UK class fees

[Caroline_afifi]

I have always said you have to have a certain level of income to take this dance seriously. The opposite of Egypt of course.

There is a girl in my area who is naturally very good and has a good deal of raw talent. However, she cannot afford festivals and workshops at all and a good costume is totally out of the question.

Ten quid may sound cheap but if you dont have it...you dont have it.

A 20 million pound house reduced to five million is a real bargain!

but for whom?

The dance community is mostly made up of people who can afford it and not a true representation of people who would like to participate.

Most of the Arts is like this but there is funding available for those who have talent and cannot afford it.
I doubt funding like this will be availble for someone pursuing a BD career.

 

[khanjar]

Ok, I am on UK benefits, but I am single, I can cut elsewhere to have a life, but if I were not single, I can see the problems for those in a similar position.

Perhaps those who are not on UK benefits might say, that if a person is in receipt of benefits, they should not be able to go and partake in activities such as the arts, the tax payer should not be funding them. Quite, I used to think that myself, but now being on the other side of the coin so to speak, believe me a life on a seriously low income actually creates illness, depression being the absolute worst. Depression leads to other things, drinking, smoking, drugs, malnutrition and general ill health, the ill health vilified by Mr Brown as lazy and work shy, he is largely wrong in his assumptions, but then attacking the benefits people is the latest way to scratch money for other things. Chuck the benefits back into work, even if there is no work, but ill people remain ill, there is no quick fix, no solution, the ill people will remain ill and with illness, work will fade away, but now with the new system, people will just starve or enter a life of crime.

What I am saying with all this, is yes, I am on benefits, and yes I try to get involved with the arts, dance, art and creative expression is medicine, positive medicine, it works, it raises the levels of self esteem, art is healing I know this from past forays into the arts, my ME dance worked wonders for a few months, not just the practice, but the whole cultural idea.

It is with this that I believe arts should be made available to all regardless of their income, if funding is a problem, then funding should be made available as art involvement really works, in particular dance and all types of dance tuition and activity should be available to all regardless of age, race, ability or gender.

I don't know whether this has been done or not, but have any BD teachers approached the Arts Council with a view to becoming a community tutor ?

Arts Council England : Welcome

And if it interests further ;

Arts Council England : Dance homepage

Or is it that BD is going to stay as a private affair ?

 

[Eshta]

I have always said you have to have a certain level of income to take this dance seriously. The opposite of Egypt of course.

There is a girl in my area who is naturally very good and has a good deal of raw talent. However, she cannot afford festivals and workshops at all and a good costume is totally out of the question.

Ten quid may sound cheap but if you dont have it...you dont have it.

A 20 million pound house reduced to five million is a real bargain!

but for whom?

The dance community is mostly made up of people who can afford it and not a true representation of people who would like to participate.

Most of the Arts is like this but there is funding available for those who have talent and cannot afford it.
I doubt funding like this will be availble for someone pursuing a BD career.

I tried to rep you for this, but still not allowed rotest:

It is true, the more I progress the more expensive it becomes, and the more sacrifices I have to make to sustain the learning.

The irony appears to be that, where a quick buck has been made at the expense of the dance's reputation, it is not seen as an artform compared with for example ballet or other 'high brow' dance forms, which in turn means it is unlikely to attract funding. Hopefully the message is slowly starting to penetrate that it is an artform in its own right.

 

[deelybopper]

I don't know whether this has been done or not, but have any BD teachers approached the Arts Council with a view to becoming a community tutor ?

Khanjar - could you say a bit more about what being a 'community tutor' means with regards to the Arts Council? Many of us that teach are freelance community tutors, unsupported by funding - I wasn't aware that there was Arts Council funding for teaching (although community BD events occasionally get some level of funding).

I did a brief search on the website but it wasn't very helpful - that's why I'm asking!

 

[khanjar]

The website is a bit heavy I agree and lacking in some areas, but perhaps it might be a good idea if the freelance BD tutors do as I have done, email them and ask.

It could even be that they seek qualified teachers, especially if they are made aware of the health benefits of BD. The health benefits of BD worked for me for a good while, not just the physical, but the mental aspect, belief in the self being a biggy.

Combining the elements of dance, culture and health is always of interest to funding bodies, that and equal opportunities for all.

For those that don't believe in equal opportunities for all, be that tutor or pupil, they have to know they are living in the past, what is in present terms, an unlawful past.

If you are to survive, you have to look ahead and embrace the future before it becomes the present or you might become part of the past.

 

[Maria_Aya]

Hi all
As I travel alot at UK some years ago (not many) asked a teacher for privite lesson.
And got the price.
75 pounds per hour !!!!
I'm still runing, and drooling...............

 

[lizaj]

Hi all
As I travel alot at UK some years ago (not many) asked a teacher for privite lesson.
And got the price.
75 pounds per hour !!!!
I'm still runing, and drooling...............

OK so now I know my worth... £100 before I don my jazz pants

 

[khanjar]

.

........................I don't know whether this has been done or not, but have any BD teachers approached the Arts Council with a view to becoming a community tutor ?

Arts Council England : Welcome

And if it interests further ;

Arts Council England : Dance homepage

Or is it that BD is going to stay as a private affair ?

If it interests, an update on the arts council thing; for my question, they were no help, as they do not keep listings of arts going on around their region. But they did send a link to where things can be found pertaining to dance in the UK ;

Dance UK - The National Voice For Dance - Home

Looks an interesting site, I will take things from there.

Maybe it can be of use to some of you teachers on here, unless of course you already know about this site.

 

[jenc]

I just paid £3.10 for a class. It's adult ed and i had to pay for the other 29 at the same time but it's still a bargain.

 

[lizaj]

My classes fees work out at £5.50 for 1 and a half hours. They have to pay for 10 weeks but I think the college allows concessions for youngsters and those on benefits. The college in my town charges twice that and stangely enough the class didn't run!
A friend teaches in a "deprived area" and she is not paid any wages but has all her expenses paid...training, workshops, travel, dancerwear and music..the lot. Her classes are either free or very cheap to encourage women who are either on low wages or unemployed or are trying to get back to a life of their own. I think this is brilliant and I assume it must be through a government scheme or Lottery "Awards for all".
I would teach under that system any time!

 

[Melanie]

How much?

I'm the cheapest in my corner of the world at £3.50 per hour, but this is partly because the community centre where I teach lets me have the room (not very big and a bit unwelcoming, but the only one available) a bit cheaper. It's a registered charity and community association, so regulars are expected to join and at £5 p.a. it's not much. That said, I have had a couple of peeps drop out in the past few months, having lost their jobs, so not able to afford to come to class - considering we're all miles from anywhere, so the cost of class includes cost of transport/fuel.
Other (non council/FE) classes in West Wales charge from £4 to £6 per hour, and I think it's covering the cost of the space which makes the difference.
Workshops seem to be around £25 for a minimum of 2 hours, usually 3.
Yes, I'm experiencing the problem of having to spend more and more to extend my skills and progress. What I bring in from the belly dance biz probably doesn't cover what I spend on it, (and certainly doesn't cover what I'd like to spend).

 

[dreamthief666]

I beg everyone's pardon. I reread and it does say every student gets attention on an individual basis so I suppose that means private tuition. I have to say I'll go with Shafeek at £15 rather than this "academy" as I know nothing of them.
But oops midread..senior moment (at least I have that excuse)..oh and an absess behind a tooth crown doesn't improve my mood:lol:

oh poor baby

 

[dreamthief666]

£25?!?!?! :shok: I'm gonna quit my day job and become rich with my own 'academy'!! And of course, with my own 'academy' will come the necessary add-ons:
- my own dance 'philosophy' (registered trademark)
- my own history of belly dance (descended from the womb of isis, celebrated at the high altars by virgin priestesses, add a dash of sultan seduction, and abdullah is your uncle)
- my own merchandise
- my own teaching programme ("in 4 weeks you two can be a certified dance instructor!")
- my own groupies
- how about a fan club?

Ha ha ha!!
:clap:
Can I be a groupie?

:dance:

 

[dreamthief666]

OK so now I know my worth... £100 before I don my jazz pants

so your not doing it for coffee anymore :tongue: