -- they don't know what they don't know. But the same goes for videos. Janine Rabbit's video is still on the market and I see it on ebay quite a bit.
For what it's worth, I think there are 2 kinds of students:
1. The kind who want to learn for fun, to play around with it.
2. The kind who want to be taken seriously as a dancer.
For #1, I would hope they choose GOOD video instruction, but ultimately they're just wanting to do something fun. I learned basic salsa moves from a dvd. It's fun. I'm learning poi spinning from a dvd. For fun.
For #2, I don't believe these students CAN learn from video instruction, at least at first. I'm still on the fence as to whether an "advanced" level dancer can get a lot out of videos. I've learned a lot, but I think I'd be a MUCH better dancer if I had a regular advanced class every week.
I have listened in on some conversations on other forums where Dancer A complains that her "art" isn't being taken seriously. Well, I saw Dancer A dance and frankly, you could tell she hadn't taken a live class in her life. She wasn't being taken seriously because she hadn't had serious instruction.
I guess I'm just still smarting from some issues I've had here, trying to fight the stigma that bellydance is the masturbatory crap you see on a lot of YouTube videos.
It goes back to the issue that you can watch a few videos, learn a few moves, and decide all of a sudden you're ready for the stage, and then people like me have to pick up the pieces and try to get the dance taken seriously again. (I'm just on a rampage right now!)