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- Amateurs
Teach Amateurs
To be Amateurs...
- The Art of Belly Dancing is no different. You want a
teacher who has studied under a master dancer
& then has gone on to perform to develop into a
skilled artist. You don't want to study for a year
only to find out that you have not gained the
knowledge you were longing for. So honor yourself
and be selective.
I studied under the mother of our dance, Jamila
Salimpour in Northern California and was her
Protégé for many years. She gave the steps their
names, as we know them and was the first one to
actually break down the technique. I drove up to an
hour to her class depending on which day of
the week it was and took 4 days a week.
Since 1971 I have made my living dancing &
teaching. I toured the U.S. Canada with Holiday in
Greece and South America with internationally known
Rana & Naim. I worked in San Francisco for 12
years at the Baghdad & Casbah Nightclubs doing 45
minute shows three times a night, 5 to 7 nights
a week. Holding a degree in Opera & being a
symphony Bassoonist for many years gave me the
drive to study the Oud, Mizmar, Riqq and Derbecki as
well as the Arabic Language at UC Berkeley. With
much study & practice, in time I played & sang with
the musicians on stage in-between my shows.
The other two nights I performed at the Greek
Taverna and El Morocco Restaurant. During the day I
traveled teaching classes 5 days a week.
When Saudi Arabian Students came to the US in the
70's we were the first to learn their music and
perform the Khaliegi style of dance in the clubs and
in truth, I was the first dancer in the US to
wear a "Thobe Nashel" on stage.
I have dancers from Port Huron to Chelsea, Ann
Arbor to Millington, who come to class. I also
coach professional dancers. You will learn many
styles of Belly Dancing as well as elaborate veil
work, floor work, cane, sword, tray etc. My troop
performs 6 shows a day at the Michigan
Renaissance Festival in Holly, where I play the
instruments and sing in Arabic. I have dedicated
my life to raising the level of this art. Through my
work with The Arab American National Museum &
ACCESS, the Arabic Cultural Center in Dearborn I am
able to help educate all ages along with many
other Middle Eastern Scholars.
Here are some questions to ask when you are looking
for a good teacher.
1.Who were her teachers and how long did she train
with each one
2. What is your teacher’s background in the dance?
3. Where has she worked as a dancer & for how long
(is it a daily, weekend gig or parties)?
4. How much has she worked with Arabic Musicians?
5. What is her knowledge of the customs & culture of
the people she represents?
6. What is her knowledge of the many musical &
dance forms?
7. Where has she learned about the different venues
of costumes & how they are used?
8.Does she make her own costumes and if so where
does she get her ideas and patterns
For more information on Jamila or Suhaila Salimpour
or Aida Al Adawi go to google and just type in
one of our names
Come and join us!
Aida
