Well I think that would really have to be battled out in the country of origin...
...some type of standardization and certification saying you have learned those standards could go a long way to raising bellydance teachers to a "professional" level.
Sooooo.... who's going to start the first school (as opposed to a class)?
Excellent. I did ask if there was any. Now what do we have in the US, is there any other, and if so do they actually communicate?We've got JWAAD and RSS already.
*Fusion of belly dance with burlesque
Now, one thing that occurs to me is that maybe certain dance types shouldn't be performed even at a 'belly dance" hafla. Why? Because a lot of the people who go to haflas are beginning students, their friends, their families, etc. I would consider a beginning student to be "general public" because they are new enough to our dance to not yet have much knowledge of what we're all about.
I think it's better if fusion performances are done at a theme event whose entire purpose is to allow for fusion and experimentation. And I think such a theme event shouldn't be called "belly dance", but rather "performance art" or "world dance fusion".
The Belly Button Jewels relaxing in their private green room between performances
Announcing the Shanazel School of Belly Dance Arts!
The Belly Button Jewels relaxing in their private green room between performances
Ooh, I wanna be a Belly Button Jewel!
I see hip scarves are being worn low this season.
Announcing the Shanazel School of Belly Dance Arts! All your questions answered in unarguable phrases! Movement vocabulary carved on stone tablets harvested from the pyramids! Firm division lines for dance styles and fusions available for $10 a dozen. Certifications a specialty. Be the first in your neighborhood to receive the gospel from The High Grand Snickelfritz of Belly Dance herself, and amaze your friends with your expertise at your next hafla. Costumes, choreographies, and lattes also available. The first hundred dancers to sign up will receive their choice of a pink stuffed boa constrictor or a year's subscription to The High Grand Snickelfritz's newsletter, The Syncopated Dancer. All acolytes passing a series of arduous exams will be allowed to perform with Shanazel's troupe, The Belly Button Jewels of the North Platte.
The Belly Button Jewels relaxing in their private green room between performances
I learned what the performer thinks they are doing and reality is not always the same thing. I felt as a dance promoter that I had helped spread dance misinformation to the public.