Thread: I swear I have forgotten everything I learned!!!

I havent been going to class because we broke for summer but my teacher has a studio on a different day which we could all go to for lessons to keep it up over the summer. I didnt end up going to any because I had a virus, then I had a skint week, then I was in Mexico. Now Im back and I swear I have forgotten everything!!! Im now going to sit and watch bellydance dvds all afternoon. I have only just got up I was so jet lagged and didnt sleep for 2 days haha.

They say that over the summer kids loose 30% of what they learn during the school year. I'm sure it's the same for dancers! But it will come back to you as soon as you get to class. I see it every year with my students who take the summer off. They take a few classes to get back into things.

It's called a brain dump.

That's why I'm never stopping!!! I make sure I'm taking at least 2 dance classes a week!

My classes have broken for summer, but I am doing a workshop every sunday while they are off (2 with my teacher, one with Sam Hasthorpe). Doesn't feel like enough though, I'm still doing a DVD most days, although I have been slack this week because I have a dodgy hip :(

Well I carry on teaching with a small group of die hards through the summer so there is no reason for anyone to do without.
I also practise with the tribal troupe once a week..this week it's twice.
mmmm maybe I need a holiday but then there's a show to put on in late Autumn and 2 more to practise for.
A summer rest .....Haa!!!!

i know i have really wanted to make the monday night but for lots of reasons like having a virus for a week which went across both mondays, then i was skitn the next then i went away for 2 weeks and last night it was my dads birthday :( Mondays never work out for me...guess thats why they are called manic mondays!!

I take three classes a week now (for the past six months) - before that it was two times. all non-stop every week for three years. love it.

Well I carry on teaching with a small group of die hards through the summer so there is no reason for anyone to do without.

This is what my lot do too. Currently about 6 hardcore members still going. Having said this, I have regular 'blank outs' even when I'm learning continuously. I completely forgot how to do camels about 18 months ago and had to re-learn - just couldn't seem to do them any more. I also struggle when my teacher's way of doing a move and that of a teacher in a workshop are completely opposite to each other - doesn't happen often but when it does, my brain melts.

As time goes by you will find that you get back into things more quickly after each break.

Khadiya, this does seem to happen in belly dance because we have only a few "governing bodies" and these are recognised as speaking the gospel according to...themselves . One teacher's perception and /or way of breaking down a move may be different. The beauty and the down side of this dance is that dancers have different takes on moves and this may be based in style and there may not necessarily be a right or wrong. What is important is safety and some kind of structure and deference to culture.Learn something from a Turkish style dancer and it will look very different from an Egyptian style teacher. A teacher who learnt a move 30 years ago may look very different to one who has been studying and dancing in Cairo in 2008.
As for camels, I took a long time to be able to break it down to component parts and my teachers may have learnt to do that differently themselves and I was confused for a long time.
I would try to hang on to what your weekly teacher is doing rather than a one-off workshop. If she's your regular teacher then you obviously like going to her.

I'll never forget years ago going to a hafla run by a very well known and successful Manchester teacher and after watching her dance a woman sidled up to me and said "Hmmm Soraya wouldn't like that", sniffed and went off. At that time I didn't know about the RSS and their gospel.

I'll never forget years ago going to a hafla run by a very well known and successful Manchester teacher and after watching her dance a woman sidled up to me and said "Hmmm Soraya wouldn't like that", sniffed and went off. At that time I didn't know about the RSS and their gospel.

Ah, I went through this in my first year of dancing. Went to an RSS summer school after 6 months of learning and very nearly gave up. They kept getting upset that I had been taught by someone from 'Up North', among other things.

Generally, I take all the 'different ways of doing things' in with interest and I completely agree that often it is to do with a teacher's background being in another style and in this case it is excellent to get that alternative perspective on presentation, execution and interpretation.

It can sometimes be a tad demoralizing when its a straight-up 'x does it this way but y does it that way' situation because as a student you have to very quickly unlearn what you 'know' in order to 'get it right' for just one workshop/individual. Still, its all grist to the mill.

The camels thing was super weird. It happened when I was very, very unhappy and suddenly I couldn't make it work for me. I figured out later that I was so tense that it was making my whole body really rigid and no matter how I tried I couldn't get my muscles to co-operate. As soon as I was feeling a bit better I was able to re-learn.

Fatinah,

Just a little suggestion for the future: write down any significant moves that you'd like to practice at home. If you're already doing it, great. If not, grab a dance notebook and take it to class next time. Think of it as homework.



I write down the new moves and practice at home asap. Repeat them until they're ingrained in your muscle memory. Add a little of your own flavor to the move. This way when you return to class, you only have to tweak your technique. Also, jot down any tips your instructor offers. I wouldn't hound her after class to repeat everything, though sometimes I'm tempted to do so... I seem to forget most of what I learned the very hour after class. Eeek. Terrible memory. So writing things down helps me a lot.

Good luck! Keep practicing. It will become second nature soon.

yeah i keep a little book with moves im working on...like a diary i guess.