Thread: Belly Dance Teaching Craft - The Importance of Learning Your Craft. Shemiran Ibrahim

Belly Dance Teaching Craft - The Importance of Learning Your Craft

Part 1 in the Series "Belly Dance Teaching Craft" by Award Winning Middle Eastern Teacher-Training Specialist Shemiran Ibrahim www.shemiranibrahim.com/how-to-teach-belly-dance

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What makes a good Belly Dance Teacher?

Aside from a burning passion for one’s subject, great teachers have a certain spirit wanting to be of service, and a certain way of thinking and breaking down the teaching process. They also tend to have a commitment to technical excellence and an ability to devour the subject of their affection. You need to be hungry to learn. You need to want to grow. Teaching is not an end destination; it is a starting point. There is a Japanese saying that goes something like this; “As the realm of knowledge increases, the circumference of ignorance expands”. So the more we think we know, the more we need to learn!

To become a solid and successful Belly Dance teacher, you need to study the three areas that make up the A-B-C of Teaching Belly Dance:

A – Awaken the Teacher (The Craft of Teaching)
B – Business End of Things (How to start and grow your teaching business)
C – Curriculum & Teaching Method

(Copyright Shemiran Ibrahim from "The A-B-C of Teaching Belly Dance; Teacher Training Handbook).

In this series of articles we will look at A - Awaken the Teacher in You; The Craft of Teaching.

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What is the Craft of Teaching?

The craft of any subject can be split into the art and the science of it. Let's take pottery for example; if you sign up for a pottery course you will be taught the science of it; the different types of clay, how to glaze, how to use a kiln and bake the pots, how much water to add or not add, how to create various shapes etc.

You will also be taught the art of it; how to express what is in your heart through your hands, how to move people through your artistry, how to get out of the way so your spirit can shine through your work.

In this series of articles we address the craft of teaching Belly Dance from the Feminine aspects; the art, spirit, heart, emotion and essence of teaching.

And the Masculine aspects; the mind of the teacher, the mental aspect, technique, movement explanation, how to add structure and methodology to your teaching.

Ignore either and your Belly Dance teaching will suffer. The power is in the balance.

There is a tremendous responsibility that comes with teaching this ancient and complex dance that needs to be honored. Learning the craft is a good start.

“When love and skill work together, expect a masterpiece.”
John Ruskinzs

Read other articles in this series.