Getting Started [how did you enter the profession]
- Thread starter Azeeza
- Start date
Shanazel
Moderator
I danced in public the first time when my teacher said, "You're ready" and took me with her to one of her own gigs. The understanding with the employer was that we were a two for one price just so I could have some experience, but that dear lady insisted on paying us both full salary and invited us both back. I started teaching when another teacher said, "Hey, you know as much about this as I do and I want to take some lessons from you." So I took her place teaching at the rec center. We took turns teaching for several years (she taught Egyptian, I taught AmCab), then she moved and I eventually ended up teaching by myself. I've tried to retire several times, but keep finding myself right back in front of those mirrors year after year.
Aisha Azar
New member
Getting Started
Dear Azeeza,
I had been taking classes an incredibly short time when I was asked to join a dance company called Shajar Arush. I stayed with them about a year. I danced solo for about 6 months when one of my teachers called me and said one of her favorite students had just moved up my way and we needed to get together. From there we co-founded a dance company with 4 other dancers. I also started teaching after about 2 years, which in retrospect was WAY TOO SOON. I performed with the second dance company for 7 years as well as doing club and restaurant work. I taught continuously all of this time as well, and began to be asked to teach workshops after I had been dancing about 5 years. That's how I got started. Now its been 34 years. Maybe I am in a rut, but its a great one!!
Regards,
A'isha
Dear Azeeza,
I had been taking classes an incredibly short time when I was asked to join a dance company called Shajar Arush. I stayed with them about a year. I danced solo for about 6 months when one of my teachers called me and said one of her favorite students had just moved up my way and we needed to get together. From there we co-founded a dance company with 4 other dancers. I also started teaching after about 2 years, which in retrospect was WAY TOO SOON. I performed with the second dance company for 7 years as well as doing club and restaurant work. I taught continuously all of this time as well, and began to be asked to teach workshops after I had been dancing about 5 years. That's how I got started. Now its been 34 years. Maybe I am in a rut, but its a great one!!
Regards,
A'isha
Azeeza
New member
Shanazel and Aisha:
Thanks for sharing!
I've always been curious to know how dancers get started from being a student to moving on to other parts of dance whether it be performing, teaching, or workshops, etc.
Over the last few years I've been a little bit bored with my once a week class and I'm needing more. I'm considering teaching a basic level student only for privates. With privates I can stay active and have a flexible schedule.
My current teacher has approached me as substitute, but she's a little bit disorganized and everything is a fly by the seat of her pants type of style, which is not me. I like to be prepared with a lesson plan and cover everything in that amount of time and nothing spur of the moment, at least for now.
Again, thanks for sharing your dance experience with me.
Azeeza
Thanks for sharing!
I've always been curious to know how dancers get started from being a student to moving on to other parts of dance whether it be performing, teaching, or workshops, etc.
Over the last few years I've been a little bit bored with my once a week class and I'm needing more. I'm considering teaching a basic level student only for privates. With privates I can stay active and have a flexible schedule.
My current teacher has approached me as substitute, but she's a little bit disorganized and everything is a fly by the seat of her pants type of style, which is not me. I like to be prepared with a lesson plan and cover everything in that amount of time and nothing spur of the moment, at least for now.
Again, thanks for sharing your dance experience with me.
Azeeza
Makeda Maysa
New member
Of course, my dance career is much shorter than the previous posters' but it might still be of interest.
I had been taking classes for less than a year when my first teacher asked if I'd join her troupe. I did and performed at a couple of nursing homes and the like. We performed Vintage American Orientale - circle skirts, veils, candles, swords, the works.
After I left that teacher, I moved on to become a student of Lisa Zahiya (who is this year's Tribal Fusion Bellydancer of the Universe - yay, Lisa!) and studied ATS/tribal fusion with her. She eventually asked me to become part of her student troupe, which, after a couple of years, became a professional troupe - now named Kallisti Tribal.
As for my current incarnation as a member of the NDC and a solo dancer, I took classes from Lotus Niraja for two years, I think, before I auditioned for her troupe. It was a very formal audition process and I was terrified. But I was picked and I've been dancing with them ever since! It's been almost three years now, I think. All told, I've been dancing for five years and I never see myself stopping!
I had been taking classes for less than a year when my first teacher asked if I'd join her troupe. I did and performed at a couple of nursing homes and the like. We performed Vintage American Orientale - circle skirts, veils, candles, swords, the works.
After I left that teacher, I moved on to become a student of Lisa Zahiya (who is this year's Tribal Fusion Bellydancer of the Universe - yay, Lisa!) and studied ATS/tribal fusion with her. She eventually asked me to become part of her student troupe, which, after a couple of years, became a professional troupe - now named Kallisti Tribal.
As for my current incarnation as a member of the NDC and a solo dancer, I took classes from Lotus Niraja for two years, I think, before I auditioned for her troupe. It was a very formal audition process and I was terrified. But I was picked and I've been dancing with them ever since! It's been almost three years now, I think. All told, I've been dancing for five years and I never see myself stopping!
Shanazel
Moderator
The history of the world is beginning to look short to me
. To be perfectly fair, A'isha's career has been solid from the beginning and she makes her living at something that except for a few years has been a hobby rather than a true vocation for me. There is no comparison between her experience and mine; though we've been dancing for about the same amount of time, she has approached it in a manner that makes me look inexperienced in comparison.
Babylonia
New member
I was at the right place at the right time. Both BD teachers (J and N) at my Y quit around the same time. Even though J had given notice she was willing to fill in for N and I happened to run into J that day she subbed the class. It was coincidental because N had told me there were no more classes so I was showing up later than normal. I boohooed to J about no more BD classes. Well, a few days later I got an e-mail from the Y asking if I was interested in teaching BD. I was very nervous but I've been taking classes and workshops for about 6 years so I said "why not give it a shot". It was a great decision. I feel very fulfilled bringing BD to these women (I have several seniors), seeing how it really brightens their day and brings them that extra something they were searching for. Also it's good for me to have a "legitimate" reason to keep going to workshops and be more involved in our local scene.
Samira_dncr
New member
I was a waitress at a diner in Salt Lake City and one of my regular customers was Alfredo, a male bellydance instructor, who was living in SLC at the time. He basically kept bugging me to take classes until I caved in. The rest is herstory...:lol::lol::lol:
DaVidofScandinavia
New member
I started dancing MED by chance. I had been dancing Indian folk dances since age 4 with my father as my mentor (short story: he trained 2 competition Bhangra troupes when he was in college). I loved it, but it also got a bit lonely. I wanted to try something else - just to find that little spark and enthusiasm, and bring it back to my Indian dances.
I ventured into taking Ballroom and Latin for a year, but they had such a hard time finding me a short enough partner! Norwegians are tall...so, I danced at a cultural program night I was asked to participate in when I was 18 and there was a belly dancer that danced as well. I thought she was beautiful and she thought I'd be a good bellydancer. I was apprehensive, but she settled my reservations by telling me that she was Turkish and in Turkey it was normal for men to Bellydance. Honestly, that was the only green light I needed. I went to the national MED organization's annual fall show and found myself an instructor - Safa. I intended to take some classes for fun to re-find my spark to use in my Indian dances. She signed me up for the national MED organization's spring show... after only 2 1/2 months of classes. Being respectful of my dance mentor's wishes - I danced....(and the quality of what I did can be discussed lol). And here we are 10 years later I'm still with it
Edited to add: this performance lead me to commercial and media engagements and then to restaurant/club gigs in Norway, then in Sweden. My network over the years through Bhuz took me to several European countries and eventually to the US where I currently am based while teaching and presenting my work internationally. My teachers - and their voices in my head LOL - continue to provide my dance education and make me work at my dancing. Any gigs come through that and through relationships built in the dance over the years
I ventured into taking Ballroom and Latin for a year, but they had such a hard time finding me a short enough partner! Norwegians are tall...so, I danced at a cultural program night I was asked to participate in when I was 18 and there was a belly dancer that danced as well. I thought she was beautiful and she thought I'd be a good bellydancer. I was apprehensive, but she settled my reservations by telling me that she was Turkish and in Turkey it was normal for men to Bellydance. Honestly, that was the only green light I needed. I went to the national MED organization's annual fall show and found myself an instructor - Safa. I intended to take some classes for fun to re-find my spark to use in my Indian dances. She signed me up for the national MED organization's spring show... after only 2 1/2 months of classes. Being respectful of my dance mentor's wishes - I danced....(and the quality of what I did can be discussed lol). And here we are 10 years later I'm still with it
Edited to add: this performance lead me to commercial and media engagements and then to restaurant/club gigs in Norway, then in Sweden. My network over the years through Bhuz took me to several European countries and eventually to the US where I currently am based while teaching and presenting my work internationally. My teachers - and their voices in my head LOL - continue to provide my dance education and make me work at my dancing. Any gigs come through that and through relationships built in the dance over the years
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DaVidofScandinavia
New member
Samira_dncr
New member
Well, to stick with the "getting started with the profession" theme, instead of just how I got started as a dancer...
I started holding a free practice session/class at the request of a friend of mine who managed the Arthur Murray studio. She wanted me to teach her and she had access to free space. So it was a win-win for us. That was basically my introduction to teaching dance. I eventually went on to train, teach, and manage an Arthur Murray Studio for many years.
As far as performing, I was asked to dance at a local restaurant in Salt Lake City. I had worked there previously as a waitress and as soon as the owner heard I was taking lessons, she put me on the dancer schedule. I was probably too young and too inexperienced to be dancing, but I was naieve and it sounded like fun. I'm sure I did some ridiculous things as a newbie, but I did eventually mature into being a professional.
As far as event organizing, that just was an off-shoot of all my experience and training at Arthur Murray. I had space and time, so I just started doing haflas for the community. The Vegas Intensive was a small local affair that took on a life of its own.
I started holding a free practice session/class at the request of a friend of mine who managed the Arthur Murray studio. She wanted me to teach her and she had access to free space. So it was a win-win for us. That was basically my introduction to teaching dance. I eventually went on to train, teach, and manage an Arthur Murray Studio for many years.
As far as performing, I was asked to dance at a local restaurant in Salt Lake City. I had worked there previously as a waitress and as soon as the owner heard I was taking lessons, she put me on the dancer schedule. I was probably too young and too inexperienced to be dancing, but I was naieve and it sounded like fun. I'm sure I did some ridiculous things as a newbie, but I did eventually mature into being a professional.
As far as event organizing, that just was an off-shoot of all my experience and training at Arthur Murray. I had space and time, so I just started doing haflas for the community. The Vegas Intensive was a small local affair that took on a life of its own.
DaVidofScandinavia
New member
Samira_dncr
New member
That is so cool though when things suprisingly grow beyond one's faintest ideas
True that!! It's the wildest ride I've ever been on. I could have never predicted any of this. Hahahaha.