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I've spent years studying belly dance throughout history. Where did it all begin? Has it changed? How has it changed? Is it the same everywhere it's danced? Etc, etc, etc. You know - those questions that historians ask. ;)
Most performing arts are very poorly documented throughout most of history. The art itself does not survive past the performance until the invention of video - so historians are forced to rely on artistic representations and written description. Both are poor sources for what was actually done. In addition to that is that in many cultures no one bothered to record in any way information about dance. So most of the early ages are pure theory. Now this doesn't mean that I believe that you just throw up your hands and go and do whatever you want. There are many areas of history and in science where theory is all we have. So you base your theory on solid facts and be prepared to rethink your position as new information becomes available. Nothing wrong with that at all.
So what facts do we have about the beginnings of belly dance? Good Question! The answer is not many. We know that dance of some kind was done as a part of religious worship in the the same geographic area. Some of the descriptions and very few depictions give us the idea that this early dance was related to belly dance. This seems to be a commonly held belief among most of the scholars doing research in this area. Most dance historians of any kind believe that dance in general began as part of spiritual and religious beliefs. So it's not really a great surprise that belly dance might have begun in a similar way. However there is little documentation that the dance done by the priestesses in that geographic area was the same (as in unchanged) from what we do today and know as belly dance. After all wild maize (corn) doesn't look anything like the genetically domesticated corn that we eat today! So why should the dance which is even more fluid and easily changed than a plant?
So we leave the myst of the ancient days and move into more documented times. There were many early cultures in that area of the word Sumerian, Babylonian, Egyptian, Persian that were fairly well documented. Unfortunately none of the ancient cultures left much direct information on dance. That they danced is a definite. How they danced is the question. This is the era that I believe where the sacred dance began to change and be used in a secular sense. The sacred and the secular lived side-by-side. This was the first large sweeping change to what eventually became known as belly dance. There are artistic depictions of dance in some of these cultures. Ancient Persia has many vases and murals from this period that depict dance and they regularly imported Greek dancing girls. Ancient Egypt has some wonderful artwork that depicts dance - but it doesn't particularly look like modern belly dance. For examples of Ancient Egyptian dance read Irena Lexova's book, "Ancient Egyptian Dances". The dance appears to be more angular and more acrobatic than modern belly dance. There are ancient texts that discuss "quivering thighs" and this definitely sounds more like what we know as belly dance, so I definitely believe that the dance existed. The question is in what form? What music did they dance to? This has to affect the dance! It certainly affects dance today. At this point we know that women were still dancing publicly. Did men dance this dance during this period? Did men and women dance together? All good questions and mostly the answer is it depends on the culture. Just like today, belly dance or it's form at this time, was greatly affected by the culture. Men definitely danced in the ancient world even the bible discussed Solomon dancing in the streets and the temple. The question isn't did men dance - the question is did they belly dance? Did they belly dance with women? Men and women were often segregated in the ancient world. There are still placed today where this is true. Certainly it was true in history. All good questions and all important when tracing the dance.
For the Middle East, the next period is the one where even more specific information on belly dance becomes available. The birth of Islam and it's spread across the area affected belly dance in a most significant way. The world changed dramatically and all of culture and society was affected by that change. Women and their role in society was perhaps affected most of all.
To be continued . . . . .
Friday, September 19, 2008
Saturday, September 6, 2008
The Art of Teaching
Teaching is an art - a talent - and a learned skill. We all can remember one amazing teacher that touched our lives and changed how we viewed a subject. We got it - the light bulb came on and we were excited! That is a good teacher.
Anyone can hang out a shingle and begin teaching anything they want. They can ask folks to pay them money and there it is. Academic teachers usually have to prove they know how to do this and have been trained if they choose to teach through a school or organized institution - however, if they choose to offer their services as a tutor or private teacher there isn't any governing organization that requires that they be trained or licensed - although the potential employer can do so.
Dance teachers have even less requirements placed on them. There is no organized state or government board that licenses the average dance teacher (for those teaching in the academic world there is a certification process, but most dance teachers don't go that route). The average dance teacher has taken lessons and achieved a certain skill level and then begins to teach. Each dance discipline handles this in a different way. Belly Dance has very little structure for this process.
Many belly dance teachers take lessons and start getting requests from friends and audience members to "teach them". And so they begin teaching. Many belly dancers consider the question of whether they are qualified to teach, but many more don't. They are flattered and see a need and start teaching. Some of them are naturals. They luck out and work at it and become even better and all is good. Many are not naturals and they don't luck out and woe be it to the student who ends up in their class. Being a talented performer or a knowledgeable dancer does not make one a good teacher.
The old adage of "those who can do and those who can't teach" is a bunch of malarkey! Teachers in any subject need training and skills and to be great they need passion and talent, just like any other field or occupation. That old adage is one of the reasons that classroom teachers make so little money and have so little respect, but I digress.
I've set in and lurked through many online discussions on what the qualifications of a good teacher should be. What skills should they know? How many years of experience as a dancer should they have? What makes a really talented teacher? The varied opinions on this cut a pretty wide path.
Some people think that no one should teach unless they have been performing professionally in the restaurant trade for X number of years. Hmm - that one leaves me out. I don't perform in restaurants - not my cup of tea. Don't enjoy it and have no intention of doing it. So I'm not a big proponent of that one.
Some people think that no one should teach unless their teacher says they can/or are ready. Now this one has some merit. Your own teacher is a really good judge of your strengths and weaknesses. She/He will know whether or not you can break down moves well, can perform moves and choreography with excellent technique, are well versed in the culture and history of the dance form, and whether or not you have good performance skills. This is an age old method of deciding whether someone is ready to teach in many other occupations and I think a valid consideration for belly dance. Many of those bad teachers skip this step because they know their teacher wouldn't "sign-off" on them so to speak. So they drop out of class and suddenly the teacher hears that their student has started teaching across town. It's disappointing and fools no one. People in the community will ask the teacher, "Did you know X has started teaching?" And the teacher always answers "Yes, but without my blessings." This does nothing for the new teacher's reputation and causes much ill will in the community. Now here's where I disagree with many folks. I don't think it's the experienced teacher's job to go to her now ex-student and say, "You can't teach" or some other version of that sentiment. There is no regulatory board and the student already knows her teacher wouldn't approve or she wouldn't have been so sneaky about it. Many folks feel it is the experienced teacher's job to police her students. While I wish that the original teacher had some authority in this matter that just isn't the case.
Some people think that a dancer should have learned specific technique/styles/etc before they should teach. Belly dance has grown beyond a one style dance. There are a variety of styles that any good teacher should be familiar with and know who the experts are so as to be able to refer students to the experts in other styles. However, I don't necessarily believe that all belly dancers should be experts in all styles. For one, some of them just aren't every one's cup-of-tea. I like certain traditional styles, but I choose to perform and teach in the tribal genre'. Even in ballet there is the Russian School and the American or Western School. Ballet teachers don't usually cross schools as teachers - they know the difference and know who the good teachers are in the other discipline, but they teach in one or the other. I see no reason for belly dance to be any different. Now I'm not saying that a teacher couldn't do it all - but I don't think it should be a requirement for her/him to do it all.
All of this leads me to the following. My own list of what makes a good belly dance teacher. Consider all of this as you look around for someone to study with. . . .
1. Good Solid Technique in their chosen style and knowledge of technique in other styles.
2. A curriculum that is thought out and constantly being revised. Goals and objectives. A time line for accomplishing the curriculum. Organization in presentation. Thought to how the movements build upon one another and consideration for learning styles or modalities.
3. Solid knowledge in the cultural history, current culture, and community of belly dance. Learning this art form goes beyond just the moves.
4. Costuming knowledge and skill. This needs to go beyond - "you can find it at www.costume.com".
5. A relationship with the local belly dance community. The teacher should be able to recommend other instructors in other styles and know where/when upcoming events are happening.
6. Patience, passion, and purpose. Consideration of the student's needs and what is best for them even if that conflicts with what they want today.
7. Health and safety. A knowledge of anatomy and basic injury risks is necessary. Good warm ups and cool downs, how to protect the student while they learn and when to not attempt something.
8. Performance skills and experience. Belly Dance is a performance art. The good instructor takes the student beyond technique and into performance. Choreography, Improvisation, stage work, and restaurant work. It all has it's own set of dos and don'ts and it's own set of needs. Performance opportunities for students should be provided. How often and where can vary, but they should happen regularly and be appropriate for the students level. Choreography should be designed for the student performer - not a professional unless the student is a professional.
9. Time and Ethics skills. Teachers should manage their classroom time to benefit all the class. Spending a bit of extra time on something, but not getting sidetracked. Being prepared for each class and not just "winging it" (this goes back to number 2). Creating an environment where everyone is welcome, not just the really talented people, or prettiest or youngest, etc. Not tolerating behavior that works against any of this. Teachers should be in charge of their class. This is class - not girls night out at the local pub. While friendships will and should develop between students, that shouldn't be the basis of attending class, but a fringe benefit.
10. Fun. Teachers should try to make sure that students enjoy and have fun in class and with their performances. The teacher is only half of this - the student has to put forth effort on this as well.
These are my top ten. I could go on and on about this topic. Outside of belly dance I hold a Masters of Education and I've taught many subjects including dance for almost 18 years. I could turn each of those numbers in the list into individual papers on that subtopic! But I think you can get the drift from the short version. ;)
Anyone can hang out a shingle and begin teaching anything they want. They can ask folks to pay them money and there it is. Academic teachers usually have to prove they know how to do this and have been trained if they choose to teach through a school or organized institution - however, if they choose to offer their services as a tutor or private teacher there isn't any governing organization that requires that they be trained or licensed - although the potential employer can do so.
Dance teachers have even less requirements placed on them. There is no organized state or government board that licenses the average dance teacher (for those teaching in the academic world there is a certification process, but most dance teachers don't go that route). The average dance teacher has taken lessons and achieved a certain skill level and then begins to teach. Each dance discipline handles this in a different way. Belly Dance has very little structure for this process.
Many belly dance teachers take lessons and start getting requests from friends and audience members to "teach them". And so they begin teaching. Many belly dancers consider the question of whether they are qualified to teach, but many more don't. They are flattered and see a need and start teaching. Some of them are naturals. They luck out and work at it and become even better and all is good. Many are not naturals and they don't luck out and woe be it to the student who ends up in their class. Being a talented performer or a knowledgeable dancer does not make one a good teacher.
The old adage of "those who can do and those who can't teach" is a bunch of malarkey! Teachers in any subject need training and skills and to be great they need passion and talent, just like any other field or occupation. That old adage is one of the reasons that classroom teachers make so little money and have so little respect, but I digress.
I've set in and lurked through many online discussions on what the qualifications of a good teacher should be. What skills should they know? How many years of experience as a dancer should they have? What makes a really talented teacher? The varied opinions on this cut a pretty wide path.
Some people think that no one should teach unless they have been performing professionally in the restaurant trade for X number of years. Hmm - that one leaves me out. I don't perform in restaurants - not my cup of tea. Don't enjoy it and have no intention of doing it. So I'm not a big proponent of that one.
Some people think that no one should teach unless their teacher says they can/or are ready. Now this one has some merit. Your own teacher is a really good judge of your strengths and weaknesses. She/He will know whether or not you can break down moves well, can perform moves and choreography with excellent technique, are well versed in the culture and history of the dance form, and whether or not you have good performance skills. This is an age old method of deciding whether someone is ready to teach in many other occupations and I think a valid consideration for belly dance. Many of those bad teachers skip this step because they know their teacher wouldn't "sign-off" on them so to speak. So they drop out of class and suddenly the teacher hears that their student has started teaching across town.
Some people think that a dancer should have learned specific technique/styles/etc before they should teach. Belly dance has grown beyond a one style dance. There are a variety of styles that any good teacher should be familiar with and know who the experts are so as to be able to refer students to the experts in other styles. However, I don't necessarily believe that all belly dancers should be experts in all styles. For one, some of them just aren't every one's cup-of-tea. I like certain traditional styles, but I choose to perform and teach in the tribal genre'. Even in ballet there is the Russian School and the American or Western School. Ballet teachers don't usually cross schools as teachers - they know the difference and know who the good teachers are in the other discipline, but they teach in one or the other. I see no reason for belly dance to be any different. Now I'm not saying that a teacher couldn't do it all - but I don't think it should be a requirement for her/him to do it all.
All of this leads me to the following. My own list of what makes a good belly dance teacher. Consider all of this as you look around for someone to study with. . . .
1. Good Solid Technique in their chosen style and knowledge of technique in other styles.
2. A curriculum that is thought out and constantly being revised. Goals and objectives. A time line for accomplishing the curriculum. Organization in presentation. Thought to how the movements build upon one another and consideration for learning styles or modalities.
3. Solid knowledge in the cultural history, current culture, and community of belly dance. Learning this art form goes beyond just the moves.
4. Costuming knowledge and skill. This needs to go beyond - "you can find it at www.costume.com".
5. A relationship with the local belly dance community. The teacher should be able to recommend other instructors in other styles and know where/when upcoming events are happening.
6. Patience, passion, and purpose. Consideration of the student's needs and what is best for them even if that conflicts with what they want today.
7. Health and safety. A knowledge of anatomy and basic injury risks is necessary. Good warm ups and cool downs, how to protect the student while they learn and when to not attempt something.
8. Performance skills and experience. Belly Dance is a performance art. The good instructor takes the student beyond technique and into performance. Choreography, Improvisation, stage work, and restaurant work. It all has it's own set of dos and don'ts and it's own set of needs. Performance opportunities for students should be provided. How often and where can vary, but they should happen regularly and be appropriate for the students level. Choreography should be designed for the student performer - not a professional unless the student is a professional.
9. Time and Ethics skills. Teachers should manage their classroom time to benefit all the class. Spending a bit of extra time on something, but not getting sidetracked. Being prepared for each class and not just "winging it" (this goes back to number 2). Creating an environment where everyone is welcome, not just the really talented people, or prettiest or youngest, etc. Not tolerating behavior that works against any of this. Teachers should be in charge of their class. This is class - not girls night out at the local pub. While friendships will and should develop between students, that shouldn't be the basis of attending class, but a fringe benefit.
10. Fun. Teachers should try to make sure that students enjoy and have fun in class and with their performances. The teacher is only half of this - the student has to put forth effort on this as well.
These are my top ten. I could go on and on about this topic. Outside of belly dance I hold a Masters of Education and I've taught many subjects including dance for almost 18 years. I could turn each of those numbers in the list into individual papers on that subtopic! But I think you can get the drift from the short version. ;)
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
DragonCon Review
Well, Labor Day weekend is over and I've survived another Dragoncon! It was a whirlwind and very fun! My recovering feet managed to make it through the weekend without too much trouble and I saw tons of great costumes.
Steampunk was all the rage! My son and some friends did a steampunk night of costuming and had a great time. Some of the steampunk was amazing with glowing bits and pieces and elaborate copper fittings! Really enjoyed them this year.
There was a great Dr. Octopus from Spiderman who looked really good. And I even say an Almighty Isis! It was really odd since some friends and I had been talking about that Saturday morning show not long ago. Blast from the past!
As usual, I was too busy people watching and shopping to attend many panels. I did make it to the SG1 Costume contest and that was fun! Saw a really great Knox! She was very shy and was just perfect. I walked through the Walk of Fame, but there weren't a lot of celebrities that I wanted to see this year and autographs have gone up to $30.00! Good Grief!
Made a few purchases and saw some of the drum circle. I didn't make it to the Dance Expo since I was feeling under the weather at that point. :( I was really bummed about missing that!
I did make my yearly Dragonwriters Meeting and that was awesome! I make that a priority every year.
The highlight was getting my picture taken with one of the alien muppets from Sesame Street. You remember the ones that go yip-yip-yip and imitate the phone ringing! He was just really cool!
Today is recovery day and then tomorrow it's back to dance classes and regular life!
Steampunk was all the rage! My son and some friends did a steampunk night of costuming and had a great time. Some of the steampunk was amazing with glowing bits and pieces and elaborate copper fittings! Really enjoyed them this year.
There was a great Dr. Octopus from Spiderman who looked really good. And I even say an Almighty Isis! It was really odd since some friends and I had been talking about that Saturday morning show not long ago. Blast from the past!
As usual, I was too busy people watching and shopping to attend many panels. I did make it to the SG1 Costume contest and that was fun! Saw a really great Knox! She was very shy and was just perfect. I walked through the Walk of Fame, but there weren't a lot of celebrities that I wanted to see this year and autographs have gone up to $30.00! Good Grief!
Made a few purchases and saw some of the drum circle. I didn't make it to the Dance Expo since I was feeling under the weather at that point. :( I was really bummed about missing that!
I did make my yearly Dragonwriters Meeting and that was awesome! I make that a priority every year.
The highlight was getting my picture taken with one of the alien muppets from Sesame Street. You remember the ones that go yip-yip-yip and imitate the phone ringing! He was just really cool!
Today is recovery day and then tomorrow it's back to dance classes and regular life!
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