Motif In Learning: Belly Dance

You will learn belly dance history, which provides context and perspective as a baseline for a deeper understanding and appreciation for modern bellydance.

You will learn how the dance arrived from abroad to America, and highlight the dancing stars and instructors that left a long-term impact on the American belly dance community.

You will learn your local dance history... and it might surprise you. These Metro Area trail blazers paved the way for all the great instruction and opportunities we have today. 

Recognize the characters of Modern Standard Arabic (MSA),  the root system, diacritic marks, and non-connectors to write and read simple words.  Identify, understand, and repeat the most common words heard in bellydance music.  Know the history of the Egyptian dialect.  Seek translation for music.

Identify instruments by image and sound, identify regional music, and recall characteristics of Middle Eastern music.  Identify the most popular rhythms, their counts, and how to dance to each. Learn about the most popular vocal artists and musicians for each decade.

Count like a musician and a dancer. Deconstruct music, count and script phrasing, and learn how to use the script as a map to build choreography. 

Play a variety of finger cymbal patterns while dancing. Deconstruct patterns into a visual "cymbal speak" chart.

Use anatomy and kinesiology, coupled with the anatomy and kinesiology of bellydance, to increase the deliberate execution of belly dance movements.

Assess your biomechanics and elements of fitness to create a course of action towards improved posture, dance alignment, and symmetry.

Recall the most common dance-related injuries,  modify movement accordingly, address and care for common concerns, and know when it is time to visit a medical professional.

Deconstruct belly dance moves for every part of the body.  Match main and synergist muscle groups for each.  Catch the body "cheating" and adjust accordingly.

Encourage proprioceptor growth through movements in space/air.  

Increase readiness. Seek practice opportunities. Make deliberate decisions based on venue, theme/mood, staging, and audience.  Adjusting practice time to meet your physical, emotional, and mental needs.  Self care and preparation. Create your ritual and pack your bag!

Explore transcendence in dance.

Heal through dance movement.

Create a space that inspires, brings joy, and is a safe space for exploration. Create a practice-related soulvow.

Create meaningful lesson plans for all levels of dance.

Teach everything you learned in the above modules. 

Accounting, taxes, marketing, and more!