Finding the Right Teacher

By Piper

When I started teaching in Baltimore 7 years ago, there were no other belly dance instructors to be found in the area. Fortunately, this is not the case today! Now, there are so many good teachers that it may be difficult to choose.

If you are just starting out and trying to decide where to begin, the first questions to ask are not about the teacher, but about yourself. What are your goals; fun exercise, cool hobby, performing career? Do you work best when you have lots of personal attention and encouragement, or do you prefer to be part of a group? Do you mind being corrected in front of others, or would you prefer to just follow along and do your own thing? Do you like fast-paced classes that keep you moving, or do you prefer careful instruction and correction?

Teacher Credentials

The best dancers are not always the best teachers! If you just want to give belly dancing a try, a teacher who has only been dancing for five or six years but is really good at explaining things may work out just as well for you as an expert.

On the other hand, if your goal is to perform professionally, you need to study with an excellent dancer who has spent several years working regularly in clubs. Do you have problems with your knees or back? Then you need an instructor with rock solid technique and many years teaching of experience to help you avoid injury.

Personality is important, too! Some teachers spend a lot of time focusing on each technique presented, and they don't move on to the next one until every student in the class has it right. Others take a "follow me" approach, letting each student interpret the movement in her own way.

Some teachers quickly cover an entire curriculum in each class, while others only teach one move per lesson. Studying dance should be fun, good exercise, and enrich your life all at the same time. Keep trying different classes until you find one that makes you happy!

Group vs. Private Lessons

Some people progress faster if they work one-on-one with an instructor, while others don't want the pressure of that much attention. If you are able to look in the mirror and correct yourself, then there is no reason to spend your money on private lessons. Even if parts of a group class seem too basic for you, you can use that time to perfect the details of your technique, posture, and timing. However, if you don't like what you see when you watch yourself dance, and you don't know how to fix it, then definitely take some private lessons.

Also, your decision to study in a group or privately may change as your dance goals and abilities change.

Some dancers progress rapidly with group lessons for several years, and then hit a plateau just as they are ready to start performing, so private coaching may be right for them at that time.

Styles of Belly Dance

You may have a specific belly dance style in mind when you choose a teacher, or you may want to start with the style that your favorite teacher does best. If you are not sure, here is a quick, generalized overview to help you choose.

Turkish - often done in a leaned back posture with large hip movements and curved, open arm positions. Turkish style belly dance tends to be upbeat and bouncy, and may include athletic floorwork.

Egyptian - usually done in an upright posture with smaller, more subtle hipwork and arm movements. Egyptian style belly dance is likely to include precise isolations and complex, layered movements to accompany a drum solo.

Lebanese - a blend of the dynamism of Turkish with the posture and precision hipwork of Egyptian. Lebanese dancers are usually very light on their feet.

Tribal - characterized by stylized, exaggerated movements that lend themselves to being done the same way by each person in a group. Tribal is done with an emphasis on improvised interaction between the dancers, who take turns leading and following. The costumes are immediately recognizable as "ethnic," yet actually they are not specific to any particular geographic area or historic time.

There is also Tunisian belly dance, which is characterized by large twisting hip movements (closer to Egyptian posture), and Greek chiftitelli, which is fast-paced with thrusting and rotating hip movements (closer to Turkish posture).

Remember that no belly dance style developed in isolation. From the importation of entertainers for the pharaohs' banquets, to caravans on the Silk Road, to the mobility of slaves and court dancers in the Ottoman Empire, to the Egyptian and Hollywood movie industries, for millennia dancers have been inspired by their foreign sisters and blended new elements and ideas into their ancient art.

Define Your Goals

If you just want to have fun while getting some exercise, a fast-paced group class that keeps you moving is the way to go. If your goal is to put on a pretty costume and dance for your friends at a party 2 months from now, then you need a few private lessons with a teacher who will gloss over specific techniques in favor of style, presentation and props like veils.

If you want to become a professional dancer, and you are willing to spend 10 to 15 hours a week practicing and taking lessons, then start by studying with an instructor who stresses the fundamentals and carefully breaks down each move to its component parts. It is also very important for performers to take classes from as many different instructors as possible. You will learn different things from each of them, and this will help you to attain your own unique style.