A new idea

trang1808

New member
I am not sure that it is a good idea. I have tried my best ;)

What do you think if we combine traveling and teaching in Vietnam? There is no real belly dance instructor in my country. What I can do is watching and practicing through those videos online.

I am greedy to learn belly dance methodically.

I am a student so I can't afford to invite famous instructors ( but I'd love to:()

I hope you consider it.
 

Lydia

New member
no one cares:(

Hi Trang ...not treu sweety.....i think everybody is realy busy december is such a crazy month...i live very far from you ,but if i ever get to go to your area i will let you know ...i heard about your country and that it is very pretty so i am sure plenty people would like to visit...i hope that somebody near to you considers coming your way...have a nice day Dear....Lydia
 

Aisha Azar

New member
Dance etc.

no one cares:(



Dear Trang,
We definitely do care, but many dancers are not really rich enough to travel unless we are sponsored by someone or somehow relate it to our business. I travel occasionally to take workshops and I have gone to Egypt to study the culture up close. Other than that, I usually travel once a year with my husband to someplace on the West coast of the U.S., which is a trip close to home. I travel too, when people sponsor me to teach workshops in their area.
Vietnam looks like a beautiful country and if I ever get rich, here I come!!
Regards,
A'isha
 

Shanazel

Moderator
Dear Trang,

I care, but couldn't financially swing a trip to Viet Nam in my wildest dreams. A friend who served there in the late terrible war went back a few years ago to put harsh memories to rest and fell in love with the place almost forty years after he came home on a stretcher. He said it was one of the most beautiful places in the world.

If you come to Wyoming someday, call me and we'll throw a hafla in your honor.

Sincerely, Shanazel
 

Caroline_afifi

New member
Caroline T who is a member of this forum and a good teacher in the UK left for Cambodia and Vietnam yesterday for a one month trip.

I am sure she would have read your post with interest and who know's you maye have been able to meet up with her?

that is bad luck!
 

Moon

New member
Trang, don't be sad. I hope you'll find a great instructor. The thing is, there are not only instructors here but also many students, like me, who ofcourse don't respond to offers like these.
 

trang1808

New member
Dear Trang,
We definitely do care, but many dancers are not really rich enough to travel unless we are sponsored by someone or somehow relate it to our business. I travel occasionally to take workshops and I have gone to Egypt to study the culture up close. Other than that, I usually travel once a year with my husband to someplace on the West coast of the U.S., which is a trip close to home. I travel too, when people sponsor me to teach workshops in their area.
Vietnam looks like a beautiful country and if I ever get rich, here I come!!
Regards,
A'isha

Dear A'isha,
I am sorry for saying that. I think that belly dance instructors might have had more conditions to go anywhere. ( forgive me if my explanation is impolite :pray:)
wow you have gone to Egypt:clap: you might have learned more about belly dance in here. I wish I would go there.
I wonder how much does it cost for a workshop? Is it too much? >,< Maybe it is a huge amount for a student like me ( will be a big amount in future although I graduate and have a job:lol:)
I hope we will meet one day.
Nice to meet you,
Trang.
 

trang1808

New member
Dear Trang,

I care, but couldn't financially swing a trip to Viet Nam in my wildest dreams. A friend who served there in the late terrible war went back a few years ago to put harsh memories to rest and fell in love with the place almost forty years after he came home on a stretcher. He said it was one of the most beautiful places in the world.

If you come to Wyoming someday, call me and we'll throw a hafla in your honor.

Sincerely, Shanazel

Dear Shanazel,

Thank you for having a special love for Vietnam.
Ya my country is quite peace. With its development, we still keep the life slow move. :D
If I had a lot of money, I will invite all of you to go my country and we will have a big hafla. Dancing all days and nights. :clap::dance: haizzzzzz just in dream :(

I'd love to go to your place. However, the flight ticket is a big problem............................ haizzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Nice to meet you Shanazel,
Trang
 

trang1808

New member
Caroline T who is a member of this forum and a good teacher in the UK left for Cambodia and Vietnam yesterday for a one month trip.

I am sure she would have read your post with interest and who know's you maye have been able to meet up with her?

that is bad luck!


OMG I have known this new late. How could I contact with her??????????????
Thank you for telling me.
Muah Caroline:dance:
 

trang1808

New member
Hi Trang ...not treu sweety.....i think everybody is realy busy december is such a crazy month...i live very far from you ,but if i ever get to go to your area i will let you know ...i heard about your country and that it is very pretty so i am sure plenty people would like to visit...i hope that somebody near to you considers coming your way...have a nice day Dear....Lydia

Hi Lydia,

ya We are all busy December because Noel will come in 2 weeks.

Thank you for your love for my country. If you visit my country, plz let me know. There are 2 big cities in Vietnam. I live in another one in the South.

Have a nice day Lydia.;)
 

trang1808

New member
Trang, don't be sad. I hope you'll find a great instructor. The thing is, there are not only instructors here but also many students, like me, who ofcourse don't respond to offers like these.

little sad, friend.
if have chance, welcome to my country:dance:
 

Caroline_afifi

New member
I think it would be great to set up a project for people to go to different places to teach for free.

I would go to a place and pay for my own travel if I got accommodation and people there to show me around etc. that is fabulous.. what a way to see the world!

I think it is a great idea.

I am sure there must be plenty of people who would not mind doing something like this.

Caroline T has just paid to go to Cambodia and I have no way of contacting her.

I am sure she would have met with you and taught a workshop in return for some local hospitaility. Who wouldnt?

I know not everybody can afford this or get the opportunity but it is something which could be worked towards.

My home in Liverpool is open to anyone who wants to come?

I can organise with fellow dancers in London, Glasgow, Wales etc. and you can have a mini tour of the Uk for a fraction of the price it would cost you paying for Hotels and food etc!
 

kayshier

New member
I think it would be great to set up a project for people to go to different places to teach for free.

I would go to a place and pay for my own travel if I got accommodation and people there to show me around etc. that is fabulous.. what a way to see the world!


I think it is a great idea.

I am sure there must be plenty of people who would not mind doing something like this.

Caroline T has just paid to go to Cambodia and I have no way of contacting her.

I am sure she would have met with you and taught a workshop in return for some local hospitaility. Who wouldnt?

I know not everybody can afford this or get the opportunity but it is something which could be worked towards.

My home in Liverpool is open to anyone who wants to come?

I can organise with fellow dancers in London, Glasgow, Wales etc. and you can have a mini tour of the Uk for a fraction of the price it would cost you paying for Hotels and food etc!


yes that would be really nice!! but i wouldn't want to have someone teach for free, i think paying for expertise is important.
 

Caroline_afifi

New member
yes that would be really nice!! but i wouldn't want to have someone teach for free, i think paying for expertise is important.

But not nessesarily 'cash' if people are happy to recieve things in other ways.

I am all for skill sharing and finding other ways to exchange without cash involved. I maybe being a bit of a hippy here but I ma all into joint working and co-operatives too. Money is important and you need it to survive but there are many other options available which we never really explore.

If people want 'cash only' then fair enough, but there should be other opportunities available too.. in this cash obsessed world.
 

Kashmir

New member
But not nessesarily 'cash' if people are happy to recieve things in other ways.

I am all for skill sharing and finding other ways to exchange without cash involved. I maybe being a bit of a hippy here but I ma all into joint working and co-operatives too. Money is important and you need it to survive but there are many other options available which we never really explore.

If people want 'cash only' then fair enough, but there should be other opportunities available too.. in this cash obsessed world.
In kind may cover food and lodgings but it doesn't pay rent or rates or insurance - or class publicity or the lease on your hall. Your expenses don't go away because you take a holiday. And travelling to another country requires real cash for airfare. You are losing real cash from lost income.

On the whole, you pay peanuts you get monkeys is also worth keeping in mind.
 

Caroline_afifi

New member
In kind may cover food and lodgings but it doesn't pay rent or rates or insurance - or class publicity or the lease on your hall. Your expenses don't go away because you take a holiday. And travelling to another country requires real cash for airfare. You are losing real cash from lost income.

On the whole, you pay peanuts you get monkeys is also worth keeping in mind.

Of course it is worth bearing in mind.

I know the very mention of what I said is enough to make some peoples hair stand on end!

This dance scene can take it, as it is too flaming commercial in my opinion.

I hate the fact that some people cannot access things because they cannot afford too. How disgusting.

This is a working class art... can only Westerners with big bucks afford it or what? the answer is mostly yes.

There are plenty of dancers keeping many people afloat right now (apart from the credit crunch)

so what if a teacher wants two weeks in Cambodia in exchange for 2 weeks hospitality? whats the problem?

Dont forget... there are plenty of monkeys asking for big bucks too!

I have parted with more than peanuts to enough of them over the years.
 

Aisha Azar

New member
Working Vacation, etc.

Dear Gang,
I know in some cases, as in mine, people are full time dancers and already do give in some charitable way. If one has other income and does not live on their dance income, perhaps the situation is different. I know that when I teach, I do it for love and for income, because it is my job just like the others have jobs as dishwashers or lawyers or plumbers or professors. For all of these people, there is the occasional pro bono work, but mostly we all need to get paid, not for love of money, but to pay the bills.
Regards,
A'isha
 

Caroline_afifi

New member
Dear Gang,
I know in some cases, as in mine, people are full time dancers and already do give in some charitable way. If one has other income and does not live on their dance income, perhaps the situation is different. I know that when I teach, I do it for love and for income, because it is my job just like the others have jobs as dishwashers or lawyers or plumbers or professors. For all of these people, there is the occasional pro bono work, but mostly we all need to get paid, not for love of money, but to pay the bills.
Regards,
A'isha

I totally agree with you but there is also a matter of choice involved.

In the past, I would have loved to have just danced and taught as a way of making a living.
But I came to the conclusion that I at least needed to keep my part time job (to pay for my house and kids) and I knew I would begin to hate dancing, because when you do it for money you have to take all the sh*t that goes with it.

If you pursue a career in dance then part of you has to accept it will not make you rich unless you become a full on commercial product and money is your ultimate goal.

You also have to accept that most things on the outside are beyond your control.

Whilst I would never want to take away someones living, I dont want the fact that people who choose to do this as a full time living to affect what I do and what I can give away for free ..to those who cannot afford it and would not be able to employ them any way.

I do make some money from dancing and I do need it to survive.
However, I do make a crap business woman and I dont like to take money from people I know can genuinely not afford it.

I believe in balance thats all.

I believe in art for everyone not for just those who can afford it.
 

Aisha Azar

New member
Dance etc.

Dear Caroline,

I totally agree with you but there is also a matter of choice involved.

In the past, I would have loved to have just danced and taught as a way of making a living.
But I came to the conclusion that I at least needed to keep my part time job (to pay for my house and kids) and I knew I would begin to hate dancing, because when you do it for money you have to take all the sh*t that goes with it.

Caroline, think about it. How much shit have you ever seen me take without rearing up on my hind legs? I am never afraid to lose a job or not get one because for me, my integrity in the dance and as a person comes first. I have walked away from several jobs because I understand this about myself. I am not the only one like this.

If you pursue a career in dance then part of you has to accept it will not make you rich unless you become a full on commercial product and money is your ultimate goal.

I am certainly not rich, but I don't regret that in the least. If I did not have a husband who brings in far more money than me, I would live poorly, but I could still live. And I disagree that a working dancer has to become a "full commercial product". This rather denigrates people like Randa, Suheir Zaki, Shareen El Safy, Morocco, etc. People who have integrity in their work and still manage to make a living.


You also have to accept that most things on the outside are beyond your control.

While I have no more control over what goes on outside than does any other human being, I DO have control over what I do. I am not sure of your point here...

Whilst I would never want to take away someones living, I dont want the fact that people who choose to do this as a full time living to affect what I do and what I can give away for free ..to those who cannot afford it and would not be able to employ them any way.


And you are certainly free to do as you choose, though some working dancers may resent it, as I resent those dancers who give the dance away and make it really difficult for those of us who are working to make a decent living when they will dance in clubs for $10 and at fairs and other places for free where they should be paid.

I do make some money from dancing and I do need it to survive.
However, I do make a crap business woman and I dont like to take money from people I know can genuinely not afford it.

I agree with this in terms of life necessities. If we were talking about food, clothing, shelter I am right there with you. But dance is not a life necessity in most cases. It is in fact a luxury for most of us, unless we are in the same position as those women in countries of origin who must dance to live. I usually find that when I have been generous enough to give people classes at half rate or for free, they end up later telling me about the $70 haircut they just got, or about the fabulous new dress or costume they bought, none of which I can afford.

I believe in balance thats all.
I believe in art for everyone not for just those who can afford it.

That is why my classes remain reasonably priced and why I insist on anyone I sponsor being willing to take less money so I can pay everyone. Others are charging $75 and up for workshops and my dance company still charges $45-50. We manage to bring quality people at a price reasonable to dancers. And that is the very reason why I donate a certain amount of my dance time every year, but after many years of being taken advantage of, I have drawn a line and I stick to it most of the time. Otherwise I would find that I was giving away more than I was earning.

Regards,
A'isha
 
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