Teaching Philosophy

There are many different reasons people choose to study Oriental Dance, however my objectives in teaching are to help each person who studies with me to become a beautiful and skilled dancer with cultural knowledge and sensitivity as well as the ability to entertain an audience. Rather than just teaching a set of moves, I try to offer building blocks for creating polished performances from the most simple choreography to the most complex. The natural side effects of my classes are exercise, fun and a great feeling of confidence and accomplishment.

In the Middle East dancing is used for celebration and to build a sense of community between friends and family. This feeling of community is what I encourage. I want my students to get to know each other and to cheer for each other. It is not a competition, each person will progress at her own pace and each person will become a beautiful dancer in her own right.

My Dance and Teaching Style

I have been trained in American, American Tribal, Egyptian, Turkish and Lebanese styles of Oriental Belly Dance. I’ve supplemented this with a great deal of study and research in ethnic & folkloric dances from all over the Middle East and North Africa. (Please see my dance resume to get an idea of the range of my studies). My teaching reflects the common foundation found in all of the Oriental Belly Dance styles. However, I do lean heavily towards Egyptian style Oriental technique, especially as my students become more advanced. Props that I’m trained in include sagat (finger cymbals), veil and double veil, sayf (sword), assaya (cane) and shemedan (candelabra). Other areas I consider my particular dance strengths include Egyptian Oriental technique, musical interpretation, drum solos, sagat and veil. I also teach floorwork.

To supplement my Oriental Dance education I’ve also studied modern dance, ballet, body mechanics, yoga, weight training and athletic training. Although I do not claim to be an expert in any of these areas, these further studies have allowed me to assist my students in finding proper body alignment, and help them in learning exercises to stretch and strengthen their bodies to improve their fitness and ability to excel in Oriental Dance.

I have made it a point to study Middle Eastern history, culture and language. I’ve taken a particular interest in the subjects of women and dance within the region. I try in my teaching to help my students to avoid cultural faux pas, as well as to help them to understand the context of the dances we learn in association to Middle Eastern culture. I am continuing to pursue my studies in these areas, with plans to travel to the Middle East to study these dances in their countries of origin.

In my teaching, I utilize both improvisation as well as choreography to help my students to learn. What you can expect when you come to my classes includes warm up, technique drills, a focus topic and associated activity, then cool down. I try to respond to the requests of my students as to what direction in particular they would like to take their personal learning. I also try to focus on helping my students to get beyond just doing a series of movements into actually polishing the movements, utilizing their whole bodies, making smooth transitions, feeling the dance, connecting emotionally and becoming more complete dancers. I am constantly seeking new ways to break things down and teach concepts and ideas. I also continually attend workshops and further my own dance education however I can in order to have more to offer my own students.