The biggest challenge
- Thread starter Shanazel
- Start date
Darshiva
Moderator
Biggest challenge I've faced: being ostracised in my local area after a teacher who was a student in a class I was co-teaching in beat me up for correcting her, and my teacher ended up taking her side, despite multiple witnesses.
How I dealt with it: sheer bloodymindedness. I stood up for myself, got myself a proper education in both bellydance and teacher training, and specialised like whoa.
How I dealt with it: sheer bloodymindedness. I stood up for myself, got myself a proper education in both bellydance and teacher training, and specialised like whoa.
Duvet
Member
My biggest challenge has always been myself - shyness and lack of confidence. When I started on this dance journey I never, ever, ever believed I would have done what I’ve done. I’d have laughed in your face or run away and hid.
How did I overcome it? Realising that the only person really stopping me, was me (and still can be me). Taking that very first performance step, and knowing that this dance is something I truly love to be involved in. Trusting in my teachers to want me to succeed, and learning to accept praise. Not taking myself too seriously, and taking every new experience as an adventure and a learning opportunity, whether it turns out positive or not!
How did I overcome it? Realising that the only person really stopping me, was me (and still can be me). Taking that very first performance step, and knowing that this dance is something I truly love to be involved in. Trusting in my teachers to want me to succeed, and learning to accept praise. Not taking myself too seriously, and taking every new experience as an adventure and a learning opportunity, whether it turns out positive or not!
Farasha Hanem
New member
Same as Duvet, shyness and a lack of confidence, plus losing my ride to my class 30+ miles away. I'm still working on the shyness, and I've overcome my problem of not being able to travel to classes by taking Skype lessons with Darshiva! 
Mosaic
Super Moderator
Age ( starting to dance in my 50s) confidence - confidence has always been an issue in my life & getting out there and dancing was very difficult, having a great teacher & dance friends helped me put my best hip forward & hide my fears, ( they are still there, but I can push through them most of the time) - I feel more confident as a teacher when I was teaching than a performer.
~Mosaic
~Mosaic
Shanazel
Moderator
Not having access to or money for advanced classes and workshops was a big problem when I was young. In later years, arthritis and depression have been my two biggest dance bugaboos. It's hard to dance when your knees give way and once down on the floor, you just want to sit and cry for a while. Good medication is a blessing but it can't cure everything.
Good medication is a blessing but it can't cure everything.
Roshanna
New member
Self-doubt and imposter syndrome, which tends to get worse the more I learn (the more you know, the more you know you don't know, etc ), and sometimes stops me putting myself forward for opportunities. I've dealt with the shyness thing too, but that's been much easier to work with than the self-doubt.
For example, I realised the other day that the reason I've never seriously considered travelling to a festival in Egypt is because I've always unconsciously assumed I'm not 'good enough' or not the kind of 'proper' dancer who does that kind of thing! I also sometimes feel this way about taking private lessons with new teachers. And I spend a lot of time desperately wishing that show organisers would consider me as a performer for their live music events, but have never had the confidence to actually ask them, then get depressed when I see less experienced dancers getting selected.
One of my resolutions right now is to be more aware of this tendency, and start just doing what I really want to and sticking my neck out, even if there's a chance I'll look silly or get rejected.
), and sometimes stops me putting myself forward for opportunities. I've dealt with the shyness thing too, but that's been much easier to work with than the self-doubt.For example, I realised the other day that the reason I've never seriously considered travelling to a festival in Egypt is because I've always unconsciously assumed I'm not 'good enough' or not the kind of 'proper' dancer who does that kind of thing! I also sometimes feel this way about taking private lessons with new teachers. And I spend a lot of time desperately wishing that show organisers would consider me as a performer for their live music events, but have never had the confidence to actually ask them, then get depressed when I see less experienced dancers getting selected.
One of my resolutions right now is to be more aware of this tendency, and start just doing what I really want to and sticking my neck out, even if there's a chance I'll look silly or get rejected.
Aniseteph
New member
All of what Roshanna says goes for me too. I just can't see myself as a proper dancer, that's for ballet types who spend hours in class every day, not the likes of me, especially when you add in the age factor. I've not been dancing much lately due to injury, so my impostor syndrome has transferred itself to work instead. :wall::wall::wall:
Also being a lazy cow does me no favours whatsoever.
Also being a lazy cow does me no favours whatsoever.
Anetta
New member
Other people's opinion and stereotypes. Examples:
"She is too old to learn bellydancing" (I was 32 when I started)
"Why would a married woman want to learn bellydancing? How would her houseband feel when she dances public dressed in a bd costume?" (I am married)
"She is too skinny to bellydance." (I am not curvy)
"Bellydancers are arrogant/attention seeking/good at sex/not educated/not feminists/..."
And the list goes on...
"She is too old to learn bellydancing" (I was 32 when I started)
"Why would a married woman want to learn bellydancing? How would her houseband feel when she dances public dressed in a bd costume?" (I am married)
"She is too skinny to bellydance." (I am not curvy)
"Bellydancers are arrogant/attention seeking/good at sex/not educated/not feminists/..."
And the list goes on...
Anetta
New member
Daimona
Moderator
My biggest challenge when I started to dance was how to ignore my own terrible self image.
Since 2010 it has been to make suitable choreographies for all the crazy ideas and music requests the ladies in my group have come up with (some of it has moved far into fusion, but both moves and combination and musical interpretations are rooted in bd).
Raise your hand if you've ever performed with LED head lights on stage accompanied by a rock guitar player. Now, raise the other hand if you've ever danced a church (no, not IN a church, but dancing the church itself).
The recent couple of years I've become more picky when watching dance - I know what I like and what I don't like and why (this is both a good and a bad thing because I'd love to be supportive to my local dance scene, but I hate to be bored if I see a performance I don't like and I'm trying to challenge myself to tolerate more variation). I know what kind of dancers I like to watch and what kind of dancer I would like to be myself, but currently I'm miles away from that level myself. I know how much I need to work to get there - if I ever DO get there (again - I don't even know if I've ever really been there). Being a lazy cow (thanks for that expression, Aniseteph) and dancing and exercising less due to various reasons, the terrible self image is quickly getting stronger again.
Since 2010 it has been to make suitable choreographies for all the crazy ideas and music requests the ladies in my group have come up with (some of it has moved far into fusion, but both moves and combination and musical interpretations are rooted in bd).
Raise your hand if you've ever performed with LED head lights on stage accompanied by a rock guitar player. Now, raise the other hand if you've ever danced a church (no, not IN a church, but dancing the church itself).
The recent couple of years I've become more picky when watching dance - I know what I like and what I don't like and why (this is both a good and a bad thing because I'd love to be supportive to my local dance scene, but I hate to be bored if I see a performance I don't like and I'm trying to challenge myself to tolerate more variation). I know what kind of dancers I like to watch and what kind of dancer I would like to be myself, but currently I'm miles away from that level myself. I know how much I need to work to get there - if I ever DO get there (again - I don't even know if I've ever really been there). Being a lazy cow (thanks for that expression, Aniseteph) and dancing and exercising less due to various reasons, the terrible self image is quickly getting stronger again.
Last edited:
Amulya
Moderator
Disability, I never overcame it, but managed to still teach and perform till it took dance away from me. How?
By the way I managed my classes and gigs. For example, other dancers do 20 minute gigs, that's impossible for me, so I created a whole different way of doing them. I would generally split it in two blocks with a costume change. People love costume change and it gives the opportunity to do two completely different things. Or the other option was first the performance and then lots of audience interaction where I would get them to dance with me, teach them moves and once they were all happy dancing, sneak off (the person hiring me would know the whole plan of course) Me sneaking off would keep people dancing, if I would have made a special exit that would break that off and that wasn't part of the plan.
Teaching was tricky, but I could take it easy when I would get too exhausted, by moving to easier stuff. Students don't notice that, because after I would pick up something more difficult again. So it made it varied. My classes were also only an hour. Workshops 2 hours but with a break.
But eventually I couldn't do an hour anymore, so stopped teaching. Then later couldn't dance 10 minutes anymore, so that wasn't possible anymore either. I can dance half a minute still though. At least that's something
By the way I managed my classes and gigs. For example, other dancers do 20 minute gigs, that's impossible for me, so I created a whole different way of doing them. I would generally split it in two blocks with a costume change. People love costume change and it gives the opportunity to do two completely different things. Or the other option was first the performance and then lots of audience interaction where I would get them to dance with me, teach them moves and once they were all happy dancing, sneak off (the person hiring me would know the whole plan of course) Me sneaking off would keep people dancing, if I would have made a special exit that would break that off and that wasn't part of the plan.
Teaching was tricky, but I could take it easy when I would get too exhausted, by moving to easier stuff. Students don't notice that, because after I would pick up something more difficult again. So it made it varied. My classes were also only an hour. Workshops 2 hours but with a break.
But eventually I couldn't do an hour anymore, so stopped teaching. Then later couldn't dance 10 minutes anymore, so that wasn't possible anymore either. I can dance half a minute still though. At least that's something
Darshiva
Moderator
Disability, I never overcame it, but managed to still teach and perform till it took dance away from me. How?
By the way I managed my classes and gigs. For example, other dancers do 20 minute gigs, that's impossible for me, so I created a whole different way of doing them. I would generally split it in two blocks with a costume change. People love costume change and it gives the opportunity to do two completely different things. Or the other option was first the performance and then lots of audience interaction where I would get them to dance with me, teach them moves and once they were all happy dancing, sneak off (the person hiring me would know the whole plan of course) Me sneaking off would keep people dancing, if I would have made a special exit that would break that off and that wasn't part of the plan.
Teaching was tricky, but I could take it easy when I would get too exhausted, by moving to easier stuff. Students don't notice that, because after I would pick up something more difficult again. So it made it varied. My classes were also only an hour. Workshops 2 hours but with a break.
But eventually I couldn't do an hour anymore, so stopped teaching. Then later couldn't dance 10 minutes anymore, so that wasn't possible anymore either. I can dance half a minute still though. At least that's something
Big hugs. I miss you so much. I want to come visit you in Melbourne as soon as I can afford to.