…that is a question, indeed!

I try to stress to my students repeatedly that Middle Eastern Dance & Raks Sharki is NOT about a step here, a hip there, an arm there, etc. It is about moving to the music, expressing the music, feeling the music smoulder inside so that it manifests itself in movement expressions rather than an over-intellectualized repetition of rhythmic steps.

Repeatedly however, students ask about quantification of their progress. “When I will be ready for….?”

Further, what does it mean to a student to be trained by me?

I stress high standards in my classes and ask that of my students. I ask them to raise their personal barre high, and to consider their study important - albeit fun.

I have always poo-poo’d ‘certification’ programs because in my experience the programs seek to document the particular instructor’s style and a students’ progression in that style. My format for classes has always stressed a dancer creating their own authentic style, and knowledge of the cultures involved, in addition to intelligent fusions when applicable, warranted and appropriate.

As much as I’d hate to jump on the certification bandwagon, I’ve created the following set of goals:

• Offer students a series of quantifiable goals and response to the question, “When will I be ready for….?”
• Validate students who take the time to train technique, dance and research.
• Maintain standards within my own School of Dance
• Ensure high standards within the dance community at large with those who wish to use our name

Rolling out in a very short time will be my 5 level Certification Program “Excellence in Dance”. The qualifications to achieve all levels require study not only in my format, but the formats of other instructors locally, nationally and internationally. It includes basic dance techniques, and knowledge of folkloric stylings and influences, knowledge of classic instructors, musicians, composers & dancers, rhythms and much much more.

Further, opportunities to perform and instruct are paired with levels of achievement.

This is a big step for the Jim Boz School of Dance.
Hope you’ll all join me in the journey!

In my experiences as an instructor, it is constantly an interesting study to determine the way people grasp and retain combinations and movement textures.  It is important when I teach a new piece of information to a group of workshop attendees for them to maintain as much of the information as possible, without stagnating in repetition.  We can easily grasp certain parts of a choreography or series of combinations for later refinement, but just to attain a level of muscular comprehension so that we can move on can be a tedious task.

And tedium doesn’t make for interesting workshops!

In working with some of the top instructors of the dance, I have found that my own mind prefers to have things broken down. Additionally, I draw on other experiences, namely motorcycle riding.

Yup - motorcycle ridin.

When I first learned how to ride, I took the Motorcycle Safety Course.    Beginning with just a definition of what a motorcycle is through experiences like rear wheel skids and maneuvering, the course is designed to teach basic safety material in two evening sessions and two half days on a riding range.  It’s intensive, but chock full of great data.

Here’s a scenario: you’re on your bike in the right lane. Someone is passing you on the left.  Someone is pulling out of a driveway ahead on your right. Someone is going the opposite direction wanting to turn left across your path to enter said driveway.

All of these are potential hazards to anyone on a bike.  The MSC teaches us to divide these hazards into manageable chunks by changing speed and/or lane position so that each hazard can be met one by one.

I apply this to dance, especially when learning complex combinations and texture sequences.  I teach this repeatedly in my workshops, and I’m highly encouraged by the abilities of the dancers to accomplish some rather advanced combinations in short periods of time.

Remember to accomplish each step before moving on to the next.

The Five steps are:

1 - Feet & Weight: Even something as simple as hip circles and figure 8’s involve some kind of weight transfer.  Consider this first.  Consider steps.  Are there turns? Focus on these.  Before you try to grasp the whole combination or series of layers, focus on your feet, weight changes and where you’re stepping.  You will find me when taking workshops, while everyone tries to do everything, I’ll be the one stepping with my notepad making all the necessary remarks so I can remember where my feet and weight go.  You’d be amazed at how many times I was on the wrong foot and simply adjusting my weight transfers allowed me success in accomplishing the textures!

2 - Posture:  So, when we start thinking about our hips, our mind goes down to them, usually making our ribs drop and our upper bodies lacking lift.  This makes the actual move difficult - which usually makes us feel like we’re unable to accomplish the combination.  Once you have your feet and weight changes, focus on your upper body and keep your upper body LIFTED through the who combination.  Keep your ribs away from your hips, allowing your hips to move freely.  Which leads us to:

3 - Hips: What are your hips doing in this combination?  Once you have the weight and the posture, the hips should not only move freely, but also move in the proper directions, or at least need little encouragement.  Some directions might seem counter-intuitive (such as back to front flat figure 8’s if you’re used to front to back), but this is a minor adjustment considering how difficult it can be if you try to accomplish everything at once.

4 - Arms: Strong arm frames and *arm*transitions*!  We’re not doing YMCA here - remember that your arms getting from one frame to the next is important. Of course, given that you’ve successfully accomplished steps 1-3, this is a minor focus.  If you’re having difficulty, make sure you have 1-3 down pat! I won’t get into arm techniques - suffice to say that arm frames and transitions are something that I find myself continually having to correct students on.

5 - Energy Flow: What does this combination say? Does it start simply and end complex.  Does the energy start inward then move outward or vice versa?  What does the dynamic do for the dance character and what are we expressing to the audience - and how does that change over the course of the combination.

For this format to work, remember to complete EACH step completely before moving on to the next.  Try it - remember that everything complex can be broken down into manageable chunks, and each of the chunks is easier to accomplish.

This material is subject to change, but it’s still mine. 
Respect that and I’m happy to share all you can handle.
Thanks!

Welcome to the new Articles section of my site.

Info available soon!

-Jim