New,curious,need advice.

spiralrose

New member
Hi everyone,

I'm Susie,and I'm pretty interested in bellydance.
I haven't taken a class in a few years,and now that I'm thinking of getting back to it I realize I don't know how to pick an instructer,how to check their credentials,ect.

After browsing this forum and seeing the post about the woman who got a job as a belly-dancer by lying to her boss about her experience,and is now teaching her "own"
style,I am nervous.

How do you find an authentic instructer,and how can you tell if what they are teaching is correct,technique-wise?

I'm glad to be here,and look forward to learning more about Middle Eastern dance,it's history,and more.

Cheers!:D
 

Mosaic

Super Moderator
Welcome to the forum spiralrose. As for how to choose an instructor, no easy answer there. For me I had limited availability of instructors, but contacted wellknown studios and asked questions about teachers in my area. I also took a couple of lessons privately with one lady who was well known in the community and she gave me names of very good teachers around my area. After a while I think you begin to 'feel' in your 'bones' if you are with the right person. As you have had previous experience, you may pick up on that feeling quickly. You can also ask your instructor questions, about the dance and see if his/her knowledge is fairly expansive.

If you have several teachers in your area, ask if you can take a class to see if you like 'BD' that will give you an idea of how the teacher teaches and if you like the style/person.

You can also search the web to see if the teacher is known in the larger community.

Other forum members may have more specific advice for you. Where abouts are you? that would help in being able to offer some feedback. good luck!
~Mosaic
 
Mosaic has some good suggestions. If you're in Australia, you can check out my website to see if there are any teachers near you - I've got a video of each dancer in performance which means you can get an idea of his/her style before you go. I think that's pretty important - I found my favourite teacher by spotting her dancing at a social belly dance event, I just knew she had to be a teacher so I walked up and asked her where she taught!
 

Aisha Azar

New member
Instructor

Dear Spiralrose,
I agree that Mosaic has given you good advice. I would add that you should say something like, "I live in such and such area and I am looking for a belly dance instructor. If you do not have a lot of background in the dance, you may not have an idea of what appeals to you style-wise, so you might go to Youtube and watch little clips from the following to see what you are attracted to, for example:
Egyptian belly dance- Randa or Suheir Zaki
Lebanese- Amani or Nabeela
Turkish- Sema Yildiz or Burgul Beray
American oriental- Salome or Cassandra or Suhaila Salimpour
American Tribal- Carolina Nerriccio or Sharon Moore

These women are all well known in their style as experts at what they do. I am sure others will have names they can offer as examples as well, so that you can get a feel for what you want to learn..
Regards,
A'isha
 
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Lotus Dancer

New member
Hello Spiralrose,
I think all of these talented ladies have just about covered it.
Just wanted to say welcome!!
And maybe try a couple of teachers to see how you feel. I've had some amazing teachers, but when the chemistry's not right, I don't enjoy the class (no matter how talented the teacher is at technique.)
There will be someone perfect for you.
Have fun.
Lotus Dancer.
 

da Sage

New member
Hi everyone,

I'm Susie,and I'm pretty interested in bellydance.
I haven't taken a class in a few years,and now that I'm thinking of getting back to it I realize I don't know how to pick an instructer,how to check their credentials,ect.

After browsing this forum and seeing the post about the woman who got a job as a belly-dancer by lying to her boss about her experience,and is now teaching her "own"
style,I am nervous.

How do you find an authentic instructer,and how can you tell if what they are teaching is correct,technique-wise?

I'm glad to be here,and look forward to learning more about Middle Eastern dance,it's history,and more.

Cheers!:D
Welcome!

Because you have taken bellydance before, you will know whether any teacher you start lessons with is working for you or not! And I really think that dancers worry too much about finding the right teacher right away. Don't ever do anything that hurts your spine or joints, but find a teacher who suits your location and price range, and try her out. If you don't like her very much, try another!

If you find the perfect teacher, pm me - and I'll move to study with her, too. ;) IMO, every teacher has her strengths and weaknesses, you just have to decide if she fits enough of your needs and interests right now.:cool:
 
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