Thread: Preparing to Teach!

By the end of next year, I'd like to start teaching beginning belly dance classes. I'm wondering how I should prepare (besides practicing and educating myself about the dance, of course)

I should be clearer. Are there any certifications, classes, etc. I should take? (Outside of bellydance) I don't want to hurt anyone, need to learn how to do proper warm ups/cool downs, etc.

Also, what did you do to prepare for your first "teaching gig"?

teaching is substantially different from dancing. It's a whole other skill set. I won't tell you how to go about it, as each person has her own path to follow, but I will tell you how I went about it.

1 week training to teach non violent crisis intervention, 4 years actually teaching it under senior instructors

2 years apprenticeship under a long time teacher with a Masters in Education

National (fitness) teaching accreditation with a proctored exam process, requiring 16 hours of continuing education annually

1 year of teaching group fitness before I started teaching belly dance

6 years in belly dance classes before running my own class

Running a class involves more than teaching dance, it involves marketing, planning, structuring a good class, ethics and accounting.

I'm not trying to be discouraging. Being a teacher is a responsibility and needs to be something that one reflects upon and prepares for.

Originally Posted by kina

teaching is substantially different from dancing. It's a whole other skill set. I won't tell you how to go about it, as each person has her own path to follow, but I will tell you how I went about it.

1 week training to teach non violent crisis intervention, 4 years actually teaching it under senior instructors

2 years apprenticeship under a long time teacher with a Masters in Education

National (fitness) teaching accreditation with a proctored exam process, requiring 16 hours of continuing education annually

1 year of teaching group fitness before I started teaching belly dance

6 years in belly dance classes before running my own class

Running a class involves more than teaching dance, it involves marketing, planning, structuring a good class, ethics and accounting.

I'm not trying to be discouraging. Being a teacher is a responsibility and needs to be something that one reflects upon and prepares for.

Not discouraging at all!!! I think there are so many people who start teaching without putting any thought into what goes into it. That's why I was asking. I definitely need to work with one (or more) of my previous instructors in an apprenticeship! That's a great idea. I was also thinking I should take some beginning classes again.

Oh and I need to go to prop school!

With the fitness credential, did they go over anat/phys a little bit?

Non-violent crisis intervention? Please discuss

Oh yes and I need to get some gigs!

Group fitness certification is a great idea. To get it, you also need CPR, so the two go together. The course I took covers anatomy, nutrition, safe exercise technique, including warm-ups & cool-downs, effective ways to cue your students in choreography, concepts of choreography, safety considerations for seniors and expectant mothers, how to put together a class that both coordinated and uncoordinated people can all benefit from, ethics, and professionalism. It's really a worthwhile program. Mine was through CanFit - I'm not sure what the equivalent is in the US.

Marketing is a big thing, of course...

Ongoing education is REALLY important. You have to stay one step up from your students, so I while I have stopped taking classes from my local teacher, I still intent to do frequent workshops and private training with Master Instructors.

Shop around for a good studio now. That takes a lot of time and is a bit of a headache. :-(

Get known. Performing at workshop shows has helped me a lot. I live in a town where there are a lot of college and university students, and I have quite a number of students who were sent to me from teachers in their home towns.

My beginner students really love veil. So, while my class focus is on execution of foundation movements, the class can't feel too much like a drilling - they need to have some fun. They really, really look forward to that portion of the class.

I have one 15 minute song, that I use for warm-up and drilling of the same foundation movements for every class. (Though, it's cut short for advanced). Every class, all levels... learn something new each class. Even if it's tiny, it's something to hold interest.

Hope that helps. I'm still new to teaching, but am learning! It's sooo incredibly rewarding to watch your students advance. I have some girls who are getting really good, and I am just so absolutely tickled pink that I am able to contribute to that. I really love teaching.

Oh, and I haven't taken it yet, but plan on taking Hadia's Teacher Training course. I'm a huge fan of hers and am convinced it's a worthwhile program.

Originally Posted by ejaghana

Not discouraging at all!!! I think there are so many people who start teaching without putting any thought into what goes into it. That's why I was asking. I definitely need to work with one (or more) of my previous instructors in an apprenticeship! That's a great idea. I was also thinking I should take some beginning classes again.

Oh and I need to go to prop school!

With the fitness credential, did they go over anat/phys a little bit?
Non-violent crisis intervention? Please discuss

there were huge amounts of anatomy and physiology and they make up at least 50% of the test.

In the US, you have ACE, AFAA, AAAI and personal training programs that provide similar training as what Adishakti commented on.

In fact, they teach you everything except belly dance :)

Non violent intervention is a training provided to people who work in the social services to defuse situation before they become violent, and failing that, to restrain people who are out of control safely. The benefit in terms of teaching dance that I have found has been that I've had to teach people from all levels, post doctorate to para-profressionals and have learned to use different techniques to get my point across.

Teaching adults is much more involved as people can be resistant, and difficult

Originally Posted by kina

Non violent intervention is a training provided to people who work in the social services to defuse situation before they become violent, and failing that, to restrain people who are out of control safely. The benefit in terms of teaching dance that I have found has been that I've had to teach people from all levels, post doctorate to para-profressionals and have learned to use different techniques to get my point across.

Teaching adults is much more involved as people can be resistant, and difficult

Oh, I see! That would be a huge help. I did some peer advocate stuff waaaay back in high school. We did some crisis intervention stuff and talked about different learning styles as well (We taught classes too)

Thanks for your responses ladies!

If you've never taught before, apprenticing with a respected teacher is a good first step. I've also noticed that many instructors have started teaching "Teacher Training Workshops"-- I think this is a new trend and a good one! If you have the opportunity to take one of these classes, do so!

All the above info is very good, but one thing that hasn't been mentioned is learning to break down movement. It's one thing to dance a step, but it's another thing to break it down and teach it to someone else so they can dance it. Start thinking about how to break down basic steps. Realize that people learn differently so you'll need to find more than one way to break it down and communicate it. Go to workshops and watch videos with the intention of noticing how the instructors approach movement breakdown. I've often gone to workshops that didn't necessarily challenge me movement wise but have still given me an AHA moment because the instructor used a new way of breaking down a basic movement that I hadn't thought of.

Good luck-- you'll be awesome!!

Developing a comfort level with belly dance terminology across different styles is also important, I think. Depending on how many teachers there are in your area, you might get people coming from other teachers, ones who might teach a different style (or even the same style with different vocabulary attached) than you do. Even if you are the only bellydance teacher in your immediate area, you might get students who have moved from other regions. The first time you get a student telling you "But I thought a (blank) looked like (blank) and not like what you are showing us", you will see why this is helpful.
I teach Tribal style but I take Oriental classes in large part so that I can know what the heck many of my students have learned in previous classes.

It's also always good to have a good idea where each move you teach came from originally-- if it was part of one dancer's signature style or if it came from folk dances in a specific region or something-- so that you can pass this information on to your students. I don't think you can ever be too educated about this sort of thing.

Originally Posted by SaraKat

Developing a comfort level with belly dance terminology across different styles is also important, I think. Depending on how many teachers there are in your area, you might get people coming from other teachers, ones who might teach a different style (or even the same style with different vocabulary attached) than you do. Even if you are the only bellydance teacher in your immediate area, you might get students who have moved from other regions. The first time you get a student telling you "But I thought a (blank) looked like (blank) and not like what you are showing us", you will see why this is helpful.
I teach Tribal style but I take Oriental classes in large part so that I can know what the heck many of my students have learned in previous classes.

It's also always good to have a good idea where each move you teach came from originally-- if it was part of one dancer's signature style or if it came from folk dances in a specific region or something-- so that you can pass this information on to your students. I don't think you can ever be too educated about this sort of thing.

These are all good points! I have a lot of work to do! I've been thinking of taking a tribal class. I also really need to brush up on my finger cymbals and veil.

I would have to say that you should start thinking of at least two or three ways to explain every movement you know, then at least one of them might turn on that light bulb for most students.
I would break down the entire session on paper with lesson plans for every class (later this will be in your head but it helps as a new teacher to keep on track). Have a reason to teach everything, a progressive approach to teaching is helpful. Building skills that can then be put together as combos then a VERY short little dance makes students at the beginner level feel good (I am talking about one min. here not meant to be performed).
I wrote an article about my teaching system (was to be published but never heard back), email me and I can send it to you if you'd like.

Great topic! As a professional educator with over 20 yrs. teaching experience at various academic and government institutions in Canada and Europe, and 8 yrs. devoted to the instruction of belly dance, I can assure you that you are about to embark on a very rewarding path. Teaching is a great responsibility and also a gift, in that you are being given the opportunity to impact someone's life in a very profound way.

There are so many fundamental concepts to teaching in general as well as those more specific to the instruction of belly dance, and you're receiving some excellent suggestions on this thread.

To be brief, I would suggest you take some sort of group fitness certification, read and study as much as possible, and, above all, mentor with an experienced teacher. I am preparing my advanced students to teach at my studio and our weekly sessions are devoted to various general pedagogical topics as applied to the teaching of belly dance (lesson plans, learning styles, Bloom's taxonomy, incorporating Arabic language and culture, classroom management, etc.) as well as practice teaching (explanations for breaking down moves, assessment and correction, etc.), during our coaching sessions and in my regular classes.

They are progressing so much faster than if they were just to hop in front of a class and start on their own. I've got 8 yrs. of tips and techniques to share with them!

Teaching is hard work and demands patience and perseverance but the potential joy and rewards for you and those who come into your sphere of influence, however briefly, are countless.

All good wishes on your journey :)

Originally Posted by faaria

I would have to say that you should start thinking of at least two or three ways to explain every movement you know, then at least one of them might turn on that light bulb for most students.
I would break down the entire session on paper with lesson plans for every class (later this will be in your head but it helps as a new teacher to keep on track). Have a reason to teach everything, a progressive approach to teaching is helpful. Building skills that can then be put together as combos then a VERY short little dance makes students at the beginner level feel good (I am talking about one min. here not meant to be performed).
I wrote an article about my teaching system (was to be published but never heard back), email me and I can send it to you if you'd like.

Oh, I'd really like that! PMing you now.

Okay, so here's what I'm gonna do. Starting next year, I'll be enrolling in some fitness certification classes. I'm also heading back to begining belly dance classes, hopefully with Tamra-henna (all about the Egyptian technique) and probably with Mesmera (she's sooo good with finger cymbals and veil, and I REALLY need that as I'm sure that's what my students will be expecting) I'm also on the lookout for teacher certification courses. I'm thinking Hadia and probably Suhaila (I probably won't get the Suhaila cert but I REALLY want to learn her methods because of the thread here on Bhuz)

I'm definitely going to do an apprenticeship with one of my teachers, but I won't even say whom because I haven't asked any of them yet!

I'm also looking at a ton of workshops throughout the year. There are so many! I'm hoping to attend at least one workshop every month, with the exception of January and March, since I'll be in Belize in Jan. and Egypt in Mar. (envy me) :)

As far as improving my own fitness. I've started taking Yoga and will also start some strength training stuff. I need to increase my endurance and flexibility.

With all of that said. It'll probably be more like two years before I start teaching!