I'm just realizing how looooong it takes to build an ATS group of ladies from scratch!! Since there is no one else in my area teaching true ATS (or any strictly improv variation thereof), I started teaching about a year ago. I had learned bits and pieces from teachers who mostly used the steps in their own choreographies, and one teacher who taught lead/follow improv as a portion of her classes. Then I bought the videos and set to work learning all I could that way, and also attended Tribal:Pura. I have such a respect for the dance form!!!
Anyhoo, doing some lead/follow improv with a troupe I used to dance with, there were a couple of AH-HA moments - I'm sure you know what I mean! All of a sudden things were flowing and the improv took on a life of it's own and we were **connected**. It lasted only a little while, but spurred me on to pursue ATS. I eventually quit the troupe to devote all my dance time to learning and teaching ATS (the troupe rarely actually practiced the improv - and so just the couple ah-ha's). I'm signed up to take both GS & TT in Milwaukee in November.
So, a year into teaching, I'm just beginning to realize how long it takes to build a group of truly connected ATS dancers. I can see why teachers often rely on choreographies - the instant gratification, not only for their students but for themselves as well. Sometimes I just want it all to come together NOW! Sometimes I just want to teach a choreo, then I have to remind myself that it would only hamper my ATS efforts in the long run.
Sooooo... any thoughts... any encouragement you can offer would be much appreciated. :O)
Several of my students who have been with me for the entire year are now going to join me for extra practice every other week for 3+ hours. We'll be starting in a couple weeks; I'm very much looking forward to that! They are already beautiful dancers and we enjoy dancing together very much, but then I think about how much further we have to go yet... I know, just relax and enjoy the journey! I *do* enjoy the journey, it's just sometimes... you know...
*JOY*ful Shimmies,
Ameena
Anyhoo, doing some lead/follow improv with a troupe I used to dance with, there were a couple of AH-HA moments - I'm sure you know what I mean! All of a sudden things were flowing and the improv took on a life of it's own and we were **connected**. It lasted only a little while, but spurred me on to pursue ATS. I eventually quit the troupe to devote all my dance time to learning and teaching ATS (the troupe rarely actually practiced the improv - and so just the couple ah-ha's). I'm signed up to take both GS & TT in Milwaukee in November.
So, a year into teaching, I'm just beginning to realize how long it takes to build a group of truly connected ATS dancers. I can see why teachers often rely on choreographies - the instant gratification, not only for their students but for themselves as well. Sometimes I just want it all to come together NOW! Sometimes I just want to teach a choreo, then I have to remind myself that it would only hamper my ATS efforts in the long run.
Sooooo... any thoughts... any encouragement you can offer would be much appreciated. :O)
Several of my students who have been with me for the entire year are now going to join me for extra practice every other week for 3+ hours. We'll be starting in a couple weeks; I'm very much looking forward to that! They are already beautiful dancers and we enjoy dancing together very much, but then I think about how much further we have to go yet... I know, just relax and enjoy the journey! I *do* enjoy the journey, it's just sometimes... you know...
*JOY*ful Shimmies,
Ameena
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Re: It takes sooooo long... encouragement please!
Sat, April 19, 2008 - 8:38 AMI don't have any advice, per se, but i wanted to commend you on your dedication!
keep up the good work, Ameena!
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Re: It takes sooooo long... encouragement please!
Sat, April 19, 2008 - 3:03 PMGirl, I feel you. I was with Devyani from its beginning in Birmingham and in June of 2007 I moved to Phoenix for a job opportunity. Man does that still hurt to leave my sisters behind!
I've gotten students here but the ones who have the potential AND the dedication are very few and far between and they are all starting out fresh with ATS. Phoenix is very much a Domba! city in terms of Tribal. It's going to be a while before I have a whole troupe because I can only get classes at particular times and, as you know, ATS is very technically intense!
When I dance with them and see their joy and improvement it keeps me encouraged.
All I can say is you picked the BEST style to dedicate yourself to and at the same time I believe the most difficult in terms of you have to have good technique and posture. With ATS, you really can't gloss over things with choreography, and I wouldn't have it any other way. Know what you're doing will pay off and just keep on keeping on knowing I'm here struggling with you and supporting you! -
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Re: It takes sooooo long... encouragement please!
Sat, April 19, 2008 - 6:09 PMYou could always come home! (miss you!!!!!!!!!)
I know what you're saying though - I had the same situation in DC. -
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Re: It takes sooooo long... encouragement please!
Sat, April 26, 2008 - 9:09 AMi miss you too marci-bars!!!!
i need to get your phone number in my phone so i can send you little text love messages!
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Re: It takes sooooo long... encouragement please!
Wed, April 23, 2008 - 9:07 PMHeya Heather! If it doesn't cause tears... tell us what it's like to dance with a troupe of dedicated ATS ladies... what are we really really working towards, what's the reward at the other end like??
And best wishes to you as you build your own group and pass along the ATS love!!! -
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Re: It takes sooooo long... encouragement please!
Wed, April 23, 2008 - 9:39 PM...and, Heather, you said: "When I dance with them and see their joy and improvement it keeps me encouraged." Yep, yep, yep! That's sooooo true!!!!!
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Re: It takes sooooo long... encouragement please!
Sat, April 26, 2008 - 9:06 AMWell, I'll tell you, I think it will take a miracle to find what I had with Devyani. Those women are so beautiful and talented but on top of that, they are, yes, dedicated. They love dance, they love ATS and they love each other. All are level headed and bright but each one brings her own special element to the troupe. We just clicked!
We shared dance, we shared our love for our dance, we shared our hearts and even our souls at times. We are sisters, not only dance sisters, soul sisters if that makes any sense. We are friends. We became intuitive with each other, knowing the next move as it happened, as well as each others moods. We shared our giddy fan girl-ness the first time we met Carolena and then again when we met members of FatChance. We shared our excitement over our performances and traveling. We shared our pride as we all progressed in our dance. Devyani is a group of extraordinary women of which I'm privilaged to have been a part, and from whom I'm heartbroken to be separated.
And it seems as if ATS attracts these kinds of women, smart, motivated, loving, supportive...because our regular students are all of that and more. ATS and the people who fall in love with it seem to weed out anyone who is not loving and supportive.
We'll get there girl. We just have to keep looking for like-minded, loving, supportive, positive, dedicated, happy women to share our dance. That is such our amazing reward. :) -
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Re: It takes sooooo long... encouragement please!
Sat, April 26, 2008 - 9:56 AMAwesome! i couldn't of said it better myself Heather!! Devyani rocks!!!......and so does ATS!!!
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Re: It takes sooooo long... encouragement please!
Sat, April 19, 2008 - 7:01 PMAmeena! I wish I lived closer - I would happily dance with you all. :) But I understand, just my circumstances involve a pressed schedule that is often in direct conflict with furthering my involvement in dance. I figure if we persevere, we'll eventually find the right ATS groove.
Best of luck to you and your troupe! -
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Re: It takes sooooo long... encouragement please!
Sun, April 20, 2008 - 1:05 AMAmeena, I know what you're going through. Newcastle in Australia is one of the larger cities in our state, but there are a lot of belly dance schools - lots of competition. I only teach FDBD ATS.
When you can get a core group happening - hang on to them! Practise sessions outside of the class is one way of building the friendships and skills. I have been teaching since 2005 and it is difficult to build up a performance troupe. It does take time - I'm still working on it 3 years down the track!
My newest students were wanting to perform at a tribal soiree in March, in front of Paulette Rees-Denis and other very good teachers in Australia. So I taught them a choreography as they felt they were not strong enough to do improv. In five weeks, we designed and made costumes and they learned the new choroeo. After that kind of pressure, they now appreciate improv. Keep up with the improv.
Good luck
Susan -
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Re: It takes sooooo long... encouragement please!
Sun, April 20, 2008 - 9:49 AMDon't feel frustrated if you don't have a whole troupe of 8+! I am so grateful for my one dance partner, who lives 3 hours from me, so when we do perform, since we have kept up on the ATS on our own, no one is the wiser that we haven't practiced together! I had mentioned this to Carolena and she said that that's what her and Megha do on their Tribal:Pura gigs. They have states between them, I just have a few towns! Long live ATS! And a strong duet or trio is better than nothing at all! Work on that while you're getting more up to speed! Happy shimmies! -
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Re: It takes sooooo long... encouragement please!
Sun, April 20, 2008 - 9:54 AMIts like that in our area, too. Boo and I are really the only ones that study and keep up with PURE ATS so we're pretty grateful to have some wonderful students who are also good friends. We're starting on the second session of classes with them this Tuesday and we're really excited to have a group of awesome girls to dance with. Its only been the two of us up until now so you wouldn't believe how excited we are that we can finally do fades! We went through them in class last week and they looked great! Spreading the ATS lurve, one crazy beautiful girl at a time!!!
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Re: It takes sooooo long... encouragement please!
Sun, April 20, 2008 - 9:40 PMNo no. Don't feel frustrated over not having a large group -- to be honest, Diana and I are very, very happy as a duo. We'll have a student troupe soon, but Euphraxia will probably always be a duo. Like I said... things unfold as they were meant to. You will be good -- and you will always have lots and lots of ATS sisters and brothers to talk to here.
oxox
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Re: It takes sooooo long... encouragement please!
Sun, April 20, 2008 - 5:47 PM
Ameena!!!
This is EXACTLY what Diana and I (Euphraxia) had to do -- step by step -- inch by inch. If there's ANY advice I can give you, it's this:
1) Patience.
2) Perseverance.
3) Keep the faith -- it will all unfold as it was meant to.
4) If you get down, or feel defeated or discouraged, come here, and talk to some of us - it helps.
Our local BD community locally, is mostly folkloric, cabaret, tribal and other kinds of fusion, and ethnic fusions. Di and I took on a huge project when we went totally ATS -- and it took 2 years to get to where we are now, but it was worth it. When we needed help or encouragement, we came to Tribe to talk to Wendy or Sandi or ladies from other ATS troupes and projects. We asked questions every time we had to (and still do), and stuck together even we we had no idea if we were going to make it.
*HUG*
*MUCH LOVE AND ENCOURAGEMENT*
*Adding you to friend list, too*
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Re: It takes sooooo long... encouragement please!
Mon, April 21, 2008 - 5:25 PMameena,
i understand how you feel too...
and i love everyone's posts of encouragement...
you go girl!!! -
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Re: It takes sooooo long... encouragement please!
Mon, April 21, 2008 - 6:59 PMoh dear goddess.... i'm already a crone!! by the time i achieve this, i'm gonna be one foot in the grave by the sounds of it!!
ah well.... plug along, at least i'll die happy, doing the hip drops on the down.. bwahahahahaaaaa
you have time, BREATHE.... it'll all work out the way it's supposed to for you :)
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Re: It takes sooooo long... encouragement please!
Wed, April 23, 2008 - 9:13 PMHulloo Miss Boo!
I'd love to hear what made you and Di decide to go totally ATS... :O)
(...and thank you soooooo much for the hugs, encouragement, and friendship offered!)
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Re: It takes sooooo long... encouragement please!
Tue, April 22, 2008 - 1:10 PMWhat an interesting post to read from the other side of the situation -- I'm relatively new to ATS and belly dancing (been studying it for about six months now) but I'm DYING to be good enough to join a troupe. My teacher is awesome and she currently has one lady she dances with as a troupe, and she's looking to expand. She just recently started an advanced class at her studio for students like me who want to eventually perform and need to work up to that level, so that she can draw from those students to expand her troupe.
I'm so impatient that of course I want to be good enough NOW NOW NOW, hahahaha, and it can occasionally be frustrating for me to think that I've got the moves down pretty well, and then along comes the Arabic Shimmy with Arms and Turn and suddenly I feel like a total newbie again. But the feeling of progress is SO satisfying as I practice, practice, and practice some more. Knowing that my teacher has a group to expand in to gives me SO much motivation to get better so I can join them.
So take heart, Ameena -- you might be inspiring your students and giving them a really good goal to shoot for just by being a dedicated teacher and working toward a troupe goal even if you don't have a troupe yet! -
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Re: It takes sooooo long... encouragement please!
Wed, April 23, 2008 - 9:31 PMThank you, Caryn! It's very nice to be reminded what it's like when first starting out learning ATS. I do hope I inspire my students, and that they catch "the fever" - LOL! The one thing I'm still getting used to is that this form of bellydance tends to "weed out" those who just want a fun hobby or exercise class, but appeals to those who are wanting, or even needing, to really connect with other women on a deeper and more primal or intuitive level and are also willing to do the work it takes to achieve that. It's the weeding out that I'm having trouble getting used to... I'm a "make everyone happy" type, and this is forcing me to grow as a person and learn to accept that I first need to make myself happy in order to REALLY inspire happiness in others - and that it's okay if some need to go elsewhere to be inspired in fulfilling their own needs. It seems like your teacher is very inspiring - lucky YOU! I hope you also find much encouragement in this discussion to keep up your own studies in this dance form!!!!
*JOY*ful Shimmies,
Ameena -
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Re: It takes sooooo long... encouragement please!
Fri, April 25, 2008 - 6:06 PMwow--- What a GREAT thread. And super timely for me as well, having similaar things going on myself.
Thank you Bo and Diance ( a typo, but i wont correct it cuz its neat) for sharing their dancing history with us, Caryn for giving me the reminder of the inspiration that we get from our teachers, ( as well as from our students!!!), and Ameena for again reinforcing in me the thought that some students dont want to work toward a goal that is not immediately there in front of them. I too get bummed when I feel that i am not giving a student exactly what she wants right then and there when in fact they want to be performers NOW. I try to impress a humble grace, a kind of " be in the Now" of dance... But its very hard to find a sticky group that wants to continue to learn and work. the lack of that `tude is what really catalyzed the dissolving of my troupe last Fall after our big show---- some were besides themselves that there was more work to be done....always. A sigh. :)
I'm with you all---- this dance is fierce and once it gets you its to the core!!! Some ppl miss the glint tho---- so we perservere.
Much love to you my sisters! -
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Re: It takes sooooo long... encouragement please!
Sat, April 26, 2008 - 12:51 AMAmen to everything said here.
There are only 4 of us what I would class as "hardcore" ATS girls in our little group that gets together and some people just dont get why this is absolutely, totally for us.
There is no one here who teaches ATS (which I mentioned in an earlier post) so we are a bit of an anomoly here but we love it.
The best thing ever was going to a local hafla, getting up and dancing, leading our ladies, doing a turn and more people were following us. It was great!
Did I say I love it!!! :D
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Re: It takes sooooo long... encouragement please!
Wed, April 23, 2008 - 9:00 PMThank you all so much for your encouragement!! I knew I could count on you all for a pick-me-up. Lovin' the ATS sisterhood! ...and look at all us spreading the ATS love to new places! YOU go girls. :O) As I think about things more, I've also realized I'm actually learning a great deal about myself through this journey - doing some growing up, too (yeah, I know... still growing up at 40). I can't wait for GS & TT this fall! I just hope Carolena doesn't roll her eyes and groan "you've been teaching it like THIS??". LOL!! No, seriously... -
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Re: It takes sooooo long... encouragement please!
Wed, April 23, 2008 - 9:49 PMWoW! You so hit the nail on the head! "Weeding out" those that aren't feeling it like you are! But the one's that do, or like I say, it's gotten under their skin, those are the one's that'll be soooo loyal for you! And you find yourself being almost like a mama hen, as they hang onto your every word! Good luck with your GS & TT.....you'll just be inspired even more than you already are!!!
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Re: It takes sooooo long... encouragement please!
Sat, April 26, 2008 - 4:16 AMAmen, Ameena.
I have had a gigantic learning curve this past eighteen months of teaching my little troupe. Learning mostly about myself - the shortcomings and my strengths. I also love my students, and to see their progress is really fulfilling.
Keep at it.
Cheers, Susan -
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Re: It takes sooooo long... encouragement please!
Tue, April 29, 2008 - 6:22 PMI guess I look at it like "building a relationship". It takes a long time to get good. To really know each other, to appreciate, to accept "what is", "to know" ,that there is what "will be", to grow together. I learn so much from my students and as I should, are we not all students?
Some people will come, some will go, but I would not be here at this point in my life, if I had not had the opportunity to experience these things. I have had times where I have felt that I finally taken a big step forward to only understand that by doing so, I had to actually take three steps back.
What do you "expect"? And to who's expectations are you weighting this against? Its not just about you, its about where your "Tribe" is? It is a journey and if you run right through that path...what did you miss? And who did you miss?
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