Back to Bellydance School

(Zhaleh Fereshteh teaching a workshop in Raleigh NC in 2008)

There’s a different feeling in the air this month – the lazy days of summer are drawing to a close, and the pace of life is quickening as students prepare to go back to school.

Why not take advantage of this momentum and go back to bellydance school by trying something new – attending a workshop, getting back into classes if you’ve stopped studying, or trying a new teacher to get a different perspective.

Most successful dancers still consider themselves to be ‘eternal students’, and they are committed to bettering their technique and knowledge of the dance, as well as getting inspired to new heights of creativity.

I recently put out a call to the NCBellydance.org community about this topic, and this is what Anna Maria Sophia from the Coastal area of NC had to say:

I'm a terminal student of belly dance, so for me continuing education is essential. I'm not a professional, I perform for the love and thrill of the dance, and I will not be entering the realm of instructing, so ongoing classes and workshops are my passion and a necessity for me.

Shahzaadee of Durham also places an importance on continuing education:

I feel no one could ever learn all there is to know about bellydance. There are so many styles and then on top of that, within different Countries, there are different stylizings, you could never get bored with bellydance education.

Sure a professional may go to a workshop and feel like ‘I know this move and that cultural tidbit’ but also, most likely, leave with at least one new (or renewed) move, combo, idea. It is wonderfully refreshing to go back to bellydance school.

Kalima of Salisbury explains the difficulty of balancing teaching and personal growth:

I think that ongoing training is very important as a teacher and a dancer... I started teaching within the last year and find that preparing for and teaching my own classes leaves me little time for attending regular weekly classes. But if I stop learning I stop being a good teacher. As a result I try to find at least one workshop a month so I am always bringing new things to my students, or improving on old things.

Luckily, there are a large number of workshops and classes taking place all over North Carolina this Fall, so teachers, professional performers, and regular students will all have plenty of opportunities to learn something new!

Your own ncbellydance.org webmistress will be taking Karim “Turbo Tabla” Nagi’s dance and drum workshops in Charlotte (sponsored by Yasmine), and Mohamed Shahin’s dance workshop in Durham (sponsored by Hannan Sultan). I can’t wait to learn Egyptian dancing directly from the source!

Meanwhile, Kalima looks forward to Triboriginal in Asheville every year:

Because lodging and food are provided there on site you can be totally immersed in the dance round the clock without worrying about finding food, or getting back to the hotel... And besides actual dance classes there are business classes, costuming classes, music classes, and hard to get classes such as fire performance. I often wish there were two of me so I could attend more classes while I’m there. I’ve been every year since the first and hope I don’t ever have to miss.

If you're looking for inspiration to continue your dance education, just visit NCBellydance.org's workshops calendar or view class schedules for your area.

Enjoy the last few weeks of your summer – it’s time to go back to school!