Thread: Teacher amusements

Just for fun thread! These can be either happen all the time or once. I'll start:

Demonstrating sword trick. I learned this one from Shakira in Ohio: balance sword on tip of straight up index finger. Takes balance, strength, isolation-and LOTS of practice.

Student, after one attempt in which sword falls, "I can't make my finger do that. It's not strong enough!"

To which I had to answer, "Do you really think I got up one day and said I Know! I'll put a big heavy object on the tip of a weak little digit and I did and it just worked?"

Honestly! Some students think I'm good at what I do because I was born this way. I find it amusing. What have your students done that amuses you?

Ha ha, you know what? My first sword, which we still have around somewhere (where is that thing?), was a Zen Ptah sword made of cast aluminum. Really cool looking, weighs just about nothing. So in my first sword performance, I balance the sword on the tip of my index finger and slowly raise it high over my head while shimmying. The audience goes wild, whooping, hollering and clapping. I'm thinking, "Huh? What's going on? Has some key part of my costume just fallen off?" Later I realized, "OH!!! They thought it was HEAVY and I was doing something really HARD!" He he he.

Okay,
Rosette

student: "my body doesn't do that!"
teacher: "have you tried?"

Originally Posted by sabrinabellydancer

student: "my body doesn't do that!"
teacher: "have you tried?"

Student: "I can't do this" (Demonstrates).
Teacher: "You just did!".

Student, upon being shown a complex move like a shimmy or undulation: "I can't do this!"

Teacher: "Even after trying for 10 seconds? You poor thing!" ..l;,

Originally Posted by zorba

Student: "I can't do this" (Demonstrates).
Teacher: "You just did!".

That's happened in my classes SO MANY TIMES!!! ..l;,..l;,..l;,

Teacher: demonstrates Maya
Student: I cant do that because you have wider hips than me.

Originally Posted by alibelly

Teacher: demonstrates Maya
Student: I cant do that because you have wider hips than me.

..g.:
I wish I had a dollar for every time I heard "I can't do those! My body doesn't move that way!!!"

I have one hell of a time trying to get students to understand that it WILL move that way once they LET it!!!

I got told this week what I was doing "was impossible....."

My body doesnt do 3/4 shimmies :-((((

Originally Posted by Rosette

Ha ha, you know what? My first sword, which we still have around somewhere (where is that thing?), was a Zen Ptah sword made of cast aluminum. Really cool looking, weighs just about nothing. So in my first sword performance, I balance the sword on the tip of my index finger and slowly raise it high over my head while shimmying. The audience goes wild, whooping, hollering and clapping. I'm thinking, "Huh? What's going on? Has some key part of my costume just fallen off?" Later I realized, "OH!!! They thought it was HEAVY and I was doing something really HARD!" He he he.

Okay,
Rosette

fantastic!!

What do yo do with a student (who is also a teacher)
who announces that they cannot do chonks (the Souhair Zaki style hip chonk)
Can you do hip drop??? now she's wondering if she does that correctly.
Of course she can do a hip drop. I've seen her do it.
but i feel like chonk has become a dirty word!!!

Originally Posted by Rosette

Ha ha, you know what? My first sword, which we still have around somewhere (where is that thing?), was a Zen Ptah sword made of cast aluminum. Really cool looking, weighs just about nothing. So in my first sword performance, I balance the sword on the tip of my index finger and slowly raise it high over my head while shimmying. The audience goes wild, whooping, hollering and clapping. I'm thinking, "Huh? What's going on? Has some key part of my costume just fallen off?" Later I realized, "OH!!! They thought it was HEAVY and I was doing something really HARD!" He he he.

Okay,
Rosette

Sorry what I meant to say was ... Zen Phtah swords are the BEST!!

Student: I can't do it as well as you.

Teacher Thank goodness! If you could, it would mean I've wasted the last 10 years I spent perfecting it.

Originally Posted by Lauren_

Student: I can't do it as well as you.

Teacher Thank goodness! If you could, it would mean I've wasted the last 10 years I spent perfecting it.

Love it!

Originally Posted by bintbeled

Student, upon being shown a complex move like a shimmy or undulation: "I can't do this!"

Teacher: "Even after trying for 10 seconds? You poor thing!" ..l;,

..l;,..l;,..l;,..l;,..l;,
my favorite

Lauren- my sentiments exactly- tho I usually just remind them I've been dancing for 20 years & don't expect them to look just like me after their first 6 weeks. I usually get looks of relief.

my personal enjoyment comes from the weird looks on students faces. I understand it, I don't make fun of it or anything, I am simply amazed at how expressive they are! When they subsequently say they can't figure out how to be expressive with their performance face- well, I haven't come up with a diplomatic response to that yet...

Originally Posted by CoralSugar

My body doesnt do 3/4 shimmies :-((((

That's ok. Sometimes mine doesn't either...l;,..l;,..l;,

Student: "So, how may years have you been doing this?"
Teacher: "13 years"
Student: "Thank God! I have time!"

..l;,

Originally Posted by bnwspots

Student: "So, how may years have you been doing this?"
Teacher: "13 years"
Student: "Thank God! I have time!"

..l;,

Love this!

I've also said, "Of course you can't! That's why you have to pay me-to TEACH you!"

Originally Posted by CoralSugar

My body doesnt do 3/4 shimmies :-((((

I have to think really hard to do these.

Whenever we work on something that's challenging people my instructor announces "I don't expect you to get it in five minutes. If it was that easy I'd be out of a job."

An email from one of my senior ladies letting me know she's on her way back to town for the winter reminded me of this.

I was teaching shoulder shimmies and made the joke that I always do about this is when you find out if you wore the right bra to class and its ok if the girls jigglebecause they are attached the the chest and they are going to move. One of the ladies looked down at her chest and came up with this gem "I'm not wearing a bra so move damn it." Just about killed the class with giggles. I love my senior ladies, you never know what they are going to say...LOL! (She did eventually get the jiggle going once we got her shoulders loosened up enough for the move.)