Thread: What are your teaching ideas for 2008?

Similar to the 'goals' thread, what are you aiming to do with your teaching in 2008? Post-Christmas, it's time for me to review the year and plan my classes for the next one, and I'm hoping to get some brainstorming inspiration!

So I'll start...

• Introduce several rhythms to my continuing beginners (something I've slacked off from in the last few terms)
• Study different music/dance styles with my new and enthusiastic intermediates
• Get off my butt and offer some fun student social nights (visit a restaurant and get up to dance/get senior students to dance); DVD watching
• Offer a workshop or two each term (again, I've procrastinated over organising this...what if it doesn't work? Well, I won't know until I try!)

Hmmm, the idea of getting senior students to perform at a restaurant night - perhaps I can look at offering them more performance practice and advice in class. But last time I tried that, they kept chickening out of doing their performance for each other!

I think in February we are going to do some work on wings improvisation...so I'd better get off my butt too :).

I want to start my drills class again in January if possible, if I can't get the studio time, I'll have to make my advanced class a drills. I can't stand all this choreography!!! Been on a steady diet of that this year.

Come on, give me some more ideas bhuzzers!

shhhhhhhhh, they don't yet know, I'm going to introduce zills to all my levles.

yup zills here too. more folky stuff. tina

I'm choreographing a skirt dance to start on in January. I'm also going to introduce more advanced veil moves. And I want to do what has been done here on Bhuz...let my advanced class choose from 2 pieces of music and choreograph a couple of minutes and perform in class.

I also want to get busy organizing a few social nights...dvd watching and visiting a restaurant to watch other dancers.

Oh I need to get off my butt also!!!
I am listening to my new CD's right now to find new class music 9thanks to the hubby i have new Cd's for Christmas!)
I want a very funky pop number and a spanish fusion for my ladies this first part of the year! Shhhh.... they don't know it yet.
Also, shhh, lots of turns!

Hey Faaria, I don't do Spanish fusion - 'cause I don't know anything about it, but I've been dying to do Corozon Espinado or Hotel California on Cleopatra Cafe. Let me know if you want the mp3s and I'll send them your way.

I'm not a teacher - but I'm getting to the point of offering a workshop called "When good veils go bad, overcoming veil-phobia" - by popular request of my dance sisters.

I taught a 1 hour "intro to double veil" class several months ago - while I was no Alyne Hazard, I was pretty pleased with how it came off. The beginner's class I helped co-teach wasn't as successful - the beginners had a hard time following my narrow hips, although I was successful in teaching them how to camel.

We'll see how it goes!

I offer a glass dance workshop for the first time. Let's see if people buy that - glass dancing is mostly unknown here.

And I think I should dig out my tambourine and think about new things to teach about it, maybe a new choreo that is simpler than the one I have.

Other than that I will probably teach shimmy workshops every month for the next 10 years - they sell so well ..l;,

Locally, I do some sets of 2 hours technique workshops that I can run again every year - like the impro workshop. Every year there are new dancers who haven't taken it yet...

MEISSOUN

I'm trying to come up with good topics for my "specialty" classes I'm teaching by request at the local belly dance studio. I know the first 8 weeks is a study on the veil and graceful arms, but I'm not sure from there. I want them to be informative, but not something that people take to feel they're checking off belly dance "progress points" or anything.

I also want to get the new cane duet I wrote this week ready since it's not something common to this area.

Oh, and I want to drill my advanced troupe in their zills much more because my goal is to choreograph an all zill piece by the end of the year where the "music" comes just from different people layering rhythms and accents. This will possibly be in collaboration with our drummer.

Originally Posted by zorba

I'm not a teacher - but I'm getting to the point of offering a workshop called "When good veils go bad, overcoming veil-phobia" - by popular request of my dance sisters.

Zorba, this sounds like a great idea. Have you written an article on this topic by any chance? I occasionally teach veil workshops (and teach it often in class) but I usually limit myself to 'how to do it right'. What sort of 'wrongs' do you like to cover? I'd like to think about this some more and see if I can't add some similar info to my own lessons. Very good topic..

Taking more classes than I teach. :)

Originally Posted by jewelbellydance

Zorba, this sounds like a great idea. Have you written an article on this topic by any chance? I occasionally teach veil workshops (and teach it often in class) but I usually limit myself to 'how to do it right'. What sort of 'wrongs' do you like to cover? I'd like to think about this some more and see if I can't add some similar info to my own lessons. Very good topic..

Yea, I'd base it on these two:

A review of this...
Choosing A Veil

And a lot of expounding and demonstrating how to get out of situations like these...
So You Want to be a Veil Dancer, Huh?

I've only ever really had one teacher who went to any length on how to recover from veil disasters, so most of this is stuff I've learned "the hard way". I keep encountering dance sisters, some of whom are VERY good, very well accomplished dancers (who are WAAAAAAY beyond my level) who are terrified of veils! It seems most teachers don't cover veil disaster recovery to any great extent. I tell them to "embrace the horror"; you're scared that your beautiful veil dance will go wrong - well, you should be because it WILL! Here's how you deal with it...

Blah, blah, blah...

BTW, any suggestions for improvements to these articles are ALWAYS warmly received - I'm not the Goddess's gift to veil dancing or anything else!

Originally Posted by zorba

Yea, I'd base it on these two:

A review of this...
Choosing A Veil

And a lot of expounding and demonstrating how to get out of situations like these...
So You Want to be a Veil Dancer, Huh?

Zorba, thank you! I laughed right the way through that second article. Very funny, but also very helpful. I think I shall do a lesson where I get my students to induce practice veil disasters this term. It should be a laugh.

And next time I get the dreaded veil head-wrap going, I am so going to yell 'Opa!'..g.:

Haven't been on in a few days! I would LOVE it if you sent it my way!!!
Faaria

I hope to get lots of ideas from other people.I'm on a training course!

Since I've finally been able to adjust my schedule and find a space for my student troupe to rehearse, we'll have a separate rehearsal time from my level 3 class, which means level 3 will be less about rehearsing and more about learning new material to rehearse in the troupe time. Not only that, but more of my level 2's can move into level 3 without me having to enlarge the troupe. These are my tribal class level plans:

Level 1: I restructured my classes to fit the BSBD level 1 format per the certification I received in June. It's been working well, so I don't plan on any changes here. Level 1 is tribal basic movements and playing basic zils.

Level 2: I'm still working on the restructuring of this class, but I think I have it down. Zils move beyond the basics, we'll cover improv in duets and trios, and we'll add at least 2 slow and 3 fast combinations per session. We'll also cover variations on the basic moves and leveling. This makes level 2 a four-session cycle to get all the material before moving on the level 3.

Level 3: Improv for 4 and 5 dancers, more advanced combinations, and introduction of floorwork, balancing swords or baskets, and skirt work.

I'm also hoping to have my first student show, partnering with another local dancer in the spring.

Outside of my weekly classes, I'm going to keep the local workshops going and am doing more extensive travel than ever before teaching workshops around the country. Some of the workshop are in the process of being restructured as well.

Originally Posted by jewelbellydance

Zorba, thank you! I laughed right the way through that second article. Very funny, but also very helpful. I think I shall do a lesson where I get my students to induce practice veil disasters this term. It should be a laugh.

And next time I get the dreaded veil head-wrap going, I am so going to yell 'Opa!'..g.:

Oh please don't! ..c:: If you do, I'll disavow all knowledge of it! ..l;,

Glad you liked the articles. I try to keep things light and humorous. Besides, part of the funnyness is we ALL have been there... (!)

Good advice, Zorba. The best bit was to just ditch the veil if it's not behaving. Sometimes you get so caught up in choreography that you don't think about just going on without it. No offense intended, but I had to laugh at the picture. I loved the caution tape around the stage. Stop! Do not come any closer! Beware the belly dancer!

You know, I never even noticed that tape that way before. You're right, it *is* pretty funny if you think about it!

I'm determined to get a really good Khaleegi dance going with my improver group.We did a great hagallah last term (based on the Reda troupe version).it turned out fab.It started off with some of my ideas which somehow caught the groups creative imagination and we ended up with a great dance with lots of input from people.It seemed like it was the groups dance-not mine and the brilliant thing is when we performed it nobody in the group was looking at me for cues and we were all so confident.Somehow I'd like to repeat that magic with the Khaleegi. Here's hoping!!
I'm taking on another 2 classes that have previously been taught by someone else-slightly worried about that!