Thread: Check list for class progression?

If you were making up a check list of technical abilities that a student should have to move from one class to the next - what would be on it ?

1. Beginners
2. Beginners 2
3. Intermediate
4. Advance

This is a spin off from another thread I saw somewhere.

Caroline,.

oh I hope you get an answer, I would like an idea of where I place myself!

So much depends on what you class as beginner/intermediate/etc.

In our school, our level one course is an absolute beginner one, eight to ten weeks, and *most* students will go through to level 2 on their first try unless they are quite uncoordinated or have physical issues. They need to be able to do a shoulder shimmy, hip rock, washing machine (that's a flat footed twist), hip slide, horizontal figure eight forward and back, hip thrust in three positions (fwd, middle, back), hip drop (same), big hip circle, Arabic one step, fishpond hands and hip shimmy and hmm, I think that's it. They don't have to be technically superb - especially not with the big hip circle, which in our school is horizontal and not straight-legged, ie hard - but they need to be able to demonstrate that they've got the main idea of the moves and the ability to hold posture at least most of the time. It's not all they learn but it's what we test on.

Level 2 expands upon this base movement vocabulary - walking with, turning with - introduces pelvic drops and ummis and some veil moves and combinations, and some new arm work. They learn and perform their first choreography and make their first costumes. Most people are quite happy to stay at level 2. The ones who go into L3 make a fairly big technical jump and will usually have performed at least two class choreographies at L2. We introduce all vertical eights, 3/4 shimmies up and down and with variations, duck with variations, full body undulations up down sideways, etc etc, at this level. There's a lot of body work and footwork at this level. Oh, and zills.

I'm working on mine -- have been for ages -- I get frustrated with it.

But Linny, each teachers' list will only apply to THAT particular studio, it can't be used to place yourself generically. A teacher's levels system will most likely reflect the teachers' experience and goals more than the students! The longer you teach, the more advanced your student base becomes. OTOH, teachers with full-time 'real' jobs and active dance careers will offer fewer levels because they just don't have the time.

Anyway, this is a work in progress and not complete by a long shot, but I'll share my notes so far.
************************************************** *****
Level Goals & sessions:

Level 1
Basic posture
Simple isolations:
Shoulder articulations
Ribcage: slide, lift, forward, circle, undulate
Hips: lifts, tuck, horizontal 8s, shimmy, introduce omis & undulation, large & small circles
Arms: Basic positions, simple veilwork, beginning snake arms
Other: Undulation up and down
Traveling Steps: Hip circle walk, step-ball-change, samiha
Turns: 3-step turn
Rhythms
Props: Veil
Styles:pop, drum solo, simple veil choreo

Level 2
Posture: ribs forward, body line long, shoulders relaxed,
Shoulder shimmies
Ribcage: Smooth circles, half circles, switching directions, arms still
Hips: Slides, vertical 8s & Mayas, pelvic undulation, drops, drops w/kick, stylized big hip circles, weighted & unweighted hips
Arms: Basic positions, isolated from other movements, graceful transitions, classic hands, continue snake arms, incorporate arm movements with travel
Head: incorporate head into body line, look in direction of travel, etc.
Traveling Steps: walk w/figure 8, camel, Basic Egyptian,
Turns: Pivots, paddle
Rhythms
Props: Veil, zills, cane
Styles: Saidi, Amcab, Egyptian


Level 3
Posture: maintain during transitions, upper arms away from body
Shoulder shimmies layered; ‘zipper shimmy
Ribcage: clean isolations in all directions, smooth or sharp, arms still
Hips: Layering shimmy over slides, undulations, circles, ooey gooey, more big hip circles, jewel (Egyptian hips)
Arms: clean with energy to fingertips in basic positions, powerful, graceful snake arms, arms controlled during torso and ribcage movements.
Traveling Steps
Turns: spot during turns
Rhythms:
Props: Advanced veilwork, sword
Styles: Tribal, Turkish Romani, American, Egyptian Baladi and Raks Sharki



Level 4
Posture: Increase openness of chest, strength of upper back. Discover various poses to work in
Shoulder shimmies: Layered, isolated, with quiet arms
Ribcage: Moving ribs in opposition to hips (jewel, maya, etc.)

(that's as far as I got with my notes, level 4 isn't a priority for me since it's not a prerequisite)

THanks Lauren for such an extensive list! My syllabus looks very similar with the exception of the addition of rhythms, instruments, muscle awareness & basic anatomy.
Level 1:
Introduce the idea of the doubek and that there are various rhythms in the dance form.
Muscle awareness, how they work, why its important to warm up/cool down.
Basic location of large muscle groups in cobination with what movements they make.
Level 2:
Explain one basic rhyth (Baladi or Masmoudi). Possible combos/catches on the accents of the rythm.
More muscle awareness, other areas, arms shoulders etc.
Level 3:
Zill playing on basci rythms explained in L2. Explaination of further rhytms.
Introduciton to other instruments.
Level 4:
Advanced Rhythms and zills using fillers etc.
Major instrument identification.
COmplete muscle and body awareness.

Most of the time I will take 1 -2 calsses in each session just to go over a rhythm. I will also assign my L3 classes an instrument per person and have them do a report. Then I will make copies hand them to the rest of the calss and pop-quiz them later using a matching quiz.
You can build on this by asking each person to bring a movement to class that goes with thier instrument.

I have 3 levels of classes as well so it was hard to break these down further. :-)

*Slight tangent alert*

Am I the only teacher who puts zills on their fingers during their first session?

This is new for me - this is only my second beginner session where I've taught finger cymbals, but I was so impressed with the way the first batch of students caught on that I felt it was a good way to go. Also, I drill with finger cymbals in my mixed-level drop-in class, so I realized that if I want to retain students coming into that class from the Beginner session, they were going to need to know the basics.

Last night was my current crop of newbies' first night with cymbals. By the end of class they were walking in a circle doing the Egyptian walk and playing triples full speed, half-time with the music.

/tangent

Oooh, I need to add the rhythms to my list!

I introduce Saiidi, Maksoum & Chiftitelli in level 2. (chifti because it's nice and slow for finger cymbal practice)

In level 3 I go over those again, add more finger cymbals and add Masmoudi (both), Karsilama (for our Turkish Romani number).

In level 4 I add the 2-beat rhythms (ayoub, malfouf) and review further and we begin to improv with zill patterns.

Originally Posted by tamrahennatx

Am I the only teacher who puts zills on their fingers during their first session?

Nope. That is how I was taught, and that is also how I teach.

TH I also introduce my L1 to zills as well. They put them on and clang them around while walking and doing some basic moves! ;-)

Originally Posted by tamrahennatx

*Slight tangent alert*

Am I the only teacher who puts zills on their fingers during their first session?

/tangent

My instructor also put zills on us the first day. I still suck at them tho. Good idea to get use to them early since it is almost expected that you know how to play them.

Originally Posted by Lauren_

I'm working on mine -- have been for ages -- I get frustrated with it.

But Linny, each teachers' list will only apply to THAT particular studio, it can't be used to place yourself generically. A teacher's levels system will most likely reflect the teachers' experience and goals more than the students! The longer you teach, the more advanced your student base becomes. OTOH, teachers with full-time 'real' jobs and active dance careers will offer fewer levels because they just don't have the time.

Oh, I understand that. I just meant that I could at least take a look at the general consensus on some things and get a feel for where I am at. My instructor doesn't have levels at all so there are times I just think to myself where am I?

And I like the way you have your levels separated. I would love to learn some of the things that you have integrated into your classes like rhythm's and some of the props.

Originally Posted by Linnyg

My instructor doesn't have levels at all so there are times I just think to myself where am I?

Oh, boy, I understand that! My first year or two I was in a class with no levels at all, dancing alongside total beginners where I soon began to outshine everyone and thought I was Hot Stuff with Real Talent. Then suddenly I was in the troupe! And I had never really thought about my arms while moving my hips before, or learned choreography. Yikes! took me years to recover from the massive ego blow -- and my poor troupe leaders and teachers, trying to bring me up to speed without embarrassing me, when it was so obvious I didn't really belong there.

It's really hard to gauge yourself in a mixed level class.

Lauren's quickie guidelines for Generic Placement:

You're intermediate if
- you can manage traveling shimmies with your upper body staying calm & relaxed.
- Your arms rarely, or never, look like chicken wings or goal posts
- You can do all manner of circles, slides, lifts, drops, and figure 8s smoothly with your ribcage and your hips
- You can recognize at least two or three different rhythms and dance styles when you see them (tribal, AmCab, Saidi, Beledi, Raks Sharki, Romani, etc)

You're advanced if:
- You can layer shimmies over other movements and vary your shimmies to interpret the music accurately
- You can travel gracefully around the stage with a variety of steps and turns
- Your arms are nearly always graceful, strong and flowing when you dance
- Your posture remains open and lifted nearly all the time while you dance
- You can recognize most rhythms (and musical styles) and most styles of bellydance and related folk dances and know a bit about each one.


* I reserve the right to revise this list later, as I just made it up on the fly and it probably deserves more attention. Suggestions for revisions are more than welcome!

My current list for skill level guidelines is available here: http://www.mahsati-janan.com/Article...Guidelines.pdf

Hope it helps :) always fun to see how each teacher arranges their class levels :)

Originally Posted by tamrahennatx

Am I the only teacher who puts zills on their fingers during their first session?

I don't teach cymbals from day one, but I do introduce them at what I consider a "beginner 2" level. At this level, they should know how to do some very basic stuff, so they can focus on the cymbals rather than the movement.

All I know is that had I taken classes and been required to play finger cymbals while at the same time trying to remember left from right with my feet, I wouldn't have lasted long -- the frustration would have been unbearable!

Deborah

I'm experimenting with "Boot Camps" following each introductory class.

Begininng 1 -- introduce the basic movements. (6 weeks)
Boot Camp 1 -- drill the basic movements in simple combinations and to different rhythms. (6-week sessions, repeatable until ready for Beginning 2)

Beginning 2 -- introduce a few more movements (6-weeks)
Boot Camp 2 - drill those movements with diff rhythms.

etc.


Part of my problem with having "levels" is that too many students think they can jump directly from Beginning one to Beginning two -- without any practice at home. I have eager beavers who want to learn "all the moves" and then practice them later, at home. That's not kosher with my teaching philosophy, so if I can keep them in the Boot Camps until they are actually DOING the movements with good strong technique, THEN they can advance.

My theory is this: Some of the great Egyptian dancers from way back didn't have a very large movement vocabulary. One thing I've always felt about belly dance is that you can really do a lot of self-expression and musical expression with just a small amount of movements. I want to get the students to do the basic movements correctly and feel comfortable doing so. Once they have "mastered" (so to speak) a few basic movements, we can build on that.

I feel like my students are ready for the next level when they can either choreograph a short piece on their own -- using the movements they learned at that level -- or prepare an improvisational dance based on the movements learned in that level. This seems to be working for us.

Interesting thread...

Nobody has mentioned whether they teach moves executed primarily on flat feet, on toes (releve - can't the accent thingy to work), or both, or when they switch between the two...could someone chime in on that?

Originally Posted by aziyade

I feel like my students are ready for the next level when they can either choreograph a short piece on their own -- using the movements they learned at that level -- or prepare an improvisational dance based on the movements learned in that level. This seems to be working for us.

WOW. What a great concept. I'm going to mull this over for a while. I don't think I'd want to do this with my level 1 students, but it *could* work very well for my other levels!! Mindblowing.

So, do they have to perform it, like a solo, in front of the group? Does that scare them off? What if they put something together and don't execute it well? Then is it like 'auditioning,' really, for the next level?

Originally Posted by deelybopper

Interesting thread...

Nobody has mentioned whether they teach moves executed primarily on flat feet, on toes (releve - can't the accent thingy to work), or both, or when they switch between the two...could someone chime in on that?

What a great question! I've never really thought about it, and I should. I do have a spiel about the position of the feet & finding comfort and stability in relevé, so I know I teach it, but I can't remember which choreography that lesson is 'embedded' in at the moment. I should formalize it, though, and make it part of the drilling at whatever-level that is.

I do introduce traveling steps both flatfooted and on relevé right from level one when I feel like a significant portion of the group can handle the extra info, but at that level I let them choose whichever is more comfortable.

Originally Posted by deelybopper

Interesting thread...

Nobody has mentioned whether they teach moves executed primarily on flat feet, on toes (releve - can't the accent thingy to work), or both, or when they switch between the two...could someone chime in on that?

I teach both - usually beginning with flat feet to encourage work on extension and then transitioning to the option to be on releve. For me, it is a requirement to be able to do both for class, but a personal choice as to which a dancer performs on their own.

I teach group improv, and just finished a series of comprehensive workshops for my students. We had done some format changes in the past year, switching a fair amount of our basic vocabulary to ATS based, and I wanted to give them a chance to study it all at once and get a list of their new vocabulary. While I did, I decided to also write up less-obvious level expectations. It's long, so I will have to split it into a couple mails:

Level 1 Comprehensive Workshop

Goals of a Level 1 Dancer:
~ have FUN! Smile and laugh often!
~ get "into" your body and in touch with new muscles and ways of moving
~ attain greater grace, strength, and physical control
~ understand that your personal development will be in your own time in your own way - never compare yourself to others, only to how you are progressing each day, week, or year
~ learn to isolate and smoothly execute foundation movements
~ begin to refine transitions, advancing from individual movements to "dancing"
~ develop a "tribal mind" - to be able to organize and access individual movement information
~ connect with other dancers and together create an environment of joy and safety
~ learn that dance is a journey of many challenging and rewarding steps, not a goal to be chased
~ ask questions as they come up, and did I mention "Have fun!"

Level 1 Vocabulary:

Fast
Egyptian
- 1/2 turn
Arabic
Hip Bumps
- arms 1&2
- reverse
Shimmies
- 1/2 time
Slow
Arms and Hands
- position and movement
- arm undulations/snake arms
- floreos
Up Figure 8/Taqsim)
- levels
Body Wave
- accent
Ribcage
Torso Twist/Rotation
Down Figure 8/Maya)
Concepts
Posture
Cues & Transitions
Leader changes
Duets, Trios

Goals of a Level 2 Dancer
In addition to Level 1 goals, a Level 2 dancer strives to...
~ keep having fun! Never take yourself or the dance too seriously. It should always be a source of joy first and foremost.
~ further develop grace, strength, physical control, and increase endurance
~ refine foundations through continued classes and study in Level 1 material
~ develop greater confidence in leading and following
~ integrate new Level 2 concepts with courage and patience with yourself as you learn new things. Sometimes going up a level feels like "starting all over again"; but accept this challenge with an open mind and you will grow exponentially in your dance
~ learn to hear the music and respond to the phrasing and emotional pulse through appropriate movement and staging choices
~ learn to really "see" your fellow dancers and connect in the moment--be fully present both physically and mentally, and learn to share in that with your fellow dancers
~ develop deeper connections with your fellow dancers through mutual kindness and encouragement
~ understand that determination, humility, enthusiasm, and patience are the hallmarks of a strong student, and we are all of us students throughout all our lives. Never rush the journey.

Also important, a committed Level 2 dancer should consider the following...
~ develop a home practice, with as much discipline and regularity as you feel capable of
~ start a dance journal with class notes, thoughts, ideas, etc. If you have never done one before, ask your teacher for ideas on how to begin.
~ explore the history of the dance, past and present. The internet is an amazing tool--use it! Your teacher is also a great resource, so ask questions when they arise for you.
~ explore other styles of dance, through classes, workshops, and online research such as YouTube (but a strong tribal dancer must keep their movement within the format pure - a unique challenge!)
~ become more actively involved in the dance community through attending workshops and shows
~ understand that confidence paired with simplicity is a powerful combination in a dance and in a dancer. You don't have to do crazy tricks or intricate movements to have an impact. Less truly is more.


Level 2 Vocabulary

Fast
Turkish Shimmy
- 1/4 and reverse turn
Box Combo
Hip Bump w/ arc arms
Double Back
- half-hip circle
Arabic Hip Twist
- 1/4 turn
- flourish
Single Bump
- 1/2 turns
Double Bump
Arabic Chest Drop
- 1/2 turn
Ghawazee/Up Shimmy Combo
(1/4 then 1/2)
Shoulder Shimmies
- levels
Mirror Arabic*
Lope *
Shimmy Hip Hop
- 1/4 turns
Arabic Shimmy
Arabic Arm Sweep Combo*
Arabic Full Turn*
Double Egyptian
- turning

Slow
Walking Taqsim
Walking Body Wave
Reverse Turn
Head Slides
Egyptian Taqsim
Camel
Propeller Turn
Corkscrew Turn
Chorus (from ends, from center, scatter, open, circle) *
*Can sometimes work in slow.


Zills - Triples, Military, Beladi
Quads & Fades
Dancing transitions (Hip Bump Combo, Arabic Arm Sweep, Arabic Hip Twist, etc)

Originally Posted by deelybopper

Interesting thread...

Nobody has mentioned whether they teach moves executed primarily on flat feet, on toes (releve - can't the accent thingy to work), or both, or when they switch between the two...could someone chime in on that?

For me, everything in L1 is flat footed (and there's not really even a great deal of travelling happening, it really is a "basic moves" course). L2 introduces some demi work and there's a lot more of it at L3.

I think the difficulty with oriental dance is that while the vocab is technically limited, it's also limitless. So, yeah, when, for argument's sake, I look at Lauren's lists of generic placement guidelines, for many of those I am thinking "to what extent" and "which ones".

*Can I layer shimmies over other movements? Yes, on some. Not all. Some much better than others. Can I vary them, yes. Not to the extent I'd like.
*Can I travel with a shimmy, well, which one are you talking about? I can do anything, pretty much, with a 3/4 down. I can do an isolated 3/4 shimmy across the room with about as much effort as walking down the street. Can I walk on a similarly fine 4/4 shimmy, well not very well, no.
*Arms, posture, etc, yeah, apparently they're reasonably OK.
*Complex footwork, I can learn it, but I'm not someone who can pull it out without thinking unless I know the combination very well, and I'm not the fastest person in a workshop to internalise travelling combinations. Spinning, I'm not brilliant. Barrel turns, let's not. (I can do them but not well.)
*Rhythm/style/etc recognition: by NZ standards I'm pretty good, but you know, we only found out what samai was about four years ago in my neck of the woods. Say seven or eight years ago, I remember dancing in a MEDANZ show in my town, and one of the out of town dancers was entranced by something we did that she had never seen before, which was a 3/4 shimmy. A lot depends on the norms of where you are.

(continued)

I have a theory about zills. I think dancers used to start with zills right away because they were being trained with professional performance in mind. Obviously you had to play zills in the clubs, ergo you started with the zills on so you could use them. People who come from this background, and the people they trained, still do it. When BD got reworked outside the ME into a "fitness for all" kind of deal, zills were not as necessary, so they became more of an intermediate/advanced skill that you didn't *have* to be able to do unless you planned on going pro.

I personally believe zills are introduced as late as they are in my school because my teacher felt she was not particularly good with them, and, recognising her own challenges, held them off till people were more able. Similarly, full body undulations come in later because of the greater need for upper body flexibility and automatic core engagement. They're riskier moves for most people. Whereas hip drop with a foot release is OK for us at level 2, and in fact hip drops are taught at L1, whereas - again, using Lauren's list as an example - Lauren holds off on them till later. (Mind you, I teach those using the supporting leg as a driver, whereas the straight-leg one that a lot of dancers seem to use, especially Egyptians, is IMO less safe.)

Originally Posted by deelybopper

Interesting thread...

Nobody has mentioned whether they teach moves executed primarily on flat feet, on toes (releve - can't the accent thingy to work), or both, or when they switch between the two...could someone chime in on that?

I incorporate classical training techniques from the first intro session and it remains a regular part of my warm up. We do lots of exercises for nice strong feet working up on the ball, but, it takes time to build it, and they need good over all good posture for balance and that takes time too.

So depending on students proficiency, I introduce it in my first lot of 8 weeks and they are playing with it by the 2nd session and by the 3rd using it in a choreo. If a student can't get all the way up, or at least to a point where the weight is bearing straight down into the ball (as opposed to through the arch) then they stay on flat.

I also teach as a contractor. So I will come in to a studio and teach say an intermediate level session and the students may not have the training to properly dance on the ball, so in general I will teach movements primarily on a flat foot and add the lift as a variation. I would expect an advanced class to at least have the foot strength to dance on the ball even if the students don't use it alot.

When we talk about 'building strength' in, say, the ball of the foot or the core body to prepare for certain moves ---

Does anyone else get frustrated with the impossibility of 'building strength' when you're only working with people once a week and probably can't spend more than 10 minutes on any certain body part in class???????

There are things I barely touch on in class -- like floorwork -- because it could be harmful even to my level 4s. And they're not interested in 'homework' much.

Similarly, I've got a few level 4 students who've been dancing for years who really can't execute a traveling shimmy smoothly. And they never will because they only practice it for those few minutes once a week!

This is why I'm developing my checklist further, so when people are ready to move up I can go over their areas of weakness and send them back to work on things.

Originally Posted by zumarrad

So, yeah, when, for argument's sake, I look at Lauren's lists of generic placement guidelines, for many of those I am thinking "to what extent" and "which ones".

Well, I didn't mean 'perfectly' and 'all of them.' I kind of meant 'acceptably' and 'any'

I'm sure even among the top Cairo dancers there are those who can do barrel turns and those who prefer to use a different kind, those who have a lovely shimmy-over-reverse-undulation and those who have a nice 'shimmy-over-figure-8'.


We'll just call that 'specialization.' As in "I personally don't specialize in barrel turns." ..l;,

Originally Posted by deelybopper

Interesting thread...

Nobody has mentioned whether they teach moves executed primarily on flat feet, on toes (releve - can't the accent thingy to work), or both, or when they switch between the two...could someone chime in on that?

For the most part, I'm teaching flat-footed - partially because I'm enjoying working mostly flat-footed these days, and partially because I'm finding that I have to teach my beginners not to use their feet inappropriately to power some moves. I work a bit more on releve in my mixed-level class, which is right now the closest I have to an intermediate.

Question: How can you do a Tunisian flat footed.

And THTX - I was taught zills from the first class I took. But my teacher was trained by Aisha Ali and did her Masters Degree field work in Turkey. She also lived among the Rom. I think I'll contact her about teaching privates every time I am back in LA over the next years. . .

{{{HUGS}}}}

How can you do a Tunisian flat footed.

Assuming we're talking the same move, you can if your front foot is flat and your back one is on the ball. I guess if you had more flexible calves than I, you could technically do it entirely flatfooted. But yes, this is most definitely a demi-pointe move.
ETA: You know what? I was sure I could do it flat and I was teaching it the other night and yes, you can. Completely flat. It's a touch ungainly and not as fast but it can be done. I often start people off doing the movement on flat feet so they understand how the hips and feet work together, before taking it up.

That's another thing: degree of deminess. Do any of you teach variations - half demi, full demi? One teacher I know does. It took me a while to click that my default high demi is great in a lot of settings, but for some movements the one where you've just got your heel off the ground is better. For those movements, when teaching them, I do talk about degree of demipointe. I do also tell my students that they aren't obliged to go as high as me since it's not comfortable for everyone and in my experience Egyptian dancers don't, although it is more stable for spinning.