Welcome to the Global Dance Collective e-newsletter. Global Dance is a collective of instructors of world dance, primarily Middle Eastern dance, and yoga located in Springfield, MO. The e-newsletter is published 6 times a year and includes information on world dance, music, culture and more!

Al Salaam a'alaykum

Happy New Year! This is the first Global Dance Collective Newsletter and we hope you enjoy it!

January is always a good time for a new start, and of course we think it is time for you to get back to your dance classes! The Collective offers a range of classes, check out our class schedules online now. For links to instructor's web sites check out the "links" section of this newsletter.

We hope to see you this year either at our classes or local dance events!

From the Editor

I hope this finds everyone well and enjoying the New Year! I have sent this to anyone on my mailing list who might be interested in receiving it. If you decide you don't want to know all of the fabulous information and exciting news about the Collective and local dance events, please unsubscribe through the link at the bottom of this newsletter. I am looking forward to 2008. I feel this next year will be a good for the studio and dancers everywhere. Please don't hesitate to contact me with any questions or ideas. My email is jemina@dreamdancers.org. I look forward to seeing everyone of you this year, hopefully we can zaghareet together sometime!

Happy Dancing!

Jemina Shikany
Editor

Why You Need A Teacher

By Angela Belle Shikany

We see more and more "self-taught" belly dancers who have relied almost entirely on DVDs to learn how to belly dance. This is not a good thing!

Those of you who know me and my intense love of watching any DVD or Video concerning belly dance may be surprised when I say beginning belly dancers need a living teacher and advanced students always benefit from having a teacher.

A beginning dancer can develop bad habits she later will regret if she doesn't find a decent teacher for these reasons...

1. Just because it comes in a pretty and professional looking case doesn't mean it is teaching good belly dancing. I've bought some truly awful teaching DVDs at Borders. To be fair I've also bought some DVDs there I love. You risk injury with some of the bad teaching DVDs, as well as learning how to do the movements incorrectly.

2. You need feedback. When I see a student dancing with her mouth wide open through the entire performance, stand stock-still and whip her poor veil frantically about her body with a grim look on her face, do a back bend to the floor with her spread legs facing her audience, play her zills out of rhythm with the music, performs in a corner of the stage to one small section of the audience, or jerk and wiggle her body like a worm on a hook. I know these dancers need a living teacher to give them some loving feedback!

3. Part of the pleasure of dancing is meeting different teachers and learning from them. You can not ask a recording questions or develop a relationship with it.

No matter how many DVDs we own or watch, finding a good teacher and going to as many workshops as possible is vital to all dancers. It keeps us more in tune with our technique and our strengths and weaknesses.

Because I do watch a lot of DVDs, I am going to review both the recent and older DVDs that are in my collection.

Reviews Rating

Bedouin Tribal Dance

Rating: 5 lamps

Skill Level: Intermediate

Many authentic folkloric dancers are fed up with American Tribal Style Dance. No matter what you think of Tribal Style dance, if you are a belly dancer it behooves you to study the music and dances of Middle Eastern countries.

Hossam Ramzy has produced a DVD that belongs in the collection of anyone interested in a more authentic style of dance.

Serena Ramzy performs five choreographies in front of a live band (Gypsies of the Nile), sometimes she solos, and sometimes she dances with a group of female or male dancers.

The costumes are wonderfully colorful and exciting while maintaining a level of modesty that is very appropriate for this style. The set evokes a Bedouin tent in Arabian sands and adds considerably to the atmosphere of the performances.

The instructional section is shown at full or real time and then slowed down with a voice over description of the 14 basic steps used in the dances.

I do not think a beginning student would be able to learn these steps just from the description. A background in basic technique at the least, ideally a full working knowledge of isolation and muscle control is needed.

Interested in buying this DVD? The Global Dance Collective can special order it for you, it is $23.99 + tax. phone: 417.881.4477 email:jemina@dreamdancers.org or come by studio.

For more articles and reviews by Angela Belle Shikany visit the Dream Dancers website listed below...

Upcoming Events

Includes events held by the Global Dance Collective or where members of the collective are performing.

Springfield Belly Dance January Meet Up - January 27, 2008
website: http://www.bellydance.meetup.com/106

Springfield Belly Dance February Meet Up - February 24, 2008
website: http://www.bellydance.meetup.com/106

Student Showcase - March 8, 2008
The Global Dance Collective is hosting the second Student Showcase featuring students and teachers of the Collective. 8:30pm. GA. Tickets are $5.00. For more information visit http://www.globaldancecollective.org/events.htm

In This Issue:

Dance Supplies!

Come by the studio and check out our belly dance supplies including hip scarves, cds, veils, zills and more!

Did you know?

Fifi Abdo owns more than 5,000 costumes!

T-shirts

Global Dance Collective t-shirts are available now! We have sapphire and purple shirts available in sizes Small, Medium, Large, XL, 2X and3X. Shirts are $20 + tax. Come get yours today at the Global Dance Collective.

Classes

Global Dance Collective
Dance Studio and Supplies
3165 S. Campbell Ave. Ste. C7
Springfield, MO 65807
(417) 881-4477

Middle Eastern Dance, Belly Dance, Middle Eastern Rhythms and Drum class, Yoga and more. All ages for most classes.

Classes offered six days a week

For complete class listing, call 417.881.4477 or check out the link below...

globaldancecollective.org

DVDs Available

DVDs are still available from the Global Dance Collective Grand Opening and the 1st Student Showcase. DVDs are $15 each + tax.

Local Events

These are events, workshops and shows that are being held locally by friends of the Global Dance Collective that you may want to attend.

Naima Belly Dance Workshop May 17, 2008 - Buffalo, MO - presented by Sisters of the Moon Middle Eastern Dance Academy. visit
http://naimasbellydance
blog.blogspot.com/ 
for more information

Subscribe

If you saw this newsletter on our website or had this forwarded from a friend and you would like to subscribe, sign up here: Global Dance Collective
Newsletter Subscription Page 

"A day I don't dance is a day I don't live."- Unknown Tunisian dancer, quoted in Serpent of the Nile, 1989. p196.