My very first belly dance class proved I need some additional help
July 10, 2009 10:07 PM Subscribe
I just had my very first belly dance class and discovered I'm a bit clueless when it comes to what the instructor is actually doing with her feet and her hands. And her chest. Pretty much everything she's doing mystifies me a bit, actually. Any recommendations for a very good, very basic Belly Dance dvd that I can practice with, or other resources that might help me get the moves down?
Ask the teacher! That's what you're paying her for, right?
Next class, show up a few minutes early and ask her to take a few minutes to work with you to make sure you're doing the motions right with hands, feet, chest, whatever.
If she's not getting it across to you, or not willing to work with you to make sure you get it, she's not a good teacher--find another one.
posted by Sublimity at 7:47 AM on July 11, 2009 [1 favorite]
Next class, show up a few minutes early and ask her to take a few minutes to work with you to make sure you're doing the motions right with hands, feet, chest, whatever.
If she's not getting it across to you, or not willing to work with you to make sure you get it, she's not a good teacher--find another one.
posted by Sublimity at 7:47 AM on July 11, 2009 [1 favorite]
Any new dance style is going to be confusing at the beginning. Your instructor is an expert so she is going to have every element down pat. Don't worry about it! Just start out trying to get the basic moves down - I've never done bellydancing but I would imagine that the basics involve the hips/core. Just work on that for a while. You'll get comfortable enough to where you can figure out the hands, feet, etc later.
posted by radioamy at 8:09 AM on July 11, 2009
posted by radioamy at 8:09 AM on July 11, 2009
Seconding Sublimity--ask her to make sure you're doing things right and if she can't explain them in a way that works, you need a new teacher.
Especially at the beginning, you need to learn how to hold yourself and what to do with your feet to prevent injury. Watching DVDs is not going to help you with that--what you need is someone watching YOU to make sure you're doing it correctly. If her classes are too big to allow her to do that, or if she doesn't have the training herself, or if she can't be bothered, that's a warning sign.
Now, once that point is covered, I like Rachel Brice's videos, particularly the yoga isolations and drills video for strengthening and getting used to the moves. She's an American Tribal style dancer, so while some of the moves will have different names, on the whole they will be the same. When I first started dancing, I liked Neena and Veenas videos (I'm a little annoyed by them now, but I thought they were fun early on). Amira Mor has some great choreography. I think Julina has some training videos. What helped me was getting some music I recognized from class or just liked (Omar Faruk Tekbilek is a favorite, as is Amr Diab) and just danced at home for 15 minutes a day. I practiced shimmies and undulations every spare minute until I was sore. I welcomed advice and asked more experienced dancers in my class to demonstrate moves that they were particularly good at. Belly dance is extremely rewarding and fun; enjoy it!
posted by peanut_mcgillicuty at 10:45 AM on July 11, 2009
Especially at the beginning, you need to learn how to hold yourself and what to do with your feet to prevent injury. Watching DVDs is not going to help you with that--what you need is someone watching YOU to make sure you're doing it correctly. If her classes are too big to allow her to do that, or if she doesn't have the training herself, or if she can't be bothered, that's a warning sign.
Now, once that point is covered, I like Rachel Brice's videos, particularly the yoga isolations and drills video for strengthening and getting used to the moves. She's an American Tribal style dancer, so while some of the moves will have different names, on the whole they will be the same. When I first started dancing, I liked Neena and Veenas videos (I'm a little annoyed by them now, but I thought they were fun early on). Amira Mor has some great choreography. I think Julina has some training videos. What helped me was getting some music I recognized from class or just liked (Omar Faruk Tekbilek is a favorite, as is Amr Diab) and just danced at home for 15 minutes a day. I practiced shimmies and undulations every spare minute until I was sore. I welcomed advice and asked more experienced dancers in my class to demonstrate moves that they were particularly good at. Belly dance is extremely rewarding and fun; enjoy it!
posted by peanut_mcgillicuty at 10:45 AM on July 11, 2009
Congrats on taking your first bellydance class! I fell in love with belly dance three years ago, and I've never looked back. The joy of this dance style never fails to amaze me.
I have a list of belly dance DVD recommendations for beginners, but it's tailored mostly toward the tribal, tribal fusion and gothic styles. If that's what you're looking for, let me know and I'll post it (or send it to you via MeFi mail, if that's more appropriate).
Here are two standard DVDs I recommend, both from World Dance New York, which have received excellent reviews for good reason:
Luscious: The Belly Dance Workout for Beginners
Bellydance Basics and Beyond: Technique for a Solid Foundation
I like to order the DVDs directly from World Dance New York if I'm ordering two or more, since they give you a discount plus free shipping.
Be patient with yourself in class. Some of the moves can look deceptively simple at first, but learning a new dance style takes time. Getting really good at it takes a great deal of time. Just do the best you can, keep going to class, study with several different teachers if you can, and eventually you'll improve. It took me over three months of regular practice to learn how to do a proper 3/4 shimmy, and even three years later, my shimmies don't look anywhere near as impressive as my teacher's...and probably never will, since I'm a hobbyist and she's a professional. That's fine with me, though, since I dance just for the joy of it and have no interest in performing.
Have fun!
posted by velvet winter at 11:04 AM on July 11, 2009
I have a list of belly dance DVD recommendations for beginners, but it's tailored mostly toward the tribal, tribal fusion and gothic styles. If that's what you're looking for, let me know and I'll post it (or send it to you via MeFi mail, if that's more appropriate).
Here are two standard DVDs I recommend, both from World Dance New York, which have received excellent reviews for good reason:
Luscious: The Belly Dance Workout for Beginners
Bellydance Basics and Beyond: Technique for a Solid Foundation
I like to order the DVDs directly from World Dance New York if I'm ordering two or more, since they give you a discount plus free shipping.
Be patient with yourself in class. Some of the moves can look deceptively simple at first, but learning a new dance style takes time. Getting really good at it takes a great deal of time. Just do the best you can, keep going to class, study with several different teachers if you can, and eventually you'll improve. It took me over three months of regular practice to learn how to do a proper 3/4 shimmy, and even three years later, my shimmies don't look anywhere near as impressive as my teacher's...and probably never will, since I'm a hobbyist and she's a professional. That's fine with me, though, since I dance just for the joy of it and have no interest in performing.
Have fun!
posted by velvet winter at 11:04 AM on July 11, 2009
This thread is closed to new comments.
If you'd like some very specific advice about Egyptian-influenced instructional DVDs, memail me. I can also suggest a few good DVDs in the "vintage American" (eclectic pan-Arab/Turkish/Armenian immigrant club style) traditions. I studied both for years, and I used to teach an Egyptian-influenced class. But I'm pretty clueless on the tribalesque/fusion/gothy fronts, so if that's where your interests lie I won't be much help.
posted by tangerine at 11:52 PM on July 10, 2009