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From Student To... What?

© Shira

I hear it all the time: "I've been belly dancing for one year. Now I'd like to start performing in restaurants and maybe even teach!"

While it's really great that these students are enthusiastic about the dance form, they often don't realize that it takes more than a year of once-a-week classes to develop the kind of knowledge and skill needed by a professional dancer. Often, what these students REALLY mean is that they want to become more deeply involved in the dance, and they assume that performing professionally is the next step. Here are some ideas on how to grow and develop as a dancer, to prepare you for the future time when you really are ready for the professional scene.

Watch Professional Shows Frequently

Patronize the restaurants and nightclubs in your community that offer performances by local professionals. If possible, try to see a variety of different dancers, so you can see how different people approach their dance styles, relationships to the bands, use of props, and approaches to audience interaction.

In your own mind, compare the different dancers you see. Draw conclusions about what you like and what you don't like.

Organize Student Recitals

If your teacher doesn't create opportunities for you to perform at least a couple of times a year, band together with your classmates and set up your own recitals. Even if your teacher doesn't have time to arrange recitals, she might support your efforts if you and your classmates do most of the work. Find a place to hold it, create promotional flyers, decorate the facility, and bring in the necessary sound equipment.

Try to do some choreographed numbers as a group (maybe you can persuade your teacher to provide some choreography in class), and also do some solos.

Invite friends, family, and coworkers, and urge all your classmates to do the same.

Organize A Student Troupe

If your teacher doesn't already have a troupe of her students, organize one yourself. You and your classmates can share the responsibility for hosting rehearsals at your homes, setting up places to perform, making the cassette tapes with the songs all in the right order, etc.

In these shows, try to have some group performances that are choreographed, and some solo appearances by individual group members.

Student performances are usually welcomed as "public service" gigs such as schools, nursing homes, hospitals, retirement communities, and other non-profit settings. These can be very rewarding because audiences are usually delighted to have you, and they show it. Older women often love to see the glittery fabrics up close, and feel them between their fingers.