Thread: Things teachers have said that stuck with you

As you look back on weekly classes and workshops you have taken, were there any particularly pithy bits of advance that the instructor said that have really stayed with you? Things that you have kept in mind as you continued your dance journey?

Here are some that have stayed with me:

Bert Balladine: "When a good dancer first enters the stage, the first thing she does is walk in a large circle. If she's a REALLY good dancer, she does it twice."

Bert Balladine: "When your arm gesture and body go in the same direction [he demonstrates the arm lowering as the body leans forward] you come across as humble. When your arm gesture and your bodey go in opposing directions [he demonstrates the same arm-lowering gesture as the body moves into a more lifted, erect position] you come across as proud."

The late Mimi Spencer (a musician whom I admired for her beautiful kanoun playing): "I always hate it when I'm playing for a dancer and she brings out a sword. That's because she doesn't pay attention at all to the music. She has her shtick and does it regardless of what I'm playing. I could be playing a soulful taqsim that I'm putting my heart into, and she just runs through her various balancing tricks."


So, what tidbits from instructors (they don't have to be famous instructors) have stuck with you?

I wanted to know what the secret for my teachers youthful appearance was, so I asked and she said, "Well keep on dancing and it will keep you young" ~Aziza Nawal
Not dance advice per say, but advice for the soul.

Paul Latta: "An audience spends 90% of the time looking at your face. Your eyes will express more of your dance than the rest of your body. Use your eyes."

Sabura: (about doing a drum solo) "...visualize the rhythm as a shape, then use a part of your body to draw that shape".

Horatio Cifuentes: (while sitting on the edge of the stage, head in his hands in despair) "...no, no, no, no, no, no. *sigh*."

Rania of NY: "Breathe!!" ....and everything else she ever said.

'be present and in the moment'-janette brenner

'Tits over toes' - Nourhan Sharif
'Make sure you're not shaking your can to the call to prayer' - Morocco
'Be proud, and take your space' - Tarik Sultan, referencing proper arm positions

Along the lines of what emtink posted...

Bert Balladine: "Once you start dancing, focus on dancing. Don't think about things like wondering if you left the oven on."

Originally Posted by *Shira*

Along the lines of what emtink posted...

Bert Balladine: "Once you start dancing, focus on dancing. Don't think about things like wondering if you left the oven on."

lol, have seen that expression on a few dancers faces!

One more thing she said that echoes occasionally is "Its not important to have every single move you know shoved somewhere in your choreography. Whats important is how your movements are felt with the music."

Listen to the music. It will tell you what to do - Denise Enan

Dance to music you love - Habeeba
If you are stuck and can't think of something to do, turn around. It will look different for the audience and give you time to think - Dre

Hadia:
"Take off your lid" (in reference to getting me to use my head and ribcage more)
"Chin up"
"Stop dancing with your head and use your heart. LISTEN to the music. It will tell you what to do."
"Get out of your comfort zone" (ie taking more risks regarding technique I'm capable of, but am too nervous to risk doing on stage)
"Arms UP!"
"Just because you can - doesn't mean you should"
"Less is more"


Denise Enan:
"I'm not sure what I'm doing. I just created it on the spot" (she did break it down, but this helped give me license to create my own new moves)

Whatever move you do, do it with purpose - Nadira of Seattle, who has also taught me that each dancer needs to find her own style. Don't try to mimic someone else; just be you.

So many of them have said to FEEL the music, then you can dance WITH it and not TO it.

"You dance the spirit. We have different religions and beliefs, but you and I are exactly the same." Prof. Hassan Khalil, ISOC, Cairo: hassan-khalil.org

"Turn the feet con amore." Anthea Morgan, Kingston, Ontario, 7 yrs. corps de ballet with The National Ballet of Canada.

"It always happens when you're away." Yasmina Ramzy, Artistic Director of Arabesque Dance Company, Toronto: arabesquedance.ca



Khalida

Originally Posted by Shirin.

I wanted to know what the secret for my teachers youthful appearance was, so I asked and she said, "Well keep on dancing and it will keep you young" ~Aziza Nawal
Not dance advice per say, but advice for the soul.

I've always believed that! All my dance teachers have looked younger than their actual years.

Dr Mo: "God gave you all this beautiful *gesticulates to centre of body*, why do you want to cover it up?" (on framing the body with your arms, not obscuring it).

Gendi: "LIFT YOUR PELVIS." One for the ages.
Gendi: "Where's your neck?" (on keeping my shoulders down)

"If it don't look good on you, don't do it." - Jim Boz
"Move with purpose and intent." Aziza of Montreal

"A dancer's best friend is her safety pin." Fairuz

"Take out that chewing gum." Layali Römer
"Ellbows up!" Layali Römer, Barbara Dejung (and some others)

"Just you practice, automatically will come" Sri Udupi Laxminayaran

MEISSOUN

Vashti of Dallas on learning choreography: you only have two feet, right? If one doesn't feel right it must be the other.

Farida Fahmy: forget "isolation". Don't jerk your body; let one part move another.

Well...I've had a few teachers who said things that really struck me...but unfortunately the one thing that I remember over and over was ignorant advice. My first teacher (who I don't think is teaching any more) was a 6 month wonder with a lot of odd information....

So now, whenever I am in a workshop where the structure of taxsims and how to move to them are discussed...I get a HUGE grin on my face...because I hear my first teacher telling the class that the point of a taxsim is to see if you can shimmy the whole time, and if you can the Egyptians will love you. I smile, because I knew enough to escape to a world of teachers who know better.

I last had that huge smile in a Karim Nagi workshop here...I am soooo glad he probably just assumed the smile was about him...which it mostly was...and didn't ask.

Moh (of Moh and Moh) (in thick Syrian accent): said when I really was just panicking to try to remember the choreography and not thinking of expressing any sensuality.
"Very technique good but where is sexy?"

The queen curtsies, she doesn't bow--a friend of mine (not sure where she got it). She's not referring to bowing for applause, she's talking about maintaining your posture and presence, and remaining high and lifted.

"Don't dance like me - be you!" - Lotus Niraja

"This is a po-po dance!" - Leila Haddad

From Roxanne (on poorly executed fusion) "Sh*t fused with sh*t is still sh*t".
From Artemis Mourat (on the importance of innovation and fusion) "If we didn't change and grow with music and dance we'd still be banging rocks together in caves."
From Atef Hassan "FLIRT! Flirt more with eyes."
From Seido Salifoski (while watching Bollywood together) "American girls think to be sexy they have to shake their tits in someones face. All they have to do is stand there and raise their eyebrow."
From Yasmin "Come up with the same sexuality you went down with." :) (on retaining mood while changing levels)
From Leila of Cairo "you have it. Just breath."
From Shoo Shoo Amin "Arms up"

Lots of Ibrahim Farrah stuff, but I will start with George Abdo: "Before the age of 40, a woman has nothing to dance about."

Bobby Farrah:

"This dance is simple. The music says something to the dancer, and the dancer shows that to the audience."

He loved to have a dancer doing an earthy shimmy, but also doing a subtle lyrical movement with the arms or upper body. He called this "Heaven up above... and the fire down below."

"You can't teach taste."

Criticizing students with poor focus: "Which way is Mecca??" This really captures the dancers who keep looking around nervously as if they've lost something.

"The floor is your friend."

There are so many more... but I need to go unpack from Rakkasah.

Latifa

"I don't know what you're doing but I like it" Jim Boz at Shut Up and Shimmy Workshop.
Still makes me laugh.

Something that has stuck with me for more years than I care to admit to was said by my high school modern dance teacher.
"You don't tell a dancer to break a leg before they go on stage because dancers are truely clumsy people and they will do just that. You tell a dancer to Make Magic! and they will."

"Come up with the same sexuality you went down with."

I have this vision now of a dancer going down straight, coming up gay. Surprise! Now I'm bi-curious! Straight again! Gay!

Originally Posted by zumarrad

I have this vision now of a dancer going down straight, coming up gay. Surprise! Now I'm bi-curious! Straight again! Gay!

EXACTLY. That line broke the class up with laughter.

Originally Posted by zumarrad

I have this vision now of a dancer going down straight, coming up gay. Surprise! Now I'm bi-curious! Straight again! Gay!

..l;,..l;,..l;,*gasp*..l;,..l;,..l;,..l;,

"close your pita..." - Sonya
"Pull it up and smile. Find your spine."-yasmina, commenting on my lack of confidence reflecting through my posture...