Thread: amount of information in your class

I was researching lesson plans for belly dance classes, and I was wondering how much information other dancers put into a class. I'm feeling good about the amount of information that I cover in my classes, but I feel it's good to know what's out there.

My classes for example:

My beginners learn 3 basic moves per class and we rehearse previous moves. We repeat the moves they learned in the classes before, then incorporate the new moves into a combination. The combination fits into a choreography, it takes app. 7 weeks to learn the whole choreography including two classes reserved for repetition and fine tuning of arms/posture/alignment. They also get an improvisation assignment in pairs/trios, so I have the chance to see how they incorporate the moves into their own dance vocabulary.

My intermediates learn app. 5 basic moves per class (building on moves they already know). Moves are incorporated into 2-3 combinations, that fit into a choreography. More space is reserved for improvisation practice, I leave some parts of the choreography open and they get the assignment to create a fitting piece with the movements that they learned. Adding other moves is encouraged as I want them to share their dance vocabulary with each other.

My classes are structured in semesters of 15 weeks. My beginners learn two choreographies in different styles , this semester it’s Turkish pop and Egyptian Saaidi. My intermediates have Turkish style, we’re doing a 9/8 choreography and Turkish Tansi Oryental choreo with a bit of veil. They learn about the lyrics, music, styles, famous dancers, culture, etc. so they can see the connection between the style, moves and music.

I found lesson plans from other dancers, for example

Ankestamen: Beginning Lesson Plan (Ankestamen Belly Dance)
she's at 5 moves per class and includes zills in beginners and intermediates

Keti Sharif’dance the elements: http://www.ketisharif.com/pdfs/ElementsCourse.pdf

Learning to play zills is not common in Dutch belly dance classes. Sofar I haven’t taught zills yet, do you think this should be a basic part of BD lessons? Let me know how you decide on the amount of information in class. All comments are appreciated.

My beginning teacher covered one family of articulations (e.g., hip and ribcage circles) and one "easy" move (e.g., grapevine or something that didn't require a lot of new muscle usage) per class in her beginners' series. She didn't teach choreography in her intro sequence. My most recent teacher structured her beginner courses so that they met the objective of completing a simple choreography in six weeks. In other words, she taught the moves that matched the choreo, mostly in the order they appeared in the routine. She covered approximately the same amount of content as the other teacher, but it was more of a "Here's a lot of material, but don't worry--we'll refine it as we go" instead of the slower, more methodical approach of the first dancer. When I taught beginners, I was teaching for the second dancer, so I followed her system.

Three moves per class could be a brisk pace, but that depends on the aptitude of the students and how hard they work outside of class. A young group who is very motivated is probably going to plow through the material a lot faster than a group of older ladies who don't practice at home. It also depends on the moves you're teaching. Reverse undulations are definitely more difficult to master for most students than ribcage slides. The size of the class can be a factor, too. If you have a large group, you may opt to present the material and let them struggle to keep up. A smaller group may want the individualized attention that can interfere with covering a planned amount of material in a specific amount of time.

I pushed my first teacher to let me take finger cymbals as soon as I finished her intro series. Normally, a student would repeat the intro series a couple of times, and maybe complete some other low-intermediate series like veil before putting the cymbals on. I think starting so early greatly contributed to how I play today. My experience is that dancers who put off playing cymbals for a substantial amount of time often struggle longer to feel comfortable dancing with them, but that might be because they don't have high interest or aptitude and really would rather not play them in the first place.

I'm happy to share with you how I structure my classes!

My class series are relatively short, just 5 weeks, and each class is one hour in duration.

For all classes, regardless of level, posture and carriage are emphasized, as are basic arm positions in the beginner class; the intermediate class develops slightly more sophisticated arm patterns.

I just finished up a 5-week session for beginners and this is what we did:

Lesson 1
Brief discussion of BD as social dance, etc., Dance Walk, "Cha Cha" travel, Tick Tock, Straight-Leg Shimmy, flat-footed Forward Fig 8, Shoulder Shake

Lesson 2
Repeated: all of Lesson 1
New: Chasse-type travel, Tick Tock-related Shimmy

Lesson 3
Repeated: all of Lesson 2
New: Shoulder Roll (including hands static and hands following), Hip Circle, Hip Lift (straight and twisty), Forward Tilt; also combined Hip Circle and flat-footed Forward Fig 8/changing directions; put all travel steps in combination

Lesson 4
Repeated: all of Lesson 3
New: Walking Hip Lift ("Step Lift"), lifted-heel Forward Fig 8, changing from Straight Leg Shimmy to Tick Tock Shimmy and back again; added Walking Hip Lift to travel step combination from Lesson 3

Lesson 5
Repeated: all of Lesson 4
New: changing from Straight Leg Shimmy to Tick Tock Shimmy to Shoulder Shake, changing from flat-footed Forward Fig 8 to heel-up version; ended class with "improv" with all traveling steps

In all, 13 separate movements were drilled this past series, plus variations, transitions and combinations.

(continued because I'm wordy)

(continued)

The next series of classes will include 2-3 movements from the previous session, plus the traveling steps I teach every session, and new material will be added. The number of separate movements taught each session depends upon how many variations I teach on the basic movement; in some series, there will be 9 or 10 separate movements and in other sessions, like this past one, there are a fair few more. In the series following (the third), I'll use one, maybe 2 movements from the first session to ensure continuity of learning.

Each class within a session builds upon the previous class; each session is stand-alone, but with some overlap so that those who continue from session to session begin to build some real technique over time. Students who remain with me for about a year to 18 months, if they practice at home and have some natural ability, will probably be ready for my intermediate class. If you'd like, you can see the prerequisites for the intermediate class at Home Page

The intermediate class is structured similarly to the beginner level. Also at this level we do veil and finger cymbals and start to work with meters other than 2/4 and 4/4. I have plans to teach choreography two times per year in an 8- or 10-week sessions. As one of Toubeau's teachers structured her classes, the choreography series find students' learning to be related to the choreo, drilling the movements pretty much in the order found in the choreo and made into combos that are also found there. Thus, the choreo is a vehicle for learning to put dance together. Other than during the choreo sessions, improv skills are emphasized at this level.

Hope this is helpful!

Deborah

Hi Deborah and Tourbeau, thank you for sharing your structure!

It reminded me that the age, size and motivation of your classes is also very important. In my case, I teach in a Cultural center aimed at students. I feel that they are more ambitious then another group, with the average age of 60

Also how your lessons fit together as a whole is something I'm breaking my head over. I'm going for the same approach, stand alone bit with overlap. I've decided that we're covering a choreography in 7 weeks: after two info-heavy classes we have a 'break' dedicated to repetition of moves and choreography, fun stuff like a couple of veil moves, trying zills and learning more about music/culture.

Creating structure is hard for me and thinking about the session as a whole helps me to make the most of the precious time we have in class. I've taken weekly classes from four different teachers and each one had a different approach and structure. It seems like I'm leaning more towards the approach of my favorite teacher.

First 8 weeks, they learn 1 or 2 new moves each week but also work and refine the moves from earlier weeks. I also do one travelling move each week.

I carefully selected the moves to learn in a logical sequence eg hip rocks a few weeks before tackling hip drops/lifts; hip slides before hip circles etc. I also try and limit moves to basic safer isolations ie ones that do not need good ab control to do safely eg no vertical hip moves.

In addition they have 10-15 minutes of background - videos or mini-lectures or music or rhythms etc.

Kashmir, is that 10-15 minutes per class? That would cut class time down to 45 minutes. When would you incorporate the background part, at the star/end or as a short introduction to the moves/combinations in that class?

Yesterday was the second class of this semester and I spend it mostly on repeating the moves and combination of the first class. We added the hand ripple and I prepped them a little with footwork during the warm-up. Next week will be heavier on the choreography and moves, then the week after that more focus on repetition and refinement.

This semester I ended up with six beginners that took up the beginners class for the second time and six intermediates that signed up again for the intermediate class (out of 20 beginners and 10 intermediates). I'm trying to work the moves into combinations that are distinctly different though still beginners level.

Slightly off topic and I appologize if this is a hi-jack BUT:

How do ya'll deal with people who come in after the first couple of days? or do you even allow people to come in after the official "starting" week of the class? I seem to always have at least 2 new people each week for the first three weeks. I don't like having to quickly run through the basics and then throw the newbie newbies into the slightly more advanced newbies. How do you handle this?

Originally Posted by mekyria

Kashmir, is that 10-15 minutes per class? That would cut class time down to 45 minutes. When would you incorporate the background part, at the star/end or as a short introduction to the moves/combinations in that class?

I run 75 minute classes so they dance at least an hour - which is too long for the fitness of many of the beginners!

We start with the material. This allows for late comers. It also sets the scene - for instance we watch some folk videos then we try the Banat Maazin pair work with shoulder shimmies. We listen and walk to rhythms then later in the class create combos to fit them.

Originally Posted by jamielynn

How do ya'll deal with people who come in after the first couple of days? or do you even allow people to come in after the official "starting" week of the class?

I allow people to start in week 1 or 2. Unless they have paid before week 3 they have to wait (ie if someone pays for the course and is ill, I'm happy to let them start on week 3)

I also offer very cheap privates as catchups.

I have the same problem, some students are coming in after missing the first class or classes. I don't think it's fair to slow down the third class so they can catch up, but I don't want them to feel discouraged either.

I decded not to teach beginners any choreo until they're at least at the 6mo-1yr mark in learning. I want them to learn and understand core movements/basics individually first before starting a choreo. I tell them this up front, so they know "fun" stuff is down the road & it gives them something to work toward. Simple combinations we do, but not a choreo until later.

Jamie Lynn, I don't allow drop-ins after the first night of a new session. It's only 8wks and I don't think it's fair to the rest of the class to have to spend most of one class bringing someone up to speed. I post the policy on my site with class information, and also go over it the first night (along with class rules) so there's no confusion.

RE: late registrants:

Most of the city parks&recs I teach allow me to accept new students as long as I want to. Since most of my sessions are short (just 5 weeks), I accept students the second class but strongly encourage other prospective students to wait until the next one. I do not slow down/alter my lesson plans for those who start late.

Deborah

Re: late drop-ins: When I have late drop-ins in the beginner classes I try to resist the urge of repeating the basics just for them. I do make sure to at least keep a close eye on and correct posture of the newcomer(s) if needed, but for the rest I just let them try and see how they catch on.

Most of the time they catch up with the rest of the group soon enough, and if not there are always ways to help, but then at least it is planneable.

Re: Class content: I usually make a 'year plan' per group, and prepare individual classes per session. Not in every class we actually do what was planned, but it helps to have at least a general idea. I do try to write down exactly what we did AFTER a class, including little notes about how students are doing, just to keep a bit of an overview during the year or to have reminders for the classes that follow.

In the beginner sessions we do at least one new movement/isolation per class, a few technique drills, and we do variations and follow-the-improv-ing teacher for movements that are already 'known'. In most beginner sessions we do a little bit of 'simple veil' to close the class, or a dance-ish cooldown with lots of arms/poses.

In most beginner sessions we at some point spend a portion of the class putting the movements we learned into a simple choreography, which can morph a bit per class depending on what we worked on, and also to show how different movements can fit the same piece of music.

It helps the students remember what different movements we have worked on, but I stress to them that it's not about memorizing the steps, more about giving them something concrete to take home..

(ETA too long, rest in separate post)

In the lower intermediates the theme is different per term. Technique-wise it usually includes some kind of traveling steps and traveling with isolations, and some more complex 'basic' movements, or working on hands, arms and transitions, layering shimmies with movements/weight changes, different ways to drive 'known' movements as to change their mood and 'flavor', and I sneak in a rhythm or two, on which we dance 'matching combinations' or follow-improv

After a year or so I always do a session with zills somewhere, which is not a complete hour of zilling each class but includes 'normal' technique and dancing, but also a bit more information about arabic rhythms and excercises to help 'hear' and respond to different layers in a music piece (tempo, rhythm, melody, accents) and of course the actuall zilling.

I have a simple group choreo to 'zeyna' which I sometimes use, it can be done with a few different zill patterns or a combination, fast or slow (ie just the abstract 'bare' zill pattern or the 'full' one, depending on the zills skills per student) which helps them feel a bit more comfortable about actually dancing while zilling, and not just doing either/or.

Walking/circle stuff with zilling patterns is a lot of fun as well. Also a perfect excuse to get them aquainted with 9/8 rhythms :) I personally love the 'zilling term'. Not all students are enamoured with them, but at least it gives the 'takers' enough of a basis to go on practising by themselves or with DVDS afterward or do workshops on zilling if they'd like to. In groups that love the zilling we will spend some more time with them.

In the intermediates we also have different themes per session, eg a closer look at different kinds of folklore (saidi, dabke,.. ), or playing with different styles(baladi vs majency etc..) and we usually work on how different rhythms or sections in a longer piece can be expressed (e.g. practicing dramatic poses/accents to a masmoudi and then contrasting it to the 'feel' of a saidi section that follows and how to transition from the one to the other) or have a go at drumsolo's etc..

In the advanced classes we work on whatever *I* am currently working on lol, and we incorporate things that those specific students want and/or need to work on. Often people in the more advanced classes have very different backgrounds and/or have studied before with different teachers over time, which sometimes makes for interesting mixes and groups.

In the intermediate-and-up classes that are up for it I also offer the opportunity to work on or show their own solos/duets in class (with or without critiquing by the fellow students and/or me)

I also offer a drills and conditioning class, which is open to all levels and can be combined with one of the other groups.