I am thinking..

[kayshier]

Have any one of the belly dance instructors here ever thought of distance learning via webcam as a form to teach classes.

i was brainstorming with a friend, who is also interested in pursuing belly dance seriously. it is economically prohibitive to travel often for professional level classes outside of home..so we were thinking why not take advantage of the world wide web..
i mean web cams and computers are relatively cheap and it could be done in real time...

has this ever been tried before? would you as instructors contemplate doing that?

 

[Shanazel]

I know a tribal dancer in western WY whose partner lives in Utah. They practice via webcam and that works well for them.

 

[chryssanthi sahar]

I couldn't imagine that. Webcam never can replace a live teacher. As about me, except of not being particularly fond of the idea, I definitely have no time for such a kind of teaching and If I would take the time, I would have to charge quite high fee. This is like giving private classes and private classes are expensive, so I'm not sure if at the end it would be more reasonable for the student than visiting a workshop with her favorite instructor in the nearest possible country (or organizing a workshop in her own country).

 

[da Sage]

Have any one of the belly dance instructors here ever thought of distance learning via webcam as a form to teach classes.

i was brainstorming with a friend, who is also interested in pursuing belly dance seriously. it is economically prohibitive to travel often for professional level classes outside of home..so we were thinking why not take advantage of the world wide web..
i mean web cams and computers are relatively cheap and it could be done in real time...

has this ever been tried before? would you as instructors contemplate doing that?

Apparently Ansuya is doing a similar thing now - she just released her first class, but it's recorded, not two-way.

I would rather have a two-way class with a good teacher, than a recorded class with a famous teacher, but that's because I'm always looking for feedback.

 

[jenc]

Feedback......... You want feedback!!! That'll be the day. I guess I am doing Ok cos I never get told I'm not!!!

 

[Maria_Aya]

For teaching classes nope, but we had a rehearshal and our dear friend Petros (Azouz) was at Cairo watching it lol
And yes it had a delay in sound and image, so it wont work for good.

Maria Aya

 

[Safran]

I am not sure if it would work either. Setting the thing up would be rather complicated and expensive, so I am not sure there would be the benefit from the cost-side. And I am not sure the quality of video streaming is good enough for that purpose.

I'd rather suggest making the effort and seeing a teacher in real life for a private class. I know it can be costly, but you can take the classes with a suitable interval and work on the material in between. And, if that is not enough, then get DVDs as an addition.

 

[Mya]

Hi - I understand your points and thanks for your contributions as i remember we had mentioned this in another workshop thread once where someone was doing work on gestures.
The problem is that our exchange rate is 6TTD:1 USD - the price for us to travel alone is absurd - if i book a ticket right now it will cost me $1400 US to go study with A'isha - that's upwards of $8000 TT - and then we have to consider accomodation and tuition costs. Perhaps there are more reliable teachers closer to you guys so it works out to travel - but it's not quite that easy for us.

 

[kayshier]

exactly Mya.

It works out to be much more expensive for us to travel on a consistent basis.
Apart from the fact that it will take way too much time off of my regular job.
it's all well and good to go for intensive workshops but the kind of teaching, correction and feedback we might want as students we may not get.
besides for me, I wouldn't mind paying for a private class if it means i get the quality tuition i want.
and I have DVD's that i use all the time now, and i pracitce in front of the mirror...but after a while it does not seem enough.

thing is in trinidad we will have to look north to the US..since spanish is not our first language here, there is the barrier with going to workshops in latin and south america (i myself know some conversational spanish, but not enough to understand in a class)

I think it might well be worth consideration, because its like a teleconferencing..maybe the feedback doesn't have to be live, maybe it could be that recorded sessions are analysed (but nothing beats a live class to me)

 

[karena]

I think it could easily work. It's no use to you as I am not a teacher alas. The only difference will be obviously that you still miss the ability for touch, but that's not a big part of a lesson. And technology now means that it wouldn't be a big deal to set up. You could even just skype and use a built in web cam. Better facilities would be better but there isn't so much of a technology cost barriers to this kind of stuff now. Of course it would need to be on the same basis as a private lesson but people do those. Maybe someone will spot that gap...

 

[Elfie]

Yes, this is an old thread. But it's relevant!

I've considered distance learning for some time now - but not like... weekly lessons. This was my plan.

I would send the instructor a video clip of a single dance so they can assess what I've already learned and then they could determine my skill level because I have already been self-studying. He or she then could: Video tape advice on what to practice next, what mistakes I am making and/or give a written critique with suggestions on instructional DVD's that would help me, books to read, new moves to drill and tackle next.

Every month I would send another video of a single dance and the instructor would, in exchange, send another set of critiques and advice etc.

I think a month of following the instructors advice, drilling, drilling, drilling new moves, and practicing the new moves in the dance on my own, with an occasional critique from the instructor would be my personal best option. I learn better by doing, reading, doing, studying, doing, reading, studying, doing. Dance, like other areas of learning, should be tailored to the student's best ability to learn (in a perfect world, anyhow).

Finding an instructor willing to do such lessons at all and for less than a hundred bucks... well... ha!

If any of you know of a teacher that may be willing to teach this way, I'd greatly appreciate knowing who.

 

[MissVega]

You know, I think it is a great idea. Although because of inconsistencies in internet connection, connection speeds, webcam quality I do see some issues with live one on one instruction via webcam. I think the idea is great, but the whole internet thing may make it frusterating.

I do think that the sending in a video to an instructor, having them critique and giving you exercises, drills, areas to work on and improve is a great idea. One on one critique is (IMO) essential to improving. We don't always see/feel our movements clearly so it can be hard to be objective with ourselves. Friends don't want to hurt your feelings so they can sometimes glaze over areas that need improving.

Back when I was showing my horse as a junior there were no upper level instructors near where I lived so once a month my mom would trailer my horse and I 2 hours from here for a private lesson and then film it. That way I could watch the lesson after and see for myself what the instructor was looking for. Also my mom learned what to look for and now she is always there to shout across the yard at me when I am dropping my inside shoulder and opening my fingers LOL.

My mom is my critic, she never minces words and always tells me like it is, and it helps a lot.

As an instructor I would certainly be willing to/interested reviewing videos of dancers. The only thing I wouldn't like about it is that I am "hands on" when I teach, I like to help a dancer to feel the movement or correct posture and you wouldnt' be able to do that. You would have to explain it via words only which would be harder and maybe leave room for misinterpretation. But if budget is a concern and you're in a isolated area I think it is worth the chance.

 

[Elfie]

You know, I think it is a great idea. Although because of inconsistencies in internet connection, connection speeds, webcam quality I do see some issues with live one on one instruction via webcam. I think the idea is great, but the whole internet thing may make it frusterating.

I do think that the sending in a video to an instructor, having them critique and giving you exercises, drills, areas to work on and improve is a great idea. One on one critique is (IMO) essential to improving. We don't always see/feel our movements clearly so it can be hard to be objective with ourselves. Friends don't want to hurt your feelings so they can sometimes glaze over areas that need improving.

Back when I was showing my horse as a junior there were no upper level instructors near where I lived so once a month my mom would trailer my horse and I 2 hours from here for a private lesson and then film it. That way I could watch the lesson after and see for myself what the instructor was looking for. Also my mom learned what to look for and now she is always there to shout across the yard at me when I am dropping my inside shoulder and opening my fingers LOL.

My mom is my critic, she never minces words and always tells me like it is, and it helps a lot.

As an instructor I would certainly be willing to/interested reviewing videos of dancers. The only thing I wouldn't like about it is that I am "hands on" when I teach, I like to help a dancer to feel the movement or correct posture and you wouldnt' be able to do that. You would have to explain it via words only which would be harder and maybe leave room for misinterpretation. But if budget is a concern and you're in a isolated area I think it is worth the chance.

Bolding mine. That is indeed a concern. My immediate area has a population of about 900... and the nearest city has a populace of only 7,000. Bellydance here is something I think would do very well... if there was someone to teach it. There isn't. I have three children and sadly, I don't make enough money off my writing to sustain a living. My husband works and makes decent money, but coming up with the extra cash for lessons and the money to drive upstate to Hurricane every week just isn't in my budget. My husband told me if I could find an alternative that was less than a hundred bucks per month (we're trying to move closer to his work as well... right now he's only home on the weekends so this is extra beyond saving for the move) and more helpful than scouring the bargain DVD racks, that he'd help me find a way to do it, so I've been wracking my brain.

Miss Vega, I've seen a few of your videos and you're a lovely dancer. If you'd be willing to critique and review, let me know and we'll talk it out and come up with a plan we are both comfortable with. I am eager to learn beyond the basics - I'm hunting up DVDs and scrounging through used book shops online to see what I can find. But having someone review and tell me what I'm doing wrong would be invaluable, I think.