But three are no teachers around here who do not teach exclusively through choreo!!! and until next month this is the only class above beginners for miles
i have asked a couple of teachers and the response was that "of course they choreographed their own solo dances. "I think you have to don't you" said one and "I dance improv in my kitchen"Of course I could be being a little harsh here. Does your teacher choose not to teach or encourage improvisation? Or does she not or cannot improvise in her personal dancing full stop?
I myself have strange co-ordination problems and right-left issues which make choreos or class movements difficult for me. Whenever I have to think about what I am doing I fall over my own feet - even during a simple warm-up. !
Actually many pro dancers do not choreograph - other than entrances. In fact the "odd" thing about Nagwa Faoud was that she did choreograph all her performances.i have asked a couple of teachers and the response was that "of course they choreographed their own solo dances. "I think you have to don't you" said one and "I dance improv in my kitchen"
i do agree with you, i'm going to gothla this year and there are lots of workshops i'd love to do especially ones attended by my mates, but i know i'm not ready for them, so would only hold the others up and feel dejected, so i've booked ones i know i can get things out of and meet my mates in bar afterHello all
I don't like having one of my first posts as quite a whingy post but this has really bugged me.
I recently attended a Tribal Fusion workshop that was classed as ‘Advanced’ and stipulated in the description that experience of ATS and Suhaila Salimpour technique was required as well as several years of tribal fusion. I was quite excited and nervous about attending as I felt it would be a real challenge and I really wanted to know what to aim for and work on in the dance even if i could not do it all. Based on my own experience I would have described myself more as a intermediate/high intermediate. Anyway I went and many of the students could not be described as in any way near to hitting the criteria (including having difficulty just doing the level 1 warmup!) and this was clear to the instructor who had planned to do all these advanced drills that she described at the beginning of the class but in the end had to completely modify her workshop and drill a couple of far more basic areas intensively. At the end she stated it ended up being more like a high beginner/intermediate workshop with a couple of advanced ‘concepts’ and I think she was quite frustrated too.
I just feel a bit cheated that one of the rare opportunities you get to be taught by a top professional the advanced skills that would be beyond many of us mere bellydance mortals, that you paytop whack for, and have prepared for, the workshop has to be modified to cater for those that really should never have attended. Its not the instructors fault- they have no control over who decides to enrol for these open workshops, they can just state explicitly the skill level required. Also if the bellydance teacher is from another country I don’t think it reflects well on their perception of the quality of the dancers in this country if the level of attendees is so low. We do have excellent fusion dancers but they were not there!
What is anyone else’s opinion on this issue when people attend workshops waaaay above their skill level and it has a detrimental impact on the whole workshop?
i found myself in that position at joy, i didn't read the discription properly, and found myself in the advanced class, i expliained this to the teather and just did what i could without asking for dumbing down as it was my fault not the rest of the class.:redface:Given the choice I would rather attend a workshop that was above my level than below. I try to stay at the side - where I can still see reasonably and not get in the way. I wouldn't expect to have workshop slowed down for me though - and I can still pick up loads of tips in the by the way bits!!!
I think there is a problem with workshop levels. I could be wrong but - they go from 1beginner, then 2 one year's experience, then 3 advanced. So what i'm looking for is generally 2/3 I think.
you see what I want from a workshop is to get something extra, so I'm disappointed if it feels like a lesson from a regular teacher.
I have had some trouble with this except mine was in a beginners class!! I have been dancing for 7 months. I go to ATS and Egyptian class once a week and do about an hr or 2 every other day. I would class myself a beginner and I struggle to do some things in class but others I feel come quite naturally. I booked a sharon kihara workshop which said ATS for beginners and it was designed for those who had never done ATS bfore. Even though I had studied some ATS I felt it suited my level. WRONG!!!!!!! The first hour was intense yoga and pilates which I couldnt do. It made me feel a complete fool. I was not alone, there was dancers age 18-60 in that workshop and only a few could even hold their legs up or streched out for the 5 minutes or so she had us standing in them.
When we finally got to do some dancing we did drills and tummy rolls etc and arm techniques which I did not feel were for beginners. Baring in mind alot of these women had never even tried an ATS class (as this was advertised for complete beginners or those who had not studied ATS) it was far too advanced. She told everyone to go into "The turkish". How the heck do novices to ATS know what this is. It just was not explained. Luckily I knew a handful of moves from my class and so i felt comfy once we started dancing but I know alot of people felt uncomfy after speaking to them at the end.
If there was a general rule for workshop levels and dancers levels we would all be OK. Ie tap and ballet get graded. Do you think bellydancing should be graded professionally ie exams etc?
i have asked a couple of teachers and the response was that "of course they choreographed their own solo dances. "I think you have to don't you" said one and "I dance improv in my kitchen"
When I book an instructor I ask them to should stick to the level they are teaching, unless everyone can't keep up but instructors are under press because student don't say I was in the wrong level workshop on there feedback forms they just moan that the teacher was bad.
If you need to be super fit for a workshop add a Energy level or say you need a high level of fitness to attend this workshop. The truth always pays in the long run & it save a lot of moaning.
There are workshops with feedback forms?:shok: I've never been to one of those, not sure that's the best idea. I feel that the sponsor should participate in the workshop, and go by her own assessment. Or if she's running a multi-track workshop, she should be able to vouch for the teachers before she books them.
It is very difficult to participate when you are running 49 workshops over a weekend. I do my homework on all teachers but again this is difficult if they come from another country. I do put a hostess in every workshop so I can check what students write is correct. Feedback forms do work but it is best to ask how many years students have been dancing on the top of the form then you can see if a student just booked in to the wrong level. Teachers also like to have feedback good & bad so they know they are getting it right or if there are things they can improve.
...that was only the 10th most lame thing that happened at the workshop. Yes, I am still pi$sy about it.:lol:
No I specifically asked do you choreograph when you dance solo. The reply was to quote more accurately "I ONLY dance improv in my kitchen. No one has ever seen me do it." I have a very strong feeling that choreo is the norm here.I think some people may hear your question of "did you choreograph your own solo dances" more as "did you [CREATE] your own solo dances". Thus someone who improvs solos may respond that yes, she "choreographed" it, when what she really means is that it's her own creation. The statement "I dance improv in my kitchen" may mean either that she doesn't consider her improv stage-worthy, or that she improvs a lot (and considers herself good at it).
I'm not saying that these women did or didn't improv their solos, just that people aren't always accurate in how they use language to describe what they do, especially if they misunderstand the focus of the question. The answers you mentioned wouldn't really clear up the question, for me.
Someone might ask me, "Did you buy a new coat?", and I might respond "Yes, I like it a lot better than my old one" (I'm focusing on the "new" part of the question, rather than the fact that the coat was a hand-me-down from a relative, not really a purchase).:think:
It is very difficult to participate when you are running 49 workshops over a weekend. I do my homework on all teachers but again this is difficult if they come from another country. I do put a hostess in every workshop so I can check what students write is correct. Feedback forms do work but it is best to ask how many years students have been dancing on the top of the form then you can see if a student just booked in to the wrong level. Teachers also like to have feedback good & bad so they know they are getting it right or if there are things they can improve.
No I specifically asked do you choreograph when you dance solo. The reply was to quote more accurately "I ONLY dance improv in my kitchen. No one has ever seen me do it." I have a very strong feeling that choreo is the norm here.
Wow JoY has 49 workshops. I REALLY don't know why I haven't been yet!!!. Aiming for April