MODERN BELLY DANCE

I just completed teaching modern belly dance course. This is lot of fun. Yesterday we did a couples rounds practice in the class. Every courses I taught I made sure my dancers learn something new and exciting, I can see my dancers getting better and better which I’m happy to say I finally love to create choreographies.

For one thing, I communicate to students about the technique, the music and the expression of the dance as it is done where it began. Secondly, in the early days there was little available on the market in the way of music. Now there is almost too much to choose from, including traditional and modern Arabic music and fusion music. The music has become a rich field from which to select teaching and performance pieces. Thirdly, I’m teaching more on technique. I remember it took me three months in a studio practicing by myself to figure out how to do a "3/4 shimmy" walk, after seeing someone do it. In my classes, some of the students get it and by the eighth week and most of them can do it. We’ve had years to learn and refine teaching methods, so better dancers can be developed more efficiently.

Also, I don't mind if you use my choreography, either in a performance or to teach your students, but please credit me. Do send me a video of your performance! Thanks!

Raqs Sharqi Movement

I’m teaching belly dancing by levels. Level I, II & III from beginner to intermediate. There are two main topics that I tried to explain to my students: the development of a teaching method for Raqs Sharqi (bellydancing)--what it is and how it changed the dance-and an explanation of how one might define Raqs Sharqi. My discussion of these topics is strictly an outgrowth of my personal experience. I am tracing what I consider to be an important influence in the way that belly dance teaching methods developed in my area and what effect that had on the way that we in the Malaysia perform Raqs Sharqi or Belly Dance.
In Middle Eastern culture Raqs Sharqi is performed by movements primarily of the torso to visually reproduce the rhythmic patterns in the music. In order to teach belly dance, then, we might have a completely different concept about movement, music and dance, the use of pressure points on the floor and the use of the skeletal frame to create torso movements became an important way to coax a reasonable facsimile of raqs sharqi movements.
Usually my classes are small up to 12-15 people max. I give personal attention to everyone’s posture, the way to use muscles, how to learn the technique in basic format, how to develop core muscles. Of course First few classes are usually the hardest ones, if you are patient and consistent, you will see the results in couple weeks. It takes few months to feel really comfortable with the basic belly dance moves and how to put combinations together. Then you will learn the coordination of hips and arms or hips and chest which I also call layering, I introduce basic layering in my beginning classes, but walking/dancing with basic layering takes some time.
You are in the right place if you want to work hard, see results, dance beautifully but strongly, and trim those unwanted fat. I highly recommend also doing yoga and paying extra attention to your nutrition.