How does one learn to Belly Dance?
If answers like “take lessons, practice, study hard, drill, etc.” come to mind then YOU, my friend, are under the influence of Western culture and society!
Caitlin Ray in American Belly Dance Fitness Attire!
However, if answers like “I don’t know, you just do it” or “watch people and copy them” come to mind… then you’re a little more Eastern-minded.
So what is behind these answers? There are two main driving forces, that I can see, behind the different answers. One is cultural regarding how dance is viewed and learned in society. The other is just straight-forwardly a matter of cultural logistics.
Let’s start there.
In the Middle East, “Belly Dance” is danced in the home amongst women. It’s not even referred to as “Belly Dance” – that’s a Western label! It’s just dance. They grow up surrounded by Middle Eastern music because it is their music and they grow up with family members dancing the movements that naturally go with it. It’s as if, from a very young age, they are learning a language – and they are! They are absorbing and learning a movement vocabulary through immersion. They see it spoken around them, they imitate what the see, and every once in a while someone pulls them aside to teach them or correct them. (For more information on this experience, check out Grandmother’s Secrets: The Ancient Rituals and Healing Power of Belly Dancing by – Rosina-Fawzia Al-Rawi)
So you see, in the West, most of us are never presented with such an opportunity to learn Belly Dance! When I entered my first class at 16, I had never heard the music or seen a SINGLE Belly Dance move. Everything was fascinating, but foreign. I had no choice but to study the music, movements, and cultural connotations through teachers, travel, and books. It will probably be a lifelong journey for me, and I may never fully understand the way it is viewed by Arabs, but the more I learn, the closer I get!
Which brings me to the different teaching styles. Although Belly Dance has it’s roots within the home, there are still Belly Dance teachers from the Middle East. They teach the “studied” version of the dance, Raks Sharki, which involves fancy turns, specific posture, and techniques not generally used in the common dance of the people. However, they teach it in a “follow me” approach where they dance and ask you to immitate them. They expect you to learn simply by watching them dance, because that is how they learned. There is virtually no break-down or explanation! It’s only in recent years that some of these teachers have been driven crazy by Western dancers enough, that they have begun to attempt breaking down movements here and there – but it’s rare!
Non-native dancers NEED movements broken down…
because their bodies have never been asked to perform such precise, intricate, internal movements before! They can see a shimmy, but not have the slightest idea how to make it happen! Aware of this (and potentially out of habit) Western teachers have developed their own systems for breaking down Belly Dance so it can be easily learned by their students.
Some teachers model their classrooms after jazz or ballet classes (studied Western dance forms) where there are basic movements, traveling combinations taken across the floor, and choreographies created for performance.
When
it comes to breaking down movements, the Salimpour’s (both Jamila and Suhaila) have probably had the biggest impact on American Belly Dance. In my opinion, one of the most important gifts they have given us is the breaking down of movements muscularly into a series of small, isolated contractions that can be put together to build both traditional Belly Dance movements and new innovations!
Portia Lange has also developed a Western approach to dance, teaching Belly Dance using the fitness model. Her step-by-step, easy-to-digest method is not only fun, but effective for teaching complete beginners with no dance experience, how to Belly Dance.
So there you have it – the American approach to teaching! The general belief is that the breaking down of movements is essential for comprehension and mastery of this foreign art form! This approach also makes the most sense to our students, because that is how they learn everything else! We are a technology driven society where we learn things by examining their basic components, following explicit procedures, and learning from experts. We can’t help it!
I’ve learned to cook by finding recipes in books and on the internet, I’ve learned Calculus from professors and YouTube videos, and I’ve learned Belly Dance from instructors, DVDs, and the study of anatomy and physiology! I’m an American girl, and an American Belly Dancer!
About the author:
Caitlin has launched American Belly Dance classes at Belly Motions where she presents the most current American teaching methodologies and fresh interpretations of Belly Dance! Drop in to her Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced, or American Style Belly Dance classes, or hire her for your next event!
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About the Author:Caitlin has launched American Belly Dance classes at Belly Motions where she presents fresh, new, modern, totally “Caitlin” interpretations of Belly Dance! Drop in to her Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced, or American Style Belly Dance classes, or hire her for your next event!
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