Is Relevee Egyptian

[sedoniaraqs]

Dear Sedonia,
I might be the belly dance poster child for what you say above. From long term moving on the balls of the feet, but not extended to tippy toe, I now have the kind of arthritis that comes from overuse of a joint, where my foot and my heel connect on the bottoms of my feet. I also have it in my right iliac joint. Both of these are related to overworking of the joints from belly dance. Unfortunately every job has its hazards.
Regards,
A'isha

A'isha: It is very interesting how different bodies react to a particular stressor. My podiatrist told me I have quite high arches and quite stable ankles, so rather than causing joint or ligament problems, the improper foot posture caused metatarsal stress fractures. In people with lower arches or wobblier ankles, the same improper foot posture may be more likely to lead to joint problems before stress fractures occurred.

In either case, building muscular strength mitigates the problem. I try to either be flat or very high on the balls of my feet, and I have always done calf raises with my weight training. As a result, I can't zip up most ladies boots because my calf muscles are big, but hey, I'm determined to *never* get another metatarsal stress fracture. The pain was excrutiating, and I went crazy not dancing for 3 months, and I gained weight and became very weak by the time it was healed.

Sedonia

 

[Aisha Azar]

dance etc.

A'isha: It is very interesting how different bodies react to a particular stressor. My podiatrist told me I have quite high arches and quite stable ankles, so rather than causing joint or ligament problems, the improper foot posture caused metatarsal stress fractures. In people with lower arches or wobblier ankles, the same improper foot posture may be more likely to lead to joint problems before stress fractures occurred.

In either case, building muscular strength mitigates the problem. I try to either be flat or very high on the balls of my feet, and I have always done calf raises with my weight training. As a result, I can't zip up most ladies boots because my calf muscles are big, but hey, I'm determined to *never* get another metatarsal stress fracture. The pain was excrutiating, and I went crazy not dancing for 3 months, and I gained weight and became very weak by the time it was healed.

Sedonia

Dear Sedonia,
UUUGGGGHHH!!!!!!!!!!! Just thinking about stress fractures makes my whole self hurt!!! I hope things are better now.
Regards,
A'isha

 

[adiemus]

ummmm.... you can blame your parents/genetics or direct trauma for osteoarthritis, but not using your joints in dance... If you've got a tendency towards getting osteo in your joints you'll notice it more if you use the joints, but it won't actually develop more - in fact, using your joints improves the joint synovial fluid which maintains cartilage health. Sooooo, dance on!! Stress fractures and ligament instability on the other hand, develop through inappropriate use of the joint which usually happens either because of insufficient strength (ie muscular support) or high repetition on hard surface without sufficient recovery time...

 

[Aisha Azar]

Dance, etc.

ummmm.... you can blame your parents/genetics or direct trauma for osteoarthritis, but not using your joints in dance... If you've got a tendency towards getting osteo in your joints you'll notice it more if you use the joints, but it won't actually develop more - in fact, using your joints improves the joint synovial fluid which maintains cartilage health. Sooooo, dance on!! Stress fractures and ligament instability on the other hand, develop through inappropriate use of the joint which usually happens either because of insufficient strength (ie muscular support) or high repetition on hard surface without sufficient recovery time...

Dear Adiemus,
My doctor said it was repetitive stress, which also happens to people in other jobs in other parts of their bodies, like tennis elbow or what my husband has from swinging a hammer all of his life, and that it does cause arthritis. they have even found it in dinosaur remains!!
Regards,
A'isha

 

[Avasa]

Teminology

I being a teacher myself, Tribal Fusion, ATS and R&B Tribal use terminology from all the dance styles that I know. Its makes this art form more relateable and bring a comfort level to my students. They apprecitate my knowlege of various dance styles and have commented that the terminology that I use helps them greatly.

As far as not going to this next level of class. Have you asked your teacher why she is suggesting more time as a beginner. Have you sought private lessons from her or inquire about relevee prep. Are you practicing shimmies, level changes, drops, pop ups and stage coverage in relevee. You do need strength and good posture to execute all moves in general, but when doing relevee there is a balance shift and you have to be able to maintain it in proper form.

 

[jenc]

Thank you for your interest. However, I have decided that I don't need this teacher. I don't particularly like her style, and I don't like the way that 6 months after she said that I needed 6 months more in her beginners, she could see that I hadn't improved, despite the hours of intensive practice that I had put in and the 2 other teachers that I had been with in the meantime. I wouldn't mind redoing beginners at any time with a teacher I respect, to polish my technique, but not with one who doesn't believe in teaching much technique, as in one class you are too new to need it and in the next class, she can't waste her time teaching it.
I have 2 lovely new teachers, ome of whom thinks I am promising and will give me some privates, the other is a lovely egyptian lady, who teaches large classes routines for charity shows, but also gets us to follow her whilst she dances beautifully, and I'm quite content.
I would rather learn from a tribal teacher who's teaching skills and technique I admire, whom I feel will help me achieve in my chosen (egyptian) style, than try to get someone to work with me who doesn't respect me and would expect me just to do as she does.
I am looking forward to learning musicality and improv and all the other skills that I would not have had the chance to learn if I hadn't been rejected in the first place.

 

[Avasa]

Terminology

Very good. Sometimes that is what you have to do. Unfortunatly there are some teachers that aren't there for your best interest and only look out for themselves, their image and not necessarily the art. We are creaters and we are supposed to have fun and continue to learn no matter what level we are on. Good luck with you teachers. By the way, how long have you been doing this and why do you have two teachers?

 

[jenc]

I have been dancing 18 months. After the end of term when X and I parted ways, I found another wonderful teacher just starting out. Her style is Tribal, but she can dance Raqs and was beginning to teach us Asseya when she decided to stop until after she had her baby. She also worked hard on our technique. At Christmas she saw me dance at a nightclub we all went to. (I was dancing on dance floor, not soloing) and she has agreed to give me private lessons as a way of getting ready for her to teach again.
In the meantime to keep our hand (hip) in, we startted to travel to the next town to classes with an egyptian lady who used to be in a dance troupe before she met her husband and moved here. Her main focus is teaching routines for a big charity show in September. However, she also does some "follow the bouncing but" teaching when she wants to pep us up, and the latest routine is challenging BD with new moves to practise. Her classes are huge fun, when we first arrived (and all the way through) whenever they do a dance from the back catalogue we were encouraged to join in and pick it up on the fly. the first teacher had left me with a complex that I couldn't learn choreo and I was considering hypnosis. I am now about average in memorising routines and am also really enjoying myself in a really friendly class. Plus Amira dances the way I want to dance. On the minus side, I can cope with the routines not being broken down much. I am learning so much about how to learn. however, I will do the 2 classes side by side once Shelley has had the baby as I need attention to technique that I don't get from Amira.
I am very happy as I think I will get the best of both worlds with this arrangement.

 

[Amber]

I believe it is. My dance teacher, (who is from Syria) has always stressed that. Most (if not all) of her shimmies are done on the toes, as well as most of her other moves.

Heres a clip:

http://www.princessmadiha.com/teaching/teaching.swf

She does everything on her toes.

 

[Letti]

My teacher is quite relaxed with relevee or tiptoe issue. She is using both names now and then.

She is teaching steps always with standing flat on the floor and keeps reminding us that if we master the steps, we can also try doing it on relevee or tiptoe as the target. I'm in intermediate class and i have never heard her mention that tiptoe is "necessary". I have seen that during her performances she uses high-heels.

Personally, i try to dance on tiptoe because i feel that i can move faster and somehow more flexible that way. Have to add that i'm quite short, so it might be that i feel better about being bit taller for few hours a day