As a belly dancer from Eman's I couldn't disagree with Breas comments more. The belly dance environment in Minnesota (especially in Duluth) has been becoming more competitive and much less civil as of late.
Comments directed towards Eman which I have read so far have not only been malicious but flat out lies.
I have never been forced to purchase anything that I did not want to buy (scarves for instance come in a number of price ranges-low to high end)
The CD which is available in the class is $5 and I bought a copy so I can go home and practice the moves I've learned to the songs I'm used to hearing (some is choreographed, some is not but the emphasis IS on technique)
and the "sugar and water" comment is rubbish..though, she does tell us to drink plenty of water as any sane teacher would.
As I have read the rumors spread by Brea, I've noticed they have been 2nd or third hand accounts which are clearly NOT to be taken seriously.
The comment about Eman putting her focus only on the skinny girls is a lie.
As Eman told me, "You gotta have something to shimmy" The class I'm in has women of all different sizes and ages and as a "moderately" heavier gal I feel comfortable in the class.
I am saddened to see that members of the BD community in the northland feel the need to attack established teachers in order to make themselves feel better about themselves. I saw that Breas is going to be starting a class in the area (I will NOT be attending it) and these comments seem to be very well timed to coencide with that.
Truly sad.:naghty:
Has anyone else noticed that on IAMED dvds they give a credit to the catering, but not to the musicians and not to the music used on the performances at the end, even where they are obviously recorded. There is one sweet pop song on one of my dvds that I would love to know. I always thought it was illegal to use songs without credit.
I just love their DVD's but I too wish that the song and artist was named for each number. I have been trying to find out what one of the songs is on one of my videos. Many of my other DVD's and videos do list the song and artist. I am not sure why they do not.
Amarise
Eve,
Also, my first day of class I was told if I purchased the dvd to learn basic moves...$20.00 which I paid in full, it would help me to learn the moves better. When I got the DVD home and watched it, the quality was so poor and it cut out repeatedly. (I might also add that my friend purchased the same dvd at the same price and the quality was so poor she did not get anything from it.) Then, I bought the music CD with the song to practice, which was a copied version from the original CD with two songs on it for $5.00. Then, she encouraged us to go down to her dance studio and take lessons there for another $30.00. Then, once she had you in her studio, she offered hip scarves costing twice the price they would online and her belly dancing shirts. Then, she sells tickets to her show for double the amount that the other instructors and troupe's do in town. $20.00/person. I never ONCE said Eman had forced me or anyone else to purchase her items. Once I added up the amounts...She made a bundle...That is the point I was making...
She is in it for money making, while other instructors in the area are in it because they want to teach and they love the teaching.
ok Kute Nurse... I have NO idea who EMAN is.... & have encountered several "dubious" teachers myself over the years.... but I do want to burst your bubble on the idea that "she is in it for money making, while other instructors in the area are in it because they want to teach & love teaching"
HELLO...... many of us here on THIS FORUM do this (teach & perform) not only because we "want to teach & love teaching" but have made this our JOB... so tell me Kute nurse.... how much free medical care are you willing/able to provide and why are you not doing MORE than that for the "want & love of helping people" (as in, I, as a teacher, am WILLING to provide all my students for free.... however since I have children/ rent/food/etc expenses I am only ABLE to offer a few "scholarships").... oh yeah,,, & I also sell stuff (hip scarves/zils etc...) & you know what?? you COULD probably get it cheaper "online" as my WHOLESALE supplier has recently started selling "whlesale to the public" which (if you ask ANY business owner) is basically SCREWING me... as he offers YOU the product for near the same price he offers me... which means when I get a hip scarf for say $20... (then mark it up to $40 which in retail is now NOT a huge markup) he will sell it online for $24.99 (plus $4-$9 shipping)... however I am paying rent/insurance/utilities/employees/payroll costs/biz licenses/etc etc etc etc...not to mention "losses" from having some of my product stolen/damaged.. so in the end I am lucky to make maybe $1-2 on that hip scarf... (sheesh... now that I have acutally broken this down..... WHY am I doing this????)
do not mean to "yell" at you,...
but just REALLY want to set you straight that lots of us ARE doing it for the "money" such as it were... (& would YOU not WANT a dance teacher who was able to do this "full time" as opposed to one who did it "on the side"... though MANY good teachers HAVE to do this as a 2nd JOB...(because they cannot AFFORD to live by belly dance alone!) the key word in all my babble being JOB.... I want you to understand that this is our JOB... so do we not deserve to make money at our JOB just like you do???) & there is really NOT that much money to be had! (I know several dancers WAY more famous than me... w/ videos out & such who are not making much more than I).... the only dancers I know of who are actually making "decent" $$$ are the belly dance super stars.... & a few who are superb at marketing...
blah,,, hopefully somewhere in there I have gotten my point across without being mean!!
Hi belly_dancer,
I see your point. I think it is the combination of the prices charged, along with the less-than-fulfilling experience Kute Nurse had in class, that is problematic.
I'm a big believer in paying a fair price for a good product or service. I'm also a big fan of reasonable pricing (by the merchant/provider). At a certain point, if the value of the product doesn't match the price (usually because it falls short of the quality promised), people claim they were "ripped off", or taken advantage of.
I pay professional prices for professional instruction, and I usually consider it money well spent. A bargain can be the same price as a total waste of money. I don't begrudge anyone a well-paying job, unless it's unfairly at someone else's expense.
I'm with you Belly_Dancer. I would like to add that regarding the hip scarfs there may be a quality difference. The ones I have bought from my teacher have been pretty exspensive but I've had some of them for five years (and used a lot) and never, ever lost a single coin. She does not want to sell poor products, so naturally they are a little bit higher priced.
This sunday I performed in the spring recital of the oriental dance guild of denmark. I paid for a ticket but it was 2$ for performers. I think it's ok to pay a small amount when it's a recital type of show. The guild has to rent the space and pay for advertising and prints. Also, unfortunately, the audience mostly consisted of the performers so unless we paid they wouldn't have gotten any money in.
I'm a student at Eman's belly dance studio and I've been dancing for 5 years now and I haven't experienced any of what has been posted by Brea on this site.
Those that left her and talked about her in this forum, they were angry that they were not allowed to continue taking classes or participate in her shows for performing in the wrong places like batchlor parties.
--As for Brea linking herself to a well known name in Duluth Minnesota like Eman Haddad so she will be known and heard of, that is too bad. Why would you think the people that tried a class with you are coming to Eman to teach them the right way a beginner should be taught the moves of belly dance. Why would Debbie's assistant leave her to dance under Eman if that teacher is so nice?
--My experience at Eman's performing in her yearly shows, I see that she has women of all shapes and sizes in the dances. She never discriminated against size, in fact she helps over weight women that join her fitness belly dance classes to lose over 25 pounds. One of my friends lost 60 pounds and she is teaching now in Ashland for Eman. She helps them build confidence through her group dances on stage every year.
--The girls that couldn't reach to Eman's level of expertice and originality, have left her. Their jealousy and envy has caused them to talk bad about her in a forum like this.
--As for the student with the name Cassey she didn't mention she exited the stage going into the audience, I was in the same dance with her and Eman taught us in the rehearsal to exit the back of the stage and not to run down the steps to the audience. For a girl with a college degree like you Cassey, you didn't have the common sense to not exit down to the people. As a matter of fact, I was in the same dance Cassey and you never attended the rehearsals like you are supposed to. I remember her assistant Patty had to sew you a special belly dance costume to fit your size and awkward shape. You didn't look like the rest of the girls and lifted your skirt up to your knee and lowered the waist and even Eman questioned your exiting into the people. She was mad at you but then hugged you and allowed you to dance in the second show. Good luck where ever you are dancing now.
...when you are mocking "Cassey's" college education and her body type, you only make yourself look bad.
--As for the student with the name Cassey she didn't mention she exited the stage going into the audience, I was in the same dance with her and Eman taught us in the rehearsal to exit the back of the stage and not to run down the steps to the audience. For a girl with a college degree like you Cassey, you didn't have the common sense to not exit down to the people. As a matter of fact, I was in the same dance Cassey and you never attended the rehearsals like you are supposed to. I remember her assistant Patty had to sew you a special belly dance costume to fit your size and awkward shape. You didn't look like the rest of the girls and lifted your skirt up to your knee and lowered the waist and even Eman questioned your exiting into the people. She was mad at you but then hugged you and allowed you to dance in the second show. Good luck where ever you are dancing now.
Oh how I love to be defamed online!
I missed one rehearsal due to a college conflict. One. No one bothered to tell me how we were exiting, and since that was my very first dance performance minus being 7 years old in ballet.....I was nervous. Mistakes happen. The girls behind me followed me. Not my fault. If you want to start a fight Eman, at least have your facts right.
Patty didn't sew the costume. Someone else did. And f-ed it up. Not only did I have to pay the random woman money for the ugly black velvet crop top and skirt, I had to pay someone else to fix it. The skirt rode up and down because of your assistant's shoddy workmanship, which meant that the bottom of the skirt was often at my knees. You made me the only one in black because "black is slimming" even though I'm pale as an Irish girl can get, which meant my lovely size 18 tummy was glaring white in the stage lights for both shows.
Eman tried to convince me to not perform by using phrases like "you don't want to perform in the show, do you?" Even better was telling the girls to diet, or how she went a week with only eating a Kit-Kat Bar.
Eman hugged me after I had a screaming match with her backstage. Anyone that knows me knows that I don't do screaming matches. This happened after one of the girls came up to me bawling after the first show and said that Eman wasn't going to let us perform because we exited wrong. The only reason I performed was because I paid $45 for three tickets, plus $50 for performance fees, plus $150 for a shitty costume, plus classes to perform in her show and I wanted my friends to see my dance.
Eman didn't even tell us that she had canceled the class following the show and I waited outside her studio with 5 other students. The only reason I showed up was to see what she would say about the show.
I'm glad I started bellydancing, but I really wish I would have known about other teachers in Duluth. Maybe I wouldn't have had to heal after the body hatred that Eman instilled in her students.
And daSage is right.....I'm working on my master's degree, dancing in a troupe, learning to teach, and loving bellydance despite you.
(I'm sorry that this post is really disorganized.....I'm angry to the point of wanting to throw up. I make no apologies for my body at 4'11" and size 18. This body has bellydanced for four years, performed hooping, spun fire poi, done triathlons, and biked 150 miles in two days.....and next year I'm doing a marathon and will hopefully be teaching bellydance more regularly).