Thread: Your classes? Help with with a survey.

I am interested in finding out about the content/nature of people's classes.

1.Do you advertise as teacher of a specific style of belly dance?More than one?
2.Do you teach more than one level?
3.Do you have performance troupe?
4.Do you drill technique every class?
5.When or if do you teach choreography?
6.When or if do you teach impovosation?
7.Do you follow a specific "school-method" eg Suhalia,JWAAD,FCBD?
8.Do you offer extra specialist workshops?
9.Do you teach another dance ?
10.If so is it within existing BD class or seperately?
11.Do you change your "curriculum" to suit students?
12.Do you teach day-time or evening or both
13.Are you self-employed or employed?
14.Is belly dancng your sole income? (dancing and or performing or allied business)
15.Which country are you in?

Help me out Bhuzzers where ever you are as long as you teach in a non-ME country. I'd love to get a really good sample and make it worthwhile to put together some conclusions/trends and variations.And if I do all results will be anonymous and I'll "publish" back to you.
I'll also be repeating on Shira's tribe and Orientaldancer.

Thank you.

As a side-suggestion...have you considered using an online survey tool? I use SurveyMonkey.com to do online surveys. I love them. Post-event I usually opt to pay for the professional version so I can use skip logic. This service has provided me valuable insight and I'm able to have all the results in one place.

Do you have an email address for responses? I assume we are meant to respond anonymously because you mention keeping results anonymous, but I wasn't sure how to send you my answers.

Is it OK if I just post my responses here?

1.Do you advertise as teacher of a specific style of belly dance?More than one? No, I just advertise 'bellydance' or sometimes 'middle eastern bellydance' and only mention specialization if someone asks, which is exceedingly rare.

2.Do you teach more than one level? Yes

3.Do you have performance troupe? I have a student repertory group. I don't like to call them a performance troupe, but many people would. So... grudgingly... yes.

4.Do you drill technique every class? Yes, for roughly a minimum of 20 minutes of each hour, including technique-based warmup.

5.When or if do you teach choreography? I teach choreography in all levels.

6.When or if do you teach impovosation? I offer improvisation mostly in my advanced technique class, for students who've trained one year or more.

7.Do you follow a specific "school-method" eg Suhalia,JWAAD,FCBD? No

8.Do you offer extra specialist workshops? Yes, usually with local/regional guest instructors though I teach a few myself.

9.Do you teach another dance ? No, but I teach yoga.

10.If so is it within existing BD class or seperately? Separately

11.Do you change your "curriculum" to suit students? Not really. Some groups seem to learn more quickly and they'll get more a more sophisticated 'enriched' version of the material, while other groups get a simplified version.

12.Do you teach day-time or evening or both
Both

13.Are you self-employed or employed? Self employed

14.Is belly dancng your sole income? (dancing and or performing or allied business) Yes combined with yoga, but teaching much more than performing.

15.Which country are you in? USA

1.Do you advertise as teacher of a specific style of belly dance?More than one?

Nope. I call it "belly dance" in my advertising.

However, on the first day of classes, I mention that we're learning mostly american traditional style, and talk about what that is, as well as a little bit about its local history. (The first ME nightclub in the US was here in Boston!)


2.Do you teach more than one level?

Yes: I teach Level 1 (beginners: 1-year curriculum) and Level 2 (advanced beginners)


3.Do you have performance troupe?

No.


4.Do you drill technique every class?

Yes. We do a short drill of percussive moves and shimmies every week after the warm-up. We also work on technique for specific moves every week.


5.When or if do you teach choreography?

I teach a choreography in some sessions of my Level 1 class. I use it mostly as a way for them to put the moves we've learned into context, and to give them a structured way to practice them.

I occasionally teach choreography in Level 2, but we put more emphasis on improv, or on shorter combinations.


6.When or if do you teach impovosation?

I sneak some improvisation into my Level 1 class (usually by teaching them a combination and asking them to come up with variations, or by asking them to play around for a few beats during a "follow me" drill).

Level 2 includes formal improvisation drills.



7.Do you follow a specific "school-method" eg Suhalia,JWAAD,FCBD?

No. I took formal teacher training with my mentor Amira Jamal, and did a 9-month teaching apprenticeship with her, but there was no certification process.


8.Do you offer extra specialist workshops?

Not at this time. I do occasionally do an intro to belly dance workshop for the general public (not my students) as a feeder to my classes. I have done specialty workshops in the past, but that was before I started my class.


9.Do you teach another dance ?

No.


10.If so is it within existing BD class or seperately?

n/a


11.Do you change your "curriculum" to suit students?

Yes: in Level 1, I create a lesson plan for the year, for the session, and for the lesson. However, I'll depart from that plan when the needs of the class change. I've also changed my curriculum to work around my own injuries.


12.Do you teach day-time or evening or both

Currently only in the evening.


13.Are you self-employed or employed?

Both: I have a day job, but my dance work is all self-employed. (i.e., I don't work for a dance studio.)


14.Is belly dancng your sole income? (dancing and or performing or allied business)

No.


15.Which country are you in?

USA

Thanks to those who have taken the thime. I'll look into the different "tools"
Keep 'em coming or you can send them to my email jarrett(underscore)liz(at)hotmail(dot)com

1.Do you advertise as teacher of a specific style of belly dance? No, I just advertise 'bellydance' or sometimes 'middle eastern bellydance' and only mention specialization if someone asks, which is exceedingly rare. (this is a stolen direct quote of Lauren's answer!)

2.Do you teach more than one level? Yes.

3.Do you have performance troupe? No. For the first time, I am offering an intermediate level class where participants have the option of performing at my festival (extracurricular rehearsals required).

4.Do you drill technique every class? Yes. The classes are mostly drills. I use combos too, as jmdrhuadh put so well, "as a way for them to put the moves we've learned into context."

5.When or if do you teach choreography? I teach choreography in limited sessions at the intermediate level.

6.When or if do you teach improvisation? We do some improvisation (without calling it that) at the beginning level. At the intermediate level, besides drilling, we do improvisation skills and/or becoming comfortable with solo as opposed to group dance. After all, BD is a solo sport at it's heart.

7.Do you follow a specific "school-method" eg Suhalia,JWAAD,FCBD? No. My mama's method, augmented with my own stuff, is good enough for me!

8.Do you offer extra specialist workshops? Yes. I teach one or two of these a year. I produce an annual festival and bring in well-known local and nationally/internationally-recognized instructors.

9.Do you teach another dance? No.

10.If so is it within existing BD class or seperately? n/a

11.Do you change your "curriculum" to suit students? Not really. Some groups seem to learn more quickly and they'll get more a more sophisticated 'enriched' version of the material, while other groups get a simplified version. (this is another directly copied quote from Lauren)

12.Do you teach day-time or evening or both? Both, but the vast majority are evening.

13.Are you self-employed or employed? Self employed as an independent contractor.

14.Is belly dancng your sole income? (dancing and or performing or allied business) Yes. However, I do not have to rely on it as we have my husband's income. Mostly I reinvest in my teaching business in some way or my performing, or a new pair of shoes from Nordstrom. Right now, though, all my teaching money is going to pay for my daughter's wedding!

15.Which country are you in? USA

1.Do you advertise as teacher of a specific style of belly dance?More than one?
* I teach Classical and Modern Egyptian and Middle Eastern and North African Folkloric styles. In most of my advertising I use "belly dance" and "raqs sharqi" as labels. For specific class series focused on a topic, I will use the more specific name in the class name.

2.Do you teach more than one level?
* Yes

3.Do you have performance troupe?
* Yes

4.Do you drill technique every class?
* Yes

5.When or if do you teach choreography?
* I introduce choreography after students have learned the basic movements. First just as combinations and then build towards full choreographies. I only concentrate on choreography in the performance group or specific class series.

6.When or if do you teach impovosation?
* I introduce improvisation at the same time as choreography - once students have learned the basic moves. I focus on improvisation as well in the performance group and in specific class series.

7.Do you follow a specific "school-method" eg Suhalia,JWAAD,FCBD?
* No.

8.Do you offer extra specialist workshops?
* Yes.

9.Do you teach another dance ?
* North African and Middle Eastern Folkloric Dances

10.If so is it within existing BD class or seperately?
* Folkloric sections are covered in specific class series and within sessions that show how modern raqs sharqi shows incorporate folkloric moves and feel.

11.Do you change your "curriculum" to suit students?
* In some ways. I try to tailor the class level to the students who are in attendance slightly, but not outside of the level range for the class. The level 2 students are asked to vote on the next topic to be covered, but with the understanding that they will cover both topics - they are voting on which to cover 1st.

12.Do you teach day-time or evening or both
* Evening

13.Are you self-employed or employed?
* I am not sure if this is specific to dance classes or asking about outside employment. Self-employed as a dance instructor, but employed in my day job.

14.Is belly dancng your sole income? (dancing and or performing or allied business)
* No.

15.Which country are you in?
USA

Oh, this is a welcome distraction! Need to take some time out writing an article on history of bellydance websites..l;, (Lizajuk will get it...)

1.Do you advertise as teacher of a specific style of belly dance?More than one?
Just 'bellydance' for me!

2.Do you teach more than one level?
Yes: I teach Foundation and Improver Levels. The Foundation level is mostly beginners, the Improver level is mixed and I do
push them quite a bit.

3.Do you have performance troupe?
No

4.Do you drill technique every class?Not sure what you mean by 'drill'. In the Foundation level we focus on certain moves each week, but I try not to repeat them for 10 mins on end! I prefer to get them worked into dancing to a piece of music and combined with other movements. We do more drilling in Improver level if we're focussing on technique, but I still prefer to work the practice of them into something else.

5.When or if do you teach choreography?
I've blown hot and cold with this over the years, and am currently in a cold phase (after teaching a choreo before Christmas...aaaagh). I prefer not to - I prefer to support students to learn to improvise. I am honest with this about students early on. The recent choreography was taught at the request of students, but it was really hard work - people didn't take notes, didn't attend every week, etc.

6.When or if do you teach impovosation?
Try and cover this or at least make space for it in every class. Unless I've been talked into teaching a choreography

7.Do you follow a specific "school-method" eg Suhalia,JWAAD,FCBD?
No.

8.Do you offer extra specialist workshops?
Not sure what you mean by specialist? I don't specialise in any particular props or styles.

9.Do you teach another dance ?No.

10.If so is it within existing BD class or seperately?N/A

11.Do you change your "curriculum" to suit students?My Foundation level is fairly set, although I'll tweak the content of classes if I have a particularly fast/slow learning group. The Improver level stuff is generated much more by who's in the class, what they're interested in, what they want/need to work on. I also try and cover stuff that isn't done in the other local bellydance classes so people that go to both don't have too much replication.

12.Do you teach day-time or evening or both
Currently just evenings as I have family responsibilities during the day.

cont'd...

cont'd...

13.Are you self-employed or employed?
Self-employed.

14.Is belly dancng your sole income? (dancing and or performing or allied business)
Yes - but let's not pretend I'm living off it! My income contributes to the household income.

15.Which country are you in?
England, Britain.

1.Do you advertise as teacher of a specific style of belly dance?More than one?
Not really. I do employ a teacher who specifically teaches 'Egyptian style', so I let perspective students know that if they're asking about the various class options. But mostly people just want to learn 'bellydancing' on a specific day of the week, rather than a specific style.

2.Do you teach more than one level?
Yes, Level 1-4 (beginner to advanced)

3.Do you have performance troupe?
No

4.Do you drill technique every class?
I do - as in, break down and practice a few techniques every class. Different every week. Teacher B, whom I employ, doesn't drill technique much - she teaches choreography in the follow-the-bouncing-butt Egyptian teaching style.

5.When or if do you teach choreography?
I rarely teach at level 1. Usually teach intermediate/advanced students for the two terms before our concert. I may also teach a non-performance choreo as a learning tool for a particular style or prop usage. Teacher B teaches choreo at all levels.

6.When or if do you teach impovosation?
I use guided improv exercises at beginner to intermediate levels (eg: practice flowing circles, 8's and arms together), gradually allowing more freedom to advanced levels. But at most I would spend max 30% of the term's time on improv.

7.Do you follow a specific "school-method" eg Suhalia,JWAAD,FCBD?
No

8.Do you offer extra specialist workshops?
Very rarely. I teach props and focus on different specific topics each term in intermediate/advanced classes. However, I provide info to my students on any workshops I hear about, and encourage them to attend.

9.Do you teach another dance ?
Sometimes teach Bollywood inspired dance for fitness

10.If so is it within existing BD class or seperately?
Separately

11.Do you change your "curriculum" to suit students?
Yes for intermediate and advanced students. I set topics every term depending upon the class make-up and requests.

12.Do you teach day-time or evening or both
Evening. Have tried daytime and it never works.

13.Are you self-employed or employed?
Self-employed.

14.Is belly dancng your sole income? (dancing and or performing or allied business)
Yes - includes teaching, gigs, hens and kids parties, high school and corporate workshops.

15.Which country are you in?
Australia

Aw what have done. Thanks gals.

Hi all
I have had 15 responses..a small sample but it does give me somehting to get my teeth into. I'd love that to double.
I've looked at survey monkey and I don't think it would allow for some of the open ended comment I'm getting and which is useful so I may just plough on this way.
I am aware that samples need to be big and I am looking at putting it into our magazine and maybe contacting othe organisations. The thing is then...what to do with what I find out.
If you think it's useful I will report back on trends although plough on until I have a fair sized sample.
Again thanks it's interesting reading and any more?

1.Do you advertise as teacher of a specific style of belly dance?


my general adds say "bellydance". for longer adds (press releases, article adds) i often specify that we do both "traditional and modern style" or "from modern cairo to american cabaret", or "from classical songs to modern pop". etc. several turns of phrase more or less indicating that we do a whole range of styles. website has quite detailed class per class description each term

2.Do you teach more than one level?

yes, beginners, beginners II, lower intermediate I, lower intermediate II, upper intermediate I, upper intermediate II, advanced.

3.Do you have performance troupe?

i used to, but right now it's a very loose formation. with on the one hand a small group of semi-pro's/advanced students i ask along for pro multiple dancers gigs, and on the other hand a larger group of upperintermediates that i try to find gigs for, but rehearsals are organised on a show by show basis, not as a formal troupe.

4.Do you drill technique every class?

yes
5.When or if do you teach choreography?

from lower intermediate II upwards i try to give them one choreography per year. not every term. since i've started doing a student show every 2 years i started doing a little more choreo.
6.When or if do you teach impovosation?

in every class

7.Do you follow a specific "school-method" eg Suhalia,JWAAD,FCBD?

hehe, yes/no "my own". there are several teachers in my school and they all more or less follow my format. we also discuss extensively what will be taught, how, why, any changes to the program.

8.Do you offer extra specialist workshops?

yes

9.Do you teach another dance ? 10.If so is it within existing BD class or seperately?

no

11.Do you change your "curriculum" to suit students?

the beginners en beginners II is a pretty fixed format, however, the pace varies depending on the students and how they progress.
for the other levels we really adapt the classes to whatever the class seems to be needing/enjoying and the teacher teaching that class gets a lot more freedom.

12.Do you teach day-time or evening or both

evening

13.Are you self-employed or employed?

self employed and volunteer (my dance school is a non profit company. i bill the dance school as a self-employed for some of the work i do by the hour, but by far not for all of it. i also function as a self employed if i do things outside the dance school

14.Is belly dancng your sole income?
no
15.Which country are you in?

belgium

1.Do you advertise as teacher of a specific style of belly dance?More than one?

Yes and no. My general advertising just says belly dance, but if you read the more detailed descriptions I put on my website I include what style or topic we will be studying. It becomes more specific with the more advanced classes. It is more general with the basic class. I do teach more than one style.

2.Do you teach more than one level?

I teach 3 general levels - but I try to keep them more about content than about levels. By that I mean I encourage advanced students to revisit classes that are open to lower levels to work on the content taught in those classes.

3.Do you have performance troupe?

Just starting one today.

4.Do you drill technique every class?

In some shape or form, yes.

5.When or if do you teach choreography?

When preparing my students for a show or if it seems appropriate for the topic of the class.

6.When or if do you teach improvosation?

Strangely enough, also when preparing my classes for a show or if it seems appropriate for the topic of the class. Although, I don't usually breach improvisation in the basic level classes at all. My more advanced classes spend a lot of time improvising.

7.Do you follow a specific "school-method" eg Suhalia,JWAAD,FCBD?

No

8.Do you offer extra specialist workshops?

From time to time, but this is something I'm thinking about doing more of in the future.

9.Do you teach another dance ?

No

10.If so is it within existing BD class or seperately?

N/A

11.Do you change your "curriculum" to suit students?

Yes, I'm constantly adjusting my curriculum to better fit my students' needs and goals.

12.Do you teach day-time or evening or both

Group classes in the evening - occasionally a private lesson during the day.

13.Are you self-employed or employed?

Both

14.Is belly dancng your sole income? (dancing and or performing or allied business)

Right now, but I'm looking to change that by picking up a more steady paycheck doing something else.

15.Which country are you in?

USA

1.Do you advertise as teacher of a specific style of belly dance?More than one?
I advertise my classes as 'Middle Eastern Belly Dance'. The fine print specifies things a bit more (for example, solo styles, modern and classic Egyptian and American styles, folkloric, finger cymbals, etc.).

2.Do you teach more than one level?
Yes.

3.Do you have performance troupe?
No, but my advanced class performs several times a year as a group (for National Dance Week and for one or two community service events).

4.Do you drill technique every class?
Yes.

5.When or if do you teach choreography?
In my advanced class for performances (see above), and in other classes as necessary or appropriate to what we are working on that term.

6.When or if do you teach improvisation?
From intermediate classes on up. Much more in advanced class. I don't always use the term 'improvisation'. ;)

7.Do you follow a specific "school-method" eg Suhalia,JWAAD,FCBD?
No.

8.Do you offer extra specialist workshops?
Occasionally, and hopefully more in the future.

9.Do you teach another dance ?
No.

10.If so is it within existing BD class or seperately?


11.Do you change your "curriculum" to suit students?
The larger framework has become fairly solid, though I make changes as needed, but certainly I tweak it constantly based on who is in class and what their goals are.

12.Do you teach day-time or evening or both
Both. Group classes are all in the evenings, private and semi-private classes tend to be in the day.

13.Are you self-employed or employed?
Both.

14.Is belly dancing your sole income?
Not currently, though it has been. I currently have additional part time teaching work in another field.

15.Which country are you in?
USA

Originally Posted by deelybopper

Yes: I teach Foundation and Improver Levels. The Foundation level is mostly beginners, the Improver level is mixed and I do push them quite a bit.

I love the term "improver". It's so much clearer than "beginner", which we end up using "beginner" to mean a whole range of skill levels, from complete newbies to advanced beginner, which can easily span two years. I wish I could use it in American English and be understood. :)

Hm - I have teaching experiences in two countries now. I'll try to be clear!

1.Do you advertise as teacher of a specific style of belly dance?More than one? In the UK, I simply called it Middle Eastern Dance, because I was marketing to mostly beginners. In NZ, I've specified Egyptian styled raqs sharqi and names the various folk forms I'm versed in.
2.Do you teach more than one level? Yes - in the UK beginners, Improvers, and private lessons pitched at whatever level the student is at. In NZ, predominantly private lessons at a high level.
3.Do you have performance troupe? No
4.Do you drill technique every class? Yes
5.When or if do you teach choreography? From day one!
6.When or if do you teach impovosation? From Improver level, gently introduced!
7.Do you follow a specific "school-method" eg Suhalia,JWAAD,FCBD? No
8.Do you offer extra specialist workshops? Yes - my normal beginner-thru-improvers class curriculum includes specialist classes on folk forms, and I offer specialised classes/workshops on whatever subject a client requests with my repertoire
9.Do you teach another dance ? No
10.If so is it within existing BD class or seperately? N/A
11.Do you change your "curriculum" to suit students? Yes and no - in the UK, my curriculum stayed very stable no matter what, and I relied instead on giving some one-to-one feedback in class to make sure people were up to speed with where they should be. Particularly in NZ I've been very flexible in my curriculum because I've been working more on private and semi-private lessons.
12.Do you teach day-time or evening or both - In the UK, solely in the evening. In NZ, weekend daytimes.
13.Are you self-employed or employed? Ah, as my primary (non-dance) income employed. In the UK, my dancing income was first self-employed (performing), then employed (teaching through a further education college), and now in NZ my dancing income (all teaching) is self-employed.
14.Is belly dancng your sole income? (dancing and or performing or allied business) Not by a long shot! ..l;,
15.Which country are you in? New Zealand, formerly UK.

Many thanks girls. Just a few more and I hink I have a small viable sample to work on. There are already some interesting trends that I'll tell you about.
My probem is of course that I am touching dedicated people on the forum and I suppose there are a lot of folks out there teaching shall we say a lot less seriously than Bhuzzers and other forum embers. Ho hum.