A little stick dancing!

This week I taught saidi-style stick dancing... to groups of primary 2 children!

My son is in primary 2 at Leith Primary School and they've been doing 'dance' as their topic for gym this term. After 6 weeks (to my boy, 6 endless weeks) of Scottish Country Dancing, and two weeks of Katy Perry's Firework, a la Just Dance 2 for the Wii (yes, really!), I volunteered to add a little international interest!

 I was a bit nervous - I was taking my 3-year-old daughter with me too; I had especially shortened sticks for the children; I had a last minute panic being unable to find my galabeya; and I wasn't quite sure what all the teachers would think of it.

It was great. Nobody lost an eye (which should be a worry with the 6-year-old and stick interface!) and only one girl got a  skelf from the stick (oops). Quite a few of the children spent more time goggling at me than dancing (they're more used to seeing me in the playground in civvies, I guess!).  But most of them got to grips very nicely with the saidi step, the dums and teks and pretending to be dancing horses. I held back on the stick spinning and backbends - maybe we'll try that if they have me back!!!

My 3-year-old nearly peed herself as I was a bit too busy to take her to the loo, but otherwise she was very helpful, pressing play and pause on the ipod when I asked her too!

Teaching children is so different to teaching adults  - not least because grown-ups have chosen to come to class and actively want to be there! But I really enjoyed it.

Bellydance Birthday Party!

Last weekend I had a lovely Sunday lunchtime teaching at a birthday party. It was an 11th birthday party!

I was really excited - although I've taught children before, I'd not taught this age group. I took top tips from my friend Celia, who teaches regular belly dance classes for girls. I was also warned that 11-year-old girls would be naturally good dancers, and it was true! Most of the girls at the party go to dance classes (not belly dance) and had lovely natural movements. They quickly look for the next challenge, and it was a lovely pace to teach at - I think I taught them in 1.5 hours what I'd teach a grown-up class in about 6 weeks!

There is something quite amazing about the sound of a collective gasp when you enter the room in full costume!! It was funny and lovely to see their eyes popping out at the sight of so many sequins! For the first half hour they were so quiet. The mum of the birthday girl assured me that they were just overwhelmed!

The girls enjoyed the veils especially and looked great when they finally performed the choreography (Egyptian pop style) I'd taught them. It was helpful to have mirrors, our venue was the creche at Gracemount Leisure Centre.

I was accompanied by Yvonne, one of my students, who'd put me in touch with the mum of the birthday girl. Yvonne had glitter tattoos for all the girls and they loved it! They were sparkling and shimmying and smiling all at the same time! (although the actual *movement* of the shimmy on an 11-year-old is quite different to that of the women I'm used to teaching!!)

One girl left saying to the hostess, "thank you for having me, that was the the best birthday party I've ever been to!". I can't ask for better than that!