Thread: Can we talk about joy?

Once in a while I feel like it's important to talk about the real reasons most of our students walk in the door, and the things they really want from us.

They signed up for a bellydance class because they thought it would be fun! They want to get some exercise and learn some dance moves. Leave behind their jobs, kids, responsibilities, maybe dress up in something sparkly or jingly and express themselves. Make friends, that's a biggie -- many of my students have confided in me that ALL of their circle of friends has come from the studio.

Those are incredibly lofty and important goals -- perhaps more important, on a human level, than competing for restaurant gigs or trophies.

A few of my students become very serious about the dance and go on to join my pro troupe.

But 95% of them never will. They want to dance to the best of their own personal ability, of course. But some of them will never do a hip drop without bouncing, shimmy their hips without their arms moving, create a rounded, full maya with their heels on the ground, etc. They're just not put together in that way. And that's OK. That doesn't mean they should be made to feel inadequate and shamed out of my class. My job is to offer instruction AND model acceptance of your body as it is (while training it to better, if possible).

These students are dancing for each other, and for friends & family, at student recitals, studio parties, and for other bellydance students like themselves at haflas. They know they don't want to work hard enough to be professional dancers, or maybe they'd like to but it's not achievable in the body they've been given. But they care about each other & are supportive. They are creating costumes, creating dances, clapping for each other. They're enjoying the music, the expression, the comeraderie.

In Egypt and the Arab world, this is still a dance for non-professionals. They may not costume, choreograph or rehearse -- they don't need to, they've been dancing since childhood. But they certainly perform for each other, support each other, express themselves, and share joy and friendship by dancing together.

Let's never get so serious about the dance that we start overlooking its purest expression. Of course, some teachers will focus on training professionals and that's a whole different ballgame.... And even recreational students deserve to learn good technique, musicality, and cultural background. But they're also deserving of our respect and celebration just as they are.

Thank you, Lauren! I was sad last year when there wasn't actually any dancing at the studio meet ups. I really WANT more casual dance opportunities here. Sometimes I feel like I want to quit teaching and just host a jam session every month or so- I think we'd have a lot less issues with expectations.

SO, so looking forward to the hafla this Saturday, & my kids can't wait either! I love & appreciate Belly Dance as an art form, but it is more than that too, and I think it is good to keep a balance.

Lauren, will you please repost this as a note on Facebook so I can share it with a wider audience? It's a very, very important message. You speak from my heart.

Thanks for posting, Lauren, it's a good reminder.

If I can overshare a bit... dancing as a community is hugely important. We often talk about dance being fun and a way to express and whatnot, but forget how scary it can be (or maybe it's just me?). I need to dance -- I have tried not dancing and it doesn't work. But I can also become so paralyzed by fear that I can't even practice at home alone with the curtains drawn. [Even though practice is the only thing that can make me better...] I dance better and do better when I have an outlet to dance with others.

Classes and dancing events are really important for me to get out there and dance with others so that I can experience what the dance really is, like you said, and get out of my own head for a bit. I do think that dance causes/permits something that can't be reached by just sitting around talking or thinking. It's an injunction that is often better guided than alone. :)

Dance classes and events create, channel, and share the joy.

THANK YOU, LAUREN!

Deborah

(and yes, all-caps means I'm shouting ... from the rooftops)

You're welcome. It's so hard to find the right balance -- I'm constantly working to be a better instructor, to make sure my students are well-educated in my classes (meaning no one is walking around after 8 years as my student and hasn't heard of ___________). Working to gain respect for our art form, to perfect my teaching of technique, of culture, yadda yadda yadda.

It's easy to forget that it's supposed to be FUN, people are here for RECREATION. LOL

Originally Posted by Lauren_

You're welcome. It's so hard to find the right balance -- I'm constantly working to be a better instructor, to make sure my students are well-educated in my classes (meaning no one is walking around after 8 years as my student and hasn't heard of ___________). Working to gain respect for our art form, to perfect my teaching of technique, of culture, yadda yadda yadda.

It's easy to forget that it's supposed to be FUN, people are here for RECREATION. LOL

with the exception of my sisters and my bffs (2), the best friends I've made in my life have been from this dance, my classmates, my students, my teachers and from this board.

Thanks Lauren for reminding us.

Joy is what it's all about, and it has taken me some time to return to that aspect. I am glad I have.

yes, yes, yes!!-----hopefully i have a new crop of Joy---Seekers tonight. thanks Lauren.

Sing it Sister! It's what brought me here, it's what keeps me here.

Originally Posted by Lara L

Thank you, Lauren! I was sad last year when there wasn't actually any dancing at the studio meet ups. I really WANT more casual dance opportunities here. Sometimes I feel like I want to quit teaching and just host a jam session every month or so- I think we'd have a lot less issues with expectations.

SO, so looking forward to the hafla this Saturday, & my kids can't wait either! I love & appreciate Belly Dance as an art form, but it is more than that too, and I think it is good to keep a balance.

I know, informal dance-togethers are so important, where the hobbyist dancer can share without stress... but it can be hard to promote this type of sharing; I know because I've consistently promoted the concepts of acceptance and support throughout my whole career as a teacher, and still see cliques forming when dancers get together. Sometimes you just want to throw up your hands and say, "whatever" -

Originally Posted by anthea

I know, informal dance-togethers are so important, where the hobbyist dancer can share without stress... but it can be hard to promote this type of sharing; I know because I've consistently promoted the concepts of acceptance and support throughout my whole career as a teacher, and still see cliques forming when dancers get together. Sometimes you just want to throw up your hands and say, "whatever" -

It is *obviously* not a solution for everyone
but this is why I love having my family around. Hosted a drum/dance circle this month and only had 2 people show up- but with my kids holding down the rhythm & occasionally dancing, we had a full house anyway. They give me so many excuses. My husband used to claim musicals were ridiculous because "no one just drops everything to sing and dance all of a sudden." Ha, I say. HA! Yeah, I'm weird, but I'm okay with that. Sometimes I think we need more weird.

& my dance buddies are the best. Even when I am/they are grumpy, we can always come back to the dance. Not even pretending to say I get along with everyone, but it's like I finally found all the cool kids and there's no way I'm switching tables.

Well said Lauren, as usual. Thank you!

This is SO right on.

We forget the reason we started to dance in the first place.

Thank you Lauren.

I too think simple joy/fun is a crucial part of our dance, and I too try to foster a class environment that provides it.

So here's a question for all of you who agree that we should be offering joy/fun in our classes....

Do you incorporate non-performance-oriented folkloric dances into your classes? Do you teach your students to hold hands and do a simple, repetitive debke for 8 minutes straight? Do you show them how much fun that simpe, repetitive step can be if you curl the line into a circle, tighten it into a spiral, open it back out, do it back-to-back, etc? Or how about a Greek syrtos or hasapiserviko? Maybe an Israeli hora? Or a Turkish 9/8 line dance?

I do. You should see the looks on my students' faces as we do our simple debke and I inform them that yes, it's simple and repetitive, but that's so they can talk about their sheep while we do it. And then suddenly that simple, repetitive step is no longer so simple when I coil them into a spiral or uncoil into a backs-to-each-other circle. We have a lot of good laughs as they run into each other, lose the step and have to get back onto it, listen to someone make up stories about her fictitious sheep, etc.

Originally Posted by *Shira*

I too think simple joy/fun is a crucial part of our dance, and I too try to foster a class environment that provides it.

So here's a question for all of you who agree that we should be offering joy/fun in our classes....

Do you incorporate non-performance-oriented folkloric dances into your classes? Do you teach your students to hold hands and do a simple, repetitive debke for 8 minutes straight? Do you show them how much fun that simpe, repetitive step can be if you curl the line into a circle, tighten it into a spiral, open it back out, do it back-to-back, etc? Or how about a Greek syrtos or hasapiserviko? Maybe an Israeli hora? Or a Turkish 9/8 line dance?

I do. You should see the looks on my students' faces as we do our simple debke and I inform them that yes, it's simple and repetitive, but that's so they can talk about their sheep while we do it. And then suddenly that simple, repetitive step is no longer so simple when I coil them into a spiral or uncoil into a backs-to-each-other circle. We have a lot of good laughs as they run into each other, lose the step and have to get back onto it, listen to someone make up stories about her fictitious sheep, etc.

My first instructor did that.

So true! I think one of the hardest things, as a teacher, is this dance is a social dance, but also a performance art. It's great for beginners (you can get up and have an enjoyable boogie with your friends after one term of classes), but you can study for years and years and there's ever more to learn. In other words, it can be joyously simple...or it can be anything but. Our students often come to class for the social/joy experience to start with, and some will continue to focus on that. But at the same time, we'll have the occasional student (oh, joy for us) who begin to see it as so much more, and want to learn at another level. And for many of us 'diligent' teachers, we view this dance as an art form, and genuinely want to share all the complexities and knowledge that we've learnt.

So there's a tug-of-war going on in class. How do you be all things to all people? How do you keep the joy in your teaching, while striving for higher achievements? We can't do it all, so each of us has to strike a balance, that keeps our particular student group happy (and that can vary from one class to the next), as well as ourselves.

It's no wonder, then, when there's a divergence of opinions on this board - we're really representing the spectrum of 'balances' that we each have to strike.

And after waxing philisophical... from a business perspective, remembering the 'fun' side is so important to your classes' bottom line, because this is a non-compulsory activity, and very few people continue doing those once the joy has gone. Even if you're working hard in class on particularly tricky goals, it's good to remember to just dance and have fun with it once in a while. And important for teachers not to take on so much that they're exhausted by the time they get to class and don't have it in them to teach in a joyous manner.

So true Lauren!

I have to remind myself from time to time!
So, I wonder how you all incorporate "the fun stuff" into your classes?

Anything you'd like to share? I've noticed that anything that's not "solo-work" (like practising technique, etc.) gets most of them giggling, I'll have them pair up or work in tiny circles (though the shy girls are usually a little less fond of these exercices)

Sometimes I just hide in the back and watch them having fun :-)

Originally Posted by Lara L

& my dance buddies are the best. Even when I am/they are grumpy, we can always come back to the dance. Not even pretending to say I get along with everyone, but it's like I finally found all the cool kids and there's no way I'm switching tables.

"the cool kids" I like that! Yay, I'm finally cool

Pairwork definitely gets people giggling and being silly, but you know what, it's best in the earliest of early days, before people get worried about not dancing well... sigh.

For me the joy of the dance can be about mastery of movements and the intoxication of applause and the cameraderie of dancing with your group, but my favourite kind of dancing joy is when you hear music you know and just let yourself be in it, without needing to impress, because you know it and can dance to it and be happy in its familiarity.

Originally Posted by LunaBelgium

So true Lauren!

I have to remind myself from time to time!
So, I wonder how you all incorporate "the fun stuff" into your classes?

Anything you'd like to share?

Partner work, and choreographies that require them to pair off are great! I have students who've wound up lifelong buddies with their dance partner for a beginner choreography.

Taking the pressure off is huge, I think. I remind my students from time to time 'you came here because you thought it would be fun, right? But as soon as you got here you started evaluating yourself, trying to excel, being hard on yourself? Don't make this your job, this is just for fun." They always laugh and nod & release when I say that.

I teach choreo because it's fun for them, but I also remind them that they didn't come to class to learn 'a dance'. So it's OK if they never remember which move comes next. They still learned how to shimmy, how to do a hip bump, how to circle their ribcage. (this is no longer true, of course, when they're prepping for a performance, but my beginner class doesn't perform).

I accept them as they are. Some students, as I said, will NEVER be able to do the movements perfectly. Actually, the vast majority of my students will never be able to do ALL the movements perfectly. I look for their personal best execution. I give each student just one or two things to work on at a time so they don't feel harped on.

I work very hard at keeping my ego out of the way. I'd love for my student troupe to look supersharp and really showcase my choreographies at local haflas, for instance. But the only way to really achieve that would be to audition members, to be exclusive, to require more practice than the average hobbiest might be willing to give. So I keep a realistic standard for my student troupe. They have to come to class twice a week, they need to know the choreographies, etc. I maintain that it isn't fun to dance badly or to stumble around in a choreo they don't know well. But I balance that with acceptance that they ARE hobbyists, they are here to have fun. My student troupe only dances at student-appropriate events (haflas, studio parties, workshop shows) so it's OK if they're not pro-quality. (luckily, I now have a pro troupe that IS exclusive and demanding to send to public gigs & feed my ego with. LOL)

I give my beginners lots of toys to play with. I have silk veils, finger cymbals, canes, and wings in the studio. I have stacks of coffee cans for everyone to drum on when we're learning rhythms.

Lots of friendly, relaxed performance opportunities for all but the very beginners, like studio parties where costuming is optional and we're all just showing each other what we're learning. No official video LOL

Field trips! Gathering to go to haflas, restaurants with dancers, etc.

Encouraging each dancer to find her 'voice' and dance like herself rather than acting like all of them need to adopt MY style.

"I give my beginners lots of toys to play with. I have silk veils, finger cymbals, canes, and wings in the studio. I have stacks of coffee cans for everyone to drum on when we're learning rhythms."

i have cheap veil for the beginners and when we do veils every third session, I suggest they get chiffon on sale or find a long curtain at the thrift store. Maybe a cheap source of silk veils?? I like them to get a little involved and find their own material. Maybe i'm asking too much.

i can have 15 to 25 beginners----i don't know about the rest of those props for that many. I guess i can look into finding some cheap zills for 15 people.

I teach at a Ymca. I have maybe 3 or 4 repeats and the rest come from the Parks and Rec. mailer----and then don't repeat. Also---i have to bring everything w/ me. Maybe i can do the coffee can thing----hopefully i can find an easy way to lug them around. And how to find that many coffee cans?? Hmmmm---Lots of ideas.

Originally Posted by taji-dancer

"I give my beginners lots of toys to play with. I have silk veils, finger cymbals, canes, and wings in the studio. I have stacks of coffee cans for everyone to drum on when we're learning rhythms."

i have cheap veil for the beginners and when we do veils every third session, I suggest they get chiffon on sale or find a long curtain at the thrift store. Maybe a cheap source of silk veils?? I like them to get a little involved and find their own material. Maybe i'm asking too much.

i can have 15 to 25 beginners----i don't know about the rest of those props for that many. I guess i can look into finding some cheap zills for 15 people.

I teach at a Ymca. I have maybe 3 or 4 repeats and the rest come from the Parks and Rec. mailer----and then don't repeat. Also---i have to bring everything w/ me. Maybe i can do the coffee can thing----hopefully i can find an easy way to lug them around. And how to find that many coffee cans?? Hmmmm---Lots of ideas.

Keep in mind, I've built this stuff up over 10 years!

In the beginning, when I only taught one or two weekly classes, I would bring a 'grab bag' of veils. None of them were silk. Some were unhemmed lengths of fabric from the clearance rack. A lot of my students bought or made their own veils, and were proud to bring them to class, but I wanted to make sure everyone got to play, and since there are always (hopefully!) lots of new people in the class, I'd rather provide veils for them.

I've been in business for a lot of years, so I'm accustomed to the idea of 'reinvesting' a good % of my earnings to grow the business & enhance the customer experience, so eventually I invested in some reasonably priced silk veils from Naj at www.BellyDanceShoppe.com. I think with the group discount I paid about $20 each for them? Later I went back and bought a second batch.

That was all we had for years. Then eventually I bought a bunch of canes at Dahlal Internationale : Welcome! (she also gives an instructor discount).

And then later a batch of finger cymbals - I found them for something like $12 a set on Amazon. I make sure to tell the students that their cymbals won't sound like mine in class, because they're not pro quality. I encourage them to buy their own to practice at home... but not everyone does. Again, since they're here to have fun, that's OK (unless they're planning to perform of course).

The coffee cans -- when I didn't have my own studio, I used to ask each student to bring one to class during our sessions on rhythms, and I brought a dumbek. Now that I don't have to haul all that bulky stuff around, I have coffee cans, tambourines and defs for them in the studio and we rotate.

I think, though, the most imporant thing is making it OK to stay in class and enjoy themselves even if they're not naturally gifted dancers.

Giving them dances that are challenging enough to keep them sharp, but easy enough for them to master. Modeling an encouraging, accepting attitude. Lots of opportunities to dance with the group and also to create dances, to do choreo and improv, to dress up and perform for each other with the idea that it's OK if you're not perfect, we just want to see what you have to share with us.

Sometimes we seem to almost be embarrassed by the idea of non-professional students with imperfect technique wanting to dress up in shiny fabrics and dance for each other at the VFW hall. I'm just pointing that there is tremendous nobility in offering students *exactly* that! People need recreation, expression, art, and joy in their lives, they want to feel attractive and exotic and exciting -- and as bellydance teaches, we're in the perfect position to offer them that IF we don't start taking it all too seriously.

Originally Posted by *Shira*

Do you incorporate non-performance-oriented folkloric dances into your classes? Do you teach your students to hold hands and do a simple, repetitive debke for 8 minutes straight? Do you show them how much fun that simpe, repetitive step can be if you curl the line into a circle, tighten it into a spiral, open it back out, do it back-to-back, etc? Or how about a Greek syrtos or hasapiserviko? Maybe an Israeli hora? Or a Turkish 9/8 line dance?

We had so much fun with Sahra at the JtE 1 seminar when she taught Nubian- grown women running around like mad with veils on their heads, spread out like wings. Can't wait to find an opportunity to work that one in!

Originally Posted by Zumarrad

Pairwork definitely gets people giggling and being silly, but you know what, it's best in the earliest of early days, before people get worried about not dancing well... sigh.

For me the joy of the dance can be about mastery of movements and the intoxication of applause and the cameraderie of dancing with your group, but my favourite kind of dancing joy is when you hear music you know and just let yourself be in it, without needing to impress, because you know it and can dance to it and be happy in its familiarity.

Or, the challenge of trying to find and master a new piece.

I bring hip scarves etc to class but I guess I'm more into the art. If my students aren't joyful about that, well...

Originally Posted by Suzana

Lauren, will you please repost this as a note on Facebook so I can share it with a wider audience? It's a very, very important message. You speak from my heart.

I don't know if you are already my FB friend, but if not, here is my profile page: https://www.facebook.com/line.godin (city: Montreal)

I would like to share this too!

Big hug!

What a wonderful post, and ones that followed. Thank you!

Fantastic post as usual, Lauren!

I tend to be one of the "work is fun" kind of people. Not job type working (for some people it may be, but I'm not fond of my job). I find pleasure in working hard at things I like, but I have to remember that sometimes it's fun to relax, be goofy, get swept away. Our area (Baltimore-DC and beyond) has so much going on dancewise it can be hard to have get togethers to just dance or hang out because everyone's working or practicing or hitting a workshop or dancing at a show or whatever. I've met such cool people through dance that I want to really get to know them outside of a class or backstage!

I'm lucky that a bunch of us who know ATS have started dancing together. We are aiming for polished performance, but we also just love having the opportunity to get together and have fun dancing with each other. Next month we're hosting an ATS jam so other dancers can join us and get the opportunity to dance with new people and to HAVE FUN.

I would love to learn more folkloric dances. I went to a Balkan event a few years ago and had a great time stumbling through the group line dances. Also, it was a fantastic workout. One troupe here hosts a Summer Solstice hafla and ends it with a huge spiral dance, with everyone laughing and stumbling and smushed up against each other in this huge group. Laughing like that and moving at the same time feels so good!

The Tao of bellydance: we are the joy we wish to bring to others. Teachers teach best by example.