Thoughts on Dance Class

I never really noticed before how my class influenced the way I teach.  It didn’t hit me until this past Thursday.  My class was more full than usual.  I started noticing my methods became very different.  It’s not that I really taught any different, but it’s easier to have confidence in a larger class.  It’s easier to feel like you’re doing alright when the class just doesn’t get something.  If it’s just two people I feel more pressure to spend individual time with helping them to get it.  When it’s a larger class, I find that I’m spending more time focusing on the class as a whole, because a lot of people just don’t get it the first few lessons.  That’s okay.  I don’t feel like I’m losing just one person and have to catch them up.  It’s easier to realize things will come as they come.

For a while I was really hating teaching.  I was tempted to quit my classes after the baby was born.  I just didn’t want to do it anymore.  I couldn’t keep up with the advertising of the other local instructor and I really just didn’t have the energy to teach classes.  I felt like everything was just falling apart.  I didn’t want to teach anymore.  I just wanted to dance.  It took the pressure off of me and it was so much more enjoyable.  I thought I just couldn’t stand teaching.

Now the whole dynamic of the Thursday class has changed.  In just one day there were more students and that alone made a difference.  I found it easier to keep on track and teaching.  I was really starting to enjoy it.  I didn’t feel the need to focus near as much on any one student.  I forgot how much fun teaching in a big group could be.  It felt like I was really part of something.  I’m starting to look forward to my next Thursday class.  While I’m finding I’m not such a fan of teaching tribal fusion, I think I’m finding more of a connection in the class.

The Saturday class has changed too.  One of my old students is back and trying to join us with the baby when she can.  The class size isn’t much larger, but it’s definitely made a difference.  I’ve found that I’m more comfortable with the ATS format than I had ever thought I would be.  I’m enjoying it so much.  It just feels so natural at this point.  This is what I’m finding I love teaching.  The class just jumped right in, moved with it, and loved it!

I’m really hoping that I can start pulling together a group that would like to try their hand at performing again.  Out of respect to the old co-founder, I won’t use the name "Randomosity" again.  I’m thinking of using something like "Ancient Muse" or something like that.  While Randomosity was fun, it very much had the concept of "random acts of randomness".  It wasn’t really anything that could relate to anything.  It was an excuse to get out there and do something a little bit silly.  We wanted a chance to break the mold a little bit.  I think I’ve outgrown that and into something a little more serious and structured.  I’m finding that dance is really a way for me to connect with everything I am, can be, and will some day become.  I’m finding that I’m really enjoying the connection in tribal dance.  I’m finding I’m drawn to a classic style, not just the ability to tangent into something fun.

In many ways, I think my spirituality is starting to come back.  I’m starting to find my draw back to the Goddess tradition again.  It seems this path and I have a dance of our own, coming together and parting as we do.  Somehow it still keeps coming back to this.  In many ways, dance isn’t so much just about exercise or performance.  Dance is very much a sacred tradition.  Every culture in time seems to have dances that are a part of their spiritual tradition.  They come in many shapes and forms.  In many ways, I think this is mine.  It’s a way to connect with the divine feminine.  It’s a way to connect with my sisters in dance.  It reaches across the boundaries of religious tradition, as a student of mine has recently informed me, as there is reference to a dance similar to belly dance in the Bible.  For me, it’s an opportunity to connect to those ancient roots.

I think in the new year I’ll focus on doing the kind of dance that I want to do.  I’m going to pull away from tribal fusion even more.  It’s a beautiful dance, but it’s not who I am.  I’m going to focus on and embrace ATS, a dance I never thought I would throw myself so completely into.  I’m going to look for an opportunity to teach in more places for health, fitness, and fun.  I’m going to see how many venues I can share this beautiful performance art with and how far I can take this.  I don’t know how it’s happened, but my drive has been entirely renewed.

So now I have much more to look forward to in the coming year.  Not only do I have a new baby to greet before this year is out, but I’ll also have a renewed interest in dance.  I’ve found my inspiration.  Now I just need to take it from there!

~*~Raven Night~*~