Suheir

Oh, definitely! Not everyone wants to be a star but an alarming number of people want to be teachers...

karena

do you have any more info on this suheir?

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"Nothing is black and white, it's all shades of grey" Me

Suheir

http://www.midlandsarabicdance.com/index1.html

karena

thanks suheir
grrr clashes with strictly bellydance and bedazzle!

__________________
"Nothing is black and white, it's all shades of grey" Me

lizaj

and more and more are wanting to teach teachers..............

Suheir

Oh gawd yes....fully certified and qualified in whatever the latest wunderfrau's managed to pull out of her backside that morning.

taheya

Absolutely Liza and Suheir! The crazy thing is that people seem to view all teachers as 'professional' which is clearly not the case. For instance to dance at some venues you have to be 'professional' but what qualifies you as such...that you teach!!

lizaj

It is far more important important to have the inclination and ability to teach when you are setting up as a teacher not to have the desire to put the tag professional up against your name as a belly dancer. When I fill out my forms and have to state my profession, I am a retired schoolma'am not a professional bellydancer even though I may have a roll of 25-30 bellydancers, teach private lessons perform the odd paid gig, organise haflas and other events and edit a magazine. There are very few here in the UK who make a living at belly dance and even they have to a lot more than either just teach or just perform.

lizaj

Which is why I chose to do the JWAAD foundation because I respected as dancers and teachers the instructors:Kay Taylor and Anne Kingston. I had fulfilled all my insurance's criteria regarding status because I have done teacher teacher training and was verified by Anne as having enough decent technique to teach.
I would not go near the numerous organisations giving out day certifications to teach belly dance to dancers of other genres to any b8gger who wanders in nor to folks who probably haven't been dancing as long as I have and who are setting up courses (even if their hearts are in the right place and they are good enough dancers)all over the country
And no I am not saying that everyone clutching an established certificate like JWAAD or ASMED?( Afra's) will blow your socks off as a performer but they will know what they are doing and more importantly what they should NOT be doing. Nor that it's a total necessity but it goes someway to guarantee some semblence of standard.