There's No Substitute for Lessons!

After dancing with DVDs for a while, I decided to take my first video of myself, "performing" a choreography by Jenna.

When I watched it, I almost gave up dancing forever.

I was doing...most...of the moves...I guess. But I did not look like a dancer! I jerked from movement to movement. My arms were awful. A frown of concentration was fixed on my face throughout.

Yuck!

Well...at that point, I had two options: give up, or move forward. And I'm happy to say, I chose the latter option. I went on the web and found Hannan's Belly Dance Studio in Toronto, and bravely signed up for a course of "Introduction to Belly Dance."

Initially, I thought I might be bored starting at the very bottom level, since I already "knew" many of the moves. Boy, was I wrong! There were major discouragements, but fortunately, those negatives quickly became positives.

Dancing in a studio in front of a huge mirror is of enormous benefit. From the very beginning, I received instant visual feedback on what I looked like. The bad news was, I looked pretty awful. The good news was, I was capable of correcting the problems, and had an Instructor to guide and direct me in doing so!

Due to great feedback from my Instructor, as well as lots of practice at home -- in front of a mirror, for a change -- I made quick work of the Intro level and received approval to advance to the "Beginner" level in a shorter time than was expected.

"Beginner" presented a new set of challenges. I had many bad habits to overcome, the worst of which was to do all my dancing with my knees slightly bent, thus limiting my range of motion. Unfortunately, this is a very common mistake in beginning belly dancers, who don't understand how to move "in and out of their knees" fluidly. Some moves require bent knees. But I quickly learned that whenever possible, it is preferable to dance on straight (not locked) legs. It looks much more beautiful.

I practiced a lot. Boy, did I practice! There were things, at first, that I simply could not make my body do. It was as if I was sending signals from my brain to my muscles, and the signals were getting lost somewhere along the way. But I was patient and persistent, and it began to pay off. By the end of my third series of Beginner level classes, my instructor told me I was doing really, really well and could, again, advance ahead of the usual schedule. I was thrilled!

I have now completed three six-week sessions of the Continuing Beginner level. The minimum recommendation is eight six-week sessions. But this time, I think I have met my match -- it will very likely take all eight sessions and more to get me to a point where I am ready to level up again. I am enjoying it thoroughly, however, and am focused on the journey as well as the destination.

There really, really is no substitute for having a live, experienced teacher there to tell you what you are doing right, and what you are doing wrong. I am extremely open to constructive criticism from my teachers, because every little thing they tell me improves me as a dancer. I hang on my teachers' every word and try to make the most of every minute of every lesson. Then, I take it all home and practice, practice, practice.

A large portion of my practice consists of drilling moves. Whenever possible, I do so before a mirror. I have learned the hard way that it is very easy to "feel" like you are doing a move correctly, when in fact it looks completely wrong.

I dance six days a week for a minimum of an hour. Most of the time, I simply put on some Middle Eastern music and drill moves and short combinations. If something isn't working, I slow it down and keep trying. I have yet to come up against a move that remains impossible after I have attacked it with determination.

Recently I learned two choreographies and performed as part of a group in a Student Gala. Learning the choreographies was great fun and great experience, and added spice to my practice sessions.

It is only in these last few weeks that I have begun to feel as if I am finally becoming a dancer. I can now feel the music and respond to it with a basic level of skill. I actually flow from move to move (most of the time), and the result looks more like art than like an aerobics routine. I know I have a long, long way to go, but I am very encouraged by all I have learned and accomplished so far.

When I watched the first video I ever made of me bellydancing, I almost gave up. But lessons have changed everything. Everything!