Becoming A Belly Dancer

Imagine having a team of belly dance mentors willing to coach you through your belly dance journey. You might want their help and advice on selecting music, venues, costume or props. Perhaps you would like to hear about the pit-falls and problems of dancing at each different type of events, or the correct etiquette for classes and workshops. Maybe you would like their thoughts on your costuming, or some tips on putting together a web site, or managing your social networking. All of this and more is covered in Becoming a Belly Dancer, from stage fright to retirement, ATS to Zar. Becoming a Belly Dancer is a stagecraft handbook that provides valuable information, learned-in-the-trenches tips, and guidance for belly dancers who are ready to take the step from student to performer, or from performer to professional. Sara Shrapnell, author of "Teaching Belly Dance" and Dawn Devine, author of "Cloth of Egypt" and 13 other belly dance and costuming books, including the bestselling "Embellished Bras" and the now classic "Costuming from the Hip", have collaborated to produce "Becoming a Belly Dancer". Between them, they have more than 50 years of combined experience as performers, teachers, dancers and costume designers. Alisha Westerfeld explored the established and upcoming talent of the Bay Area to bring her beautiful photography to every page of this project. International belly dance celebrity and costume designer Poppy Maya adds her own special brand of "Additional Awesomeness" to the book, and the input of a young dancer, currently making her living through belly dance. The authors hope to bring the warmth, support, and humor of a teacher in absence, a true friend and a trusted advisor who has only one main goal: you. They want to focus on helping you be the best prepared physically and mentally for the challenges of performing for friends, family, the dance community, and the greater society, both in person at public venues, and via media available on the internet. The book covers improving your dance skills, good practice habits, preparing physically and emotionally, critiquing, picking your music and venues and dancer etiquette. In addition, the book includes extensive sections on costume design and selection, sewing and no sewing costumes, accessorizing, hair and makeup and presenting to the world the very best belly dancer that you can be."Becoming a Belly Dancer: From Student to Stage" is a useful and inspiring tool that will help belly dancers to be ready for the big day, so they can dazzle, impress and wow with talent and style.

Belly Dance Business 101 is ideal for performers who have already studied belly dance and feel confident in their ability to excel at gigs, but just need help in getting to that next level which is becoming a paid professional. In the book, Helen stresses the importance of handling yourself as a business and continually references back to general business practices when conducting yourself as a paid performer. This book covers subjects like branding, online presence, pricing, correspondence, professionalism, etiquette, and much more. While Belly Dance Business 101 is primarily written for those with an interest in belly dance, performers of all kinds can gain valuable knowledge from this book. Having also immersed herself in the performance industry as a singer, Helen draws parallels between the different fields within the entertainment business, and her formula for this guide is influenced by her industry experiences as a whole.

Are you ready to teach belly dance? Are you looking for ways to change up your teaching techniques? Are you keen to find a fresh approach to bring to your existing classes? This is the book! Sara Shrapnell will help you set up, plan, teach and enjoy your belly dance classes. From exciting games to make learning fun for your students, to understanding the individual needs, desires, and hopes that each dancer brings to class, Sara will help you hone the learning experience to achieve their goals. This book touches on every major aspect of the teaching process including: * Tips for finding the perfect teaching venue* Promoting yourself as your teacher* Planning interesting semesters * Methods for developing comprehensive lesson plans * Understanding your students aims and goals* Providing useful praise and critique* Teaching to a variety of learning styles* Organizing your own events and troupe* Picking music that connects to the learnerAlso includes a glossary, handouts, and sample waivers.Sara Shrapnell has taught belly dance for more than a decade, presenting thousands of belly dance classes, both in the UK and US. She teaches privates, groups, workshops, and provides coaching for dancers and teachers worldwide. www.LetsBellyDanceUSA.com

In these essays, dancers and scholars from around the world carefully consider the transformation of an improvised folk form from North Africa and the Middle East into a popular global dance practice. They explore the differences between the solo improvisational forms of North Africa and the Middle East, often referred to as raqs sharki, which are part of family celebrations, and the numerous globalized versions of this dance form, belly dance, derived from the movement vocabulary of North Africa and the Middle East but with a variety of performance styles distinct from its site of origin. Local versions of belly dance have grown and changed along with the role that dance plays in the community. The global evolution of belly dance is an inspiring example of the interplay of imagination, the internet and the social forces of local communities. All royalties are being donated to Women for Women International, an organization dedicated to supporting women survivors of war through economic, health, and social education programs. The contributors are proud to provide continuing sponsorship to such a worthwhile and necessary cause.

Your height – your weight – your body shape – your age – the colour of your eyes - do not matter when you want to learn to belly dance. You will feel healthier, more energetic and happier, than you have ever felt. You will feel you are a beautiful woman. You will feel self-assured. You will feel…JOY! Zaïda first started to belly dance at the age of 60 and has felt healthier and happier in the past 5 years than she ever did in the previous 6 decades. This book was written especially to encourage you …. the older woman…. to DANCE to experience your true, inner self to experience JOY! Try this form of gentle exercise for just a few months and you will never want to stop. 'Always yield to temptation, because it may not pass your way again'

Belly Dance Business 101 is ideal for performers who have already studied belly dance and feel confident in their ability to excel at gigs, but just need help in getting to that next level which is becoming a paid professional. In the book, Helen stresses the importance of handling yourself as a business and continually references back to general business practices when conducting yourself as a paid performer. This book covers subjects like branding, online presence, pricing, correspondence, professionalism, etiquette, and much more.While Belly Dance Business 101 is primarily written for those with an interest in belly dance, performers of all kinds can gain valuable knowledge from this book. Having also immersed herself in the performance industry as a singer, Helen draws parallels between the different fields within the entertainment business, and her formula for this guide is influenced by her industry experiences as a whole.

Text and photographs describe conditioning exercises, basic dance movements, and costumes.

By performing easy-to-learn moves you will burn fat, tighten your torso, and trim your thighs.