Permission to Make Mistakes

One thing I emphasize in my classes is that everyone should feel free to make mistakes. In fact, it is the only true route to growth, since humans by nature are imperfect and learn through trial and error. (Check out my blog entry "I Release You From Perfection". Go on. I'll wait...)

We have a tradition at Deep Roots Dance called "pre-apologizing". Before drills in class, I make my students promise me they will make mistakes, then we turn to our partners and pre-apologize for any "screw ups" that might occur. This is a promise to our partners and ourselves that while we may make mistakes, we won't stop or hesitate when there are flubs, and instead will dance through it all with confidence and poise. After all, the audience doesn't know what is right or wrong, only we do; and only our faces and demeanor will reveal those mistakes. By dancing through our mistakes, both as leaders and followers, we mask them entirely. Ideally, all the audience sees are dancers moving in unison, gracefully, joyfully.

Workshop Hosting - what you're really paying for

A recent discussion on a bellydance business discussion group brought up an old tribe thread on the same subject. The discussion was surrounding the costs of hosting a workshop instructor, and what the $150-$200/hr of workshop time with an instructor really translates into. Back in 2007 I wrote a reply in this thread from my perspective as a teacher, and thought I would share the slightly modified version of it here.

If $150-$200/hr for teaching, on top of room/food/travel, seems like a high cost, consider this rundown of how a workshop teacher's time is spent:

It's important to note that the term "hourly rate" is a bit of a misnomer. While the instructor may be teaching for only 4 hours, they are "on" much more than that.  And many teachers have to cancel or get subs for their classes at home, turn down other performances/gigs for the time they are away, get pet sitters or kid sitters...part and parcel of a traveling performer and teacher, but it's something that is sometimes forgotten when considering the value in a teacher's workshop wages.  For me, it is a pleasure to get to travel to new places, and meet, hang out with, chat up, and network with other dancers--it's an addictive, joyful experience! But at the same time, any teacher can attest that it is incredibly draining, and it is definitely "work" even outside of the classroom. That is an intangible "cost" to the teachers that is reimbursed, if you will, in the pay they receive. And even then, you won't get rich off of it (or outside of maybe BDSS, make a living wage off of it), and you have to do it for the love of it!

Your Dance Bag

The first night of every Level 1 class, I do a brief orientation with the students.  We go over simple studio layout (where's the bathroom, water fountain...), etiquette (being on time, no shoes in the studio, etc), how the session will go (that we run in 6-week repeats, finger cymbals week 3...), and I briefly touch on the idea of having a dance bag.  For Level 1 dancers, the bag is super simple--your finger cymbals, water bottle, and notebook.

As your dance world grows, so does your bag!  A little secret: I love bags. Not purses, BAGS. I love shopping for bags, assessing all their internal organizational pockets for their purpose...it goes right along with my love of office supplies and closet organizers, I suppose. I love everything to have its little "home". But I digress...

So once you have progressed past Level 1, what are some other common items to find in your dance bag?  Here is a checklist of potential things to keep in your dance bag at all times:

Tomboy to Tribal Diva? A workshop review...

Hair n' Make-Up Workshop Review
or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Glam
by Rebecca Slingwine

As you probably know, Shay held a performance hair and makeup workshop a week ago! The focus was on getting students familiar with ATS hair and makeup appropriate for a variety of settings, from the stage to the up-close-and-personal. We didn’t leave the workshop experts, but the point was to give us familiarity with the big ideas so we could go play with them and find our own style on our own.

To put it mildly, I am not a makeup girl. To demonstrate how much of a not-a-makeup-girl I am, I will show you a picture of me in my natural habitat:

(Picture courtesy of my awesome bench partner, Eunice Lau.)

 
No makeup, hair in a ponytail, and yes, what I’m doing to Mocha’s forelock is the extent of everyday hairstyling skillz.

I showed up at the workshop pretty nervous, but I was armed with my notebook for note-taking, and my camera for picture-taking when words failed me! BRING IT ON, HAIR AND MAKEUP!

DTBD Newsletter - May

Happy spring everyone! Here is the latest from Double Take Bellydance:

Performance Opportunities!

This summer holds two performance opportunities in July, and we want you to be a part of it. YES YOU!!  Students of all levels are invited to join in the fun.  And for one event, even your friends and family can get involved!  If you are interested in participating, contact Shay immediately to receive information on rehearsals, costuming, and other details.
Med Fest - July 16 or 17 (day/time TBA)
ALL LEVELS
Join Nomaditude on stage at the Mediterranean Fantasy Festival (Med Fest)--Seattle's longest running celebration of bellydance!  All day shopping, schmoozing, and performances on two stages.
Greenwood Seafair Parade - July 27th, 6pm
ALL LEVELS + PARADE PALS
Everyone is invited to take part in a performance with Nomaditude in the Greenwood Seafair Parade, even your non-dance friends and family!   This is a completely playful, exhilarating opportunity to get dressed up and spread the joy in this annual tradition.

Theater skills in dance

Over on Shira's Tribe there is a spin-off discussion on what theater skills we think bellydancers could benefit from knowing. As an amateur actor all my life, and a theater major at the University of Washington, and community theater participant for many years, I definitely retain many of my skills (and expectations) that were nurtured in the theater. I try to pass those on to my students throughout their class and performance experiences, but sometimes I feel like we need a whole class dedicated to theater skills, and a big stage production to show them how it all fits together! There is a lot to be learned there for our dance world...

As for what dancers need to know that theater people know...can I say EVERYTHING?! The short list I shared with the tribe (with a few additions) follows.

Nervousness when leading improv? Glam it up!

Here is a question from a student regarding how to feel more confident in the lead. Letty always asks really great questions, and she agreed to let me share this one, and my answer, with you all!

I find myself getting rather nervous/anxious at the prospect of leading. Often, this translates into me forgetting moves other than the ones I really know well (like basic Egyptian, hip bump, and Arabic) when I get into a lead position. Sometimes, I even forget the move we've been focusing on just a few minutes before! Do you have any suggestions or advice for dealing with the anxiety that comes with leading?
-Letty


Hey Letty,

Right off the bat, let's get one thing clear: EVERYBODY gets nervous and anxious at one time or another! So you're not alone at all. :) The good news is, in class is the time to make mistakes and feel stuck, and is also the time to work through those moments and be supported by your fellow dancers who know exactly what you are going through! So give yourself permission to be forgetful, feel stuck, and struggle whenever and however as a student. That is what class is about, that is what learning is about. Enjoy the process!

Performance makeup

Applying dance makeup is part necessity, and part ritual. The necessity is in making sure that our entire look is effective for performance--the expression in our eyes can be seen, the balance of our colorful costume with our hair and makeup is considered, etc. But while there are practical concerns with makeup, there is an emotional component as well. The act of getting "made up" is part of putting ourselves "into character", if you will. Even if we feel we are entirely ourselves in performance, there is still a different aspect of You that must be drawn out for stage that is different from the everyday grocery-shopping-laundry-doing You, right? Putting on our makeup, and of course costume, is a way to step out of who we are all the time to become the polished performer we wish to present to our audience.

Good performance makeup takes practice! Just like we don't just go through the motions of dancing, but instead build our skills through regular study and rehearsal, good makeup also takes repetition and experimentation to build our confidence and skill. Performers trained in other forms of dance and theater learn this from very early on, but sometimes we bellydancers seem a little behind the curve in understanding the need for strong makeup to create a more powerful performance.

To be fair, we bellydancers tend to be in a unique position when it comes to make-up: we have to have a lot of different looks because our performances are done in so many different venues! One week you will be up close in a dark restaurant, next week you will be outdoors in a sunny festival, the next dancing in a living room for a birthday party, and the next your are on a big stage with full stage lighting. And each requires different considerations when it comes to what we do with our makeup to give the most KAPOW! to our face! For today, let's consider stage makeup techniques, since much of these elements can be built up or toned down for various venues; but the individual elements are still key components to any performer's makeup repertoire.

Make it impossible to say "no"...

I tried to link this directly, but for some reason the link was completely jacked and wouldn't show me the essay on its own. I didn't want to link you just to the blog and then make you scroll to look for the article in question, so I have posted it here in its entirety. But please stop by the original poster's blog at http://tipsfromthehip.blogspot.com/ and express your appreciation if you like the essay.

In the article below, really like the idea of framing new ideas in such a way that it is not a black and white "fail/succeed". As a teacher, my instincts are often to give my students all these up-front provisos and caveats and warnings when they are trying something new, to try and help them understand that it may be difficult and to encourage them to not to be frustrated by the attempt should they not "get it" right away. But really, aren't I just setting up an expectation for frustration or failure by planting that seed at the outset? Would it be better to practice the "Daughers of Rhea Way", and simply say "try it"? Read on and let me know what you think...

Teacher loyalty...

To All Students,
Regarding "Loyalty" to Your Teacher
By Amanda Niehaus
with a few edits by me personally
(originally posted at Shira.net which is a fantastic resource for all things bellydance. Check it out!)

Dear students of this beautiful art form,

I am a teacher. I teach because I am passionate about this dance and I want others to share my passion.

I am not teaching because I require a fan club.
I am not teaching because I require devotees or because I need hero worship.

As your teacher, my job is to teach you; to inspire you to be your best. If I am a really good teacher, then I also will not be your only teacher. I will encourage you to study with other teachers who have skills and experience I lack. Because I am not the end-all, be-all of bellydance knowledge.