Thread: Advice for an independent learner?

Hello, I hope it's okay to post this here! I was wondering if any of you could offer advice on being an independent learner. I took belly dance classes for about 3 years along time ago, but the teacher moved away. I accidentally discovered "RADIO BASTET" on iTunes and now I want to get back to dancing again! There is a teacher about 45 minutes away but we didn't really hit it off very well, and I don't think I want to be in that class. I am hoping that I can get back my chops by using videos and taking a class every now and then with someone else but she teaches Tribal belly dance and I have never learned that. I was taught "cabaret" belly dance, but I'm very interested in learning Tribal and Egyptian. On the advise of some other people on the internet I bought several dvds and videos from ebay. One is Raqia Hasan Technique, one is Belly dance basics and beyond, one is Magnificent Moves, one is Tribal Fusion belly dance NYC, and the last one is Jillina something number 2 I think. I've read about the importance of the posture and all that, but I remember the way I learned, our posture was rather bad, compared to now. The teacher I met her didn't correct my posture much or many of the steps I did, so I must have not forgotten all of it..l;, So did I cover the bases well? Is it possible to continue learning dance as an independent learner? I don't have any plans to be a pro, haha at my age, but I would like to dance as well as I can, and maybe show off for my friends. Thanks for answering me and letting me join your network...g.:

Hi,

the value of having an instructor is that they can correct you before a mistake becomes muscle memory and help you to ensure that what you are doing is not damaging to yourself.

That having been said, there are instructors out there who don't do this and don't teach safely, so I guess the real answer is:

it depends. :-)

how's that for ambiguity?

I think if you haven't found an instructor that you click with, you might attend workshops to get the correction that you need to progress. If it were me, i would work on beginner technique to refresh my muscle memory, then move onto more challenging stuff.

Check out Shira.net

In addition to being a terrific overall resource, Shira has an article on learning independently from videos.

Roughly where are you located? Maybe we can help you find a dance community a little further away where you could take an occasional class or private, or go to a workshop or a hafla!

Invest in quality instructional DVD's. I recommend Michelle Joyce's series. She breaks down movements and has very useful drills. Belly Dance DVDs - Cheeky Girls Productions
I'm not just saying this because she is my friend. I'm a self-taught dancer and her videos are great for at-home drills. I predominately learned through watching videos of Egyptian dancers because the quality of instructional videos at that time (15 years ago) was not very good. I still try to take workshops as often as possible though.
So, video investment is key and keeping an eye out for workshops in your area.
Have fun!

Hi! Wow thanks for the replies!! My first teacher was just a lovely person and a beautiful dancer and she spoild me I think. We even had a book to follow along with. It was The Serena Technique of Belly Dancing and I'm not joking, we practiced every step in that book twice a week. Oh the shira.net web page is so great. I've read almost all of it. And I've been reading gildedserpent.com. Its so funny to see so many dancers all over the world. In the 80s it seemed like we were so few. I'm in southern Illinois and I found a few teachers and groups that aren't close but aren't too far to drive. I just feel a little nervous about going to a seminar with people who are class every week and aren't self-taught. Are there many self-taught people here? Oh, I take a yoga class every Saturday and I asked that teacher if she thought yoga would help with belly dancing. She said she would help with my posture and alignment since that seems to be what most people say is the problem with self-taught dancers. She doesn't know about belly dance but says she thinks a correct posture is correct for most types of dance. Is that right? Thank you so much I'm so happy to find you all. ..l;, ..l;, ..l;,

Jenna's Basics and Beyond offers a pretty extensive review of material that would be useful for cabaret or tribal fusion styles.

An intersting anecdote. I have a new private student who, up until coming to me, was completely self taught to videos (I believe she has 2 Delilah instructionals). The first slow moves I teach is are figure 8's - up, down and horizontal. When I asked if she was familiar with them from her videos, she said yes, but she can't do them, they don't look right on her. So I bring her through my usual breakdown of the movements and specifically correct her techinique issues, and voila! She is figure 8-ing like a champ. Of course, I have to keep a close eye on her, since she's got bad muscle memory to overcome, but when she's concentrating during drills she does quite well.

We have to work a lot on posture, though, especially upper body. She is able to maintain a nice tucked pelvis, but she has her knees way too bent (almost a plie) and her shoulders are really rolled in towards her chest. I doubt the video taught her this posture, but without a live instructor to correct her, she's been drilling like this for months and months.

Robie, I don't know how far south you are, but I'm teaching a workshop in Carbondale tomorrow that's all technique, no choreography, and will include a lot of basic posture work. I'll be going over basic movements as well. Some of the material will get a little advanced, but it wouldn't be a scary or intimidating kind of workshop. Then we'll be doing some simple veilwork with silk veils (I have loaner veils).

I know it's short notice, and Carbondale might not even be convenient for you. Or maybe you could just come for the show in the evening -- if you do, say hi to me!

Here's the details:
SIUC MEDE Events and Activities

But Rita, you just said you had a teacher now!

Robbie -

Welcome. And I am going to agree with what has been said here - see if you can find a teacher who you can work with. Even if it is only a few times a month, that will be helpful. And there are some great, very user friendly, workshops around. Especially if you can make it up to Chicago every once in a while. Or down to St. Louis where the lovely Lauren is!

{{{HUGS}}}

Hey! I am a newbie to and I am self teaching. I have fallen in love with the bellytwins. I really liked their Beginners videos. They have a book out now as well that comes with a pretty good DVD. I know that I will eventually take some classes but I want to make sure I feel secure enough with myself before I go and jiggle in public. Welcome!

While I am at it.....is there anyone around here from the Portland, OR area that knows a good (and cheap) teacher?

Originally Posted by Robie66

Oh the shira.net web page is so great. I've read almost all of it. <snip> I'm in southern Illinois and I found a few teachers and groups that aren't close but aren't too far to drive. I just feel a little nervous about going to a seminar with people who are class every week and aren't self-taught. Are there many self-taught people here?

Hi Robie! I'm glad you find my web site helpful! Maybe we'll meet at a future belly dance seminar - I'm in Iowa City, Iowa. Are you anywhere close to Carbondale? There are a couple of good teachers there, Sedonia and Tedi, both of whom are on bhuz, too.

The article on my web site about learning when you don't have a local teacher is here: Learning To Belly Dance: If No Local Teacher, Or Wanting More Knowledge .

A video I'd suggest for you is Joyous Laughter, Volume 1: Belly Dance Basics with Michelle, which features instruction in technique by Michelle Morrison. See Belly Dancing: Shira's Reviews of Instructional Videos, Alphabetical List for a review and info on how to contact the instructor. Another video I recommend is Precision Motion Workout by Suzanne del Vecchio, also reviewed on the same page.

Something you might consider doing: work with one of these videos (I'd suggest starting with Michele's) for a few weeks. Once you feel comfortable with the contents and have a good mental image of what the teacher looks like, videotape yourself dancing along with it, then watch the video of yourself and try to self-critique your own posture and technique. It's not as good as having a teacher, but it's better than no feedback at all.

Do you have any local ballet, jazz, or modern dance classes for adults in your town? If so, you might try taking one of those for feedback on posture and arm carriage. It could be good cross-training with belly dance.

I think yoga is a good idea. I don't think it would teach you dance posture, but it would be good to help you with centering and balance, and it would help your flexibility. I do believe that doing yoga can make a person a better belly dancer.

Originally Posted by Robie66

H She doesn't know about belly dance but says she thinks a correct posture is correct for most types of dance. Is that right? Thank you so much I'm so happy to find you all. ..l;, ..l;, ..l;,

I teach both belly dance and yoga, and the posture is a little different. For bellydance, your ribcage is more lifted & forward and your pelvis slightly more tucked than you'd be in a yoga class. Dance posture is an exaggerated posture, not the same thing as good 'walking down the street' posture.

BUT yoga will help you to open your chest and strengthen the muscles of your upper back, and those things will help with your bellydance posture. Yoga will also help you develop a strong 'everyday' posture so you'll have less to overcome in bellydance.

Hi Robie,

I think you said earlier that you'd be worried about going to seminars where people go to class every week and there would be few self-taught dancers. I can tell you, as someone who has gone to her share of workshops, that unless you invade my personal space I don't pay attention to anyone but the instructor while I'm in a workshop or seminar. So don't worry about it!