My Classes: Frequently Asked Questions and Answers

---

Do you teach classes in Brooklyn, Queens, Staten Island, the Bronx, or New Jersey?

At this time, I only offer classes in Manhattan. For a comprehensive list of area instructors, see www.BellyDanceNY.com.

I'm really only interested in taking belly dance classes for recreation and exercise. Is this a good program for me?

Probably not. While I welcome all students, my classes are best suited for serious dancers.

A "serious" class sounds intimidating -- what's the classroom vibe like?

My current core students are some of the friendliest women I've ever had the pleasure to teach. While the classroom environment is disclipined and focused, all students enjoy the side benefits of fitness, fun, empowerment and enhanced self-esteem, spiritual growth, cultural exploration, and meeting new friends.

Will your classes prepare me to perform professionally in nightclubs and restaurants?

I focus more on dance as artistic expression than as commercial entertainment, and create performance opportunities for students in theater settings rather than in restaurants. While some of my students have gone on to become professional entertainers, traditional commercial work is not the main focus of my curriculum. I will happily offer private coaching to artistically mature aspiring professionals.

Are these classes for women only? Do men perform belly dance?

Most belly dance students and performers are women, and I'll make every attempt to accommodate female students who, for religious or cultural reasons, can not participate in dance activities where men are present. However, I have had a few male students, and men are welcome to take class. The movement vocabulary of belly dance is drawn from social and folk dance done by men and women alike. Men often employ firmer, heavier styling to create a masculine effect, and incorporate movements that display physical strength.

Will I be the oldest / youngest / fattest / skinniest person in the class?

Probably not! But, even if you are, you will fit in regardless of your age, shape, or size. Most of my students are in their twenties or thirties, but classes often include a few teens, and a few women in their forties, fifties, or sixties. (Occassionally, I have mothers and daughters who take class together!) In class, you will see a beautiful and astonishing diversity of women, representing the many ethnicities of New York City. Body types represent the spectrum of healthy women's shapes and sizes. Unlike many dance forms, belly dance doesn't require or exclude any particular body type: through this art, students of all shapes, sizes, and ages build strength, flexibility, coordination, balance, grace, confidence, and charisma.

I am totally uncoordinated / out of shape / have no rhythm. Can I really learn to dance?

Dance does come most easily to those with a natural talent, and not everyone can become a top-notch performer. However, most motivated students can gain basic proficiency with time, patience, and practice. To get the most from your class, work at your own pace and level. Take notes and ask questions. If it doesn't make sense, ask! Be patient. It takes time to learn any new skill, and everyone gets frustrated sometimes. Some dance movements may seem hard when they are first introduced, but please keep going. Repetition is the key to mastering dance vocabulary, and things will get easier with every class.

Will belly dance help me to get in shape, lose weight, and tone my abs?

Belly dance has many wonderful fitness benefits. However, as with any exercise, results depend on regular participation. Beginners' classes build strength, balance, flexibility, alignment, and coordination. Movements particularly focus on muscles in the thighs, gluts, and abdomen. Cardiovascular benefits increase as students progress. Beginners' classes focus on training the body to move through new movements; students in upper level classes are able to participate in more aerobic activity.

I'm from the Middle East, so I already know some belly dance. Should I go straight to the advanced course?

Probably not. I approach belly dance as a performance art, requiring greater technical precision than Middle Eastern social dance. Taking a Beginners' class will give you a solid technical foundation for more advanced classes. While familiarity with Middle Eastern social dance may lend a more natural look to your dance performance, it is no substitute for formal dance training.

I've taken a few belly dance classes before with another teacher-- what level course should I take?

I often direct students with less than a year of experience to my beginners' class. Belly dance is a dynamic and diverse art form, incorporating a wide array of styles and movements from the folk, social, and classical traditions of numerous cultures. There is no standardization for what movements are used, or the way movements are named or executed, so it's very likely that any new dance teacher will do some things differently than your previous instructors. Because I use my own precise, standardized movement vocabulary, most students will get the most from my curriculum by starting at the beginning. My program has a strong technical orientation, and the material presented in upper level classes relies heavily on students' understanding and mastery of the foundation concepts presented in the beginners' classes.

Is belly dance appropriate for children and teenagers?

Dance of any kind celebrates the human body. While the movements of belly dance are sensual, they are neither vulgar nor obscene. In fact, belly dance is far more modest than the style of dance seen in many music videos. Belly dance accepts and nurtures the diversity of women's bodies, encouraging healthy, realistic body images. Young women who study belly dance gain grace, improved posture, self-confidence and self-esteem.

How long will it take me to learn to do belly dance?

Students will know a little belly dance after their first class! Dance education, however, is a life-long process. Many factors determine a dancer's progress, including natural ability, dance or movement background, class attendance, practice outside of class, focus, and motivation. In my curriculum, many students are ready for Intermediate classes after 1-2 years of study, and are choreographing and performing technically sophisticated solo dances after about 3 years.

What's your observer policy? Can I bring my kids? What should I wear?

Please see my articles: Guide to Classroom Attire and Classroom Etiquette.