Teaching raqs: a few observations.

Swiped ruthlessly from a post I made on Tribe on this subject. I made some minor edits, and re-post for posterity (or, at least as long as I pay the bills).

Notes on developing into a Raqs teacher:

• Focus, for now, on becoming the best dancer you can. Practice Practice Practice, and then Drill Some More.


• Prepare to Wait. I tell people that you'll know you're supposed to teach when people who watch you dance are astonished you're not. That's as good a metric as any I've ever heard.


• Network. I know it sounds odd, but really, you want to have a solid cadre of people to pull information and opinions from. Be sure to include people from outside your particular dance interest -- for example, having Egyptian Style dance friends if you do Tribal Fusion ala Rachel Brice.


• Learn how people learn. This is a tough subject -- there's a reason teachers go to school for this stuff! But there's lots of interesting information on the 'Net for this; a blog that's sadly on-hiatus that's GREAT for ideas on teaching is Creating Passionate Users.


• Learn the history of this dance. There's a lot of myth, a lot of pablum, out there. Morocco's site is a good starting point, and I posted a list on Amazon with a bunch of resources that I consider very solid for learning about the form.


• Learn about the human body. At the very least, bone up on some anatomy, and a good book on how dancers move (even if it's ballet-focused). Carolena of Fat Chance has an ACE Physical Trainer certification, and I've heard it's highly regarded in those circles. I'd recommend it over any sort of "belly dancer certification" at this juncture.


• Do deep studies of the form(s) you want to teach. There's a lot to know, from weight-shifting to the variety and (re)combinations of movements to the details of where hands go as you move. You don't need to know it all to start teaching, but you need to know enough to not make severe mistakes. That takes lots of study and practice.


• Develop a good sense of humor, and solid presentation skills (check out Presentation Zen for lots of wisdom in this arena), even when you're exhausted and drained. Too many teachers forget that humor is an amazing teacher in itself, and many of the teachers we recall best are the ones who taught tough, but also allowed for fun!

Notice how little of what I say has to do with dance itself? Good teaching, the kind that gets you lots of gigs and students, takes far, far more than just sharing moves.