What Do You Want From A Belly Dance Class

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Have you ever gone to a belly dance class and felt the teacher didn’t explain things in a manner in which you could fully understand?
How about repetition in class and learning the same moves over and over again? I remember when I first started belly dancing I took a class and we learned a specific choreography. No explanation was given as to what inspired the choreography or how it fit with the music. I remember dancing and thinking to myself, this is not me and I would not dance to this song this way. So what do you do when you learn from someone that doesn’t fit you and your style of dance?

When we all first start out dancing we are sponges and we take it all in. After a few years we than realize what specifically we want out of dance and than we go forth to find those teachers who will help us achieve our goals. Once this happens it becomes apparent that we really do dance from a place of preferred choice. We constantly choose our way in dance and our path shows the world how we have become who we are.

All this being said how do you tell a teacher, “Look, I’m not learning from you what I feel I need for my dancing. What can we do about this?” Is it really as easy as just saying it? Most women will just leave without saying what she feels yet she will tell others and the message my trickle down to the original teacher. So what good does it do if we feel we can’t tell the one who needs to hear the message the most? I didn’t tell that teacher years ago that I didn’t like her choreography; I just left and never went back. But I have to say it has haunted me all these years because I am sure she wondered why I left. Being a teacher for years now and looking back I now understand that feeling of wondering what happened. So here are some solutions I came up for teachers and students. Because after all we are both student and teacher until we no longer say we are a dancers.
For the Student……..

Remember you are paying for class and for the information and experience of your teacher. If you aren’t getting what you pay for let your teacher know that there is a problem. I mean if a product didn’t work right most of us, we would take it back and either get our money back or we would want it fixed. At least you are bringing something to your teachers’ attention that she needs to hear whether she wants to or not. But putting yourself out there as a teacher means this is a part of business especially if you charge for classes. After all, satisfaction should be guaranteed.

Don’t settle for less because there may not be other teachers around. Look for a teacher that is qualified to teach or someone who wants to share the dance. Either way if you relate well to each other, class time will be fun and that in itself makes it all worth while. Always strive to find the teachers that fit you best. Put it out to the Universe what you want and be ready to dance!

For the Teacher……

Ask your students from time to time what they think of class. This doesn’t take away from you as the teacher; it helps you understand what your students think of your class from their view point and their eyes. Our students can help us become wonderful teachers because sometimes as I have said before we can get lost in our own lesson.

There is no amount of experience that can compare to the satisfaction of happy and content students. I have witnessed teachers so full of themselves that they could never see beyond their own needs, wants and desires. And even though we are the ones that make our own dreams come true, we must be aware of others and their dreams, wants and desires. Those lost in themselves usually are left alone in the end with no one around and when they finally wake up, it is too late.

We all have the right to ask the very simple question, “What do I want out of class?” As your students this question and be open and willing to receive the answers. I just recently asked one of my students this question and what she said made me smile. She said, “I want everything, that’s why you’re my teacher.”
Another student said, “But you’re the teacher, you’re suppose to know what I want.”
The latter made me smile because I remember being like that until I came into my own as a dancer. But never the less I let all my students know they can tell me what they need to. This frees us both and makes our paths easier to travel especially when you’re going in the same direction.

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