Jen – Page 2 – Jen Belly Dance

April 8, 2020July 20, 2022

The Simsimiyya Music of Port Said: Evoking a Sense of Place

In this post, I explore the sense of place that music can evoke. When I listen to Middle Eastern belly dance music, I don't usually think too hard about the locality it comes from. But in this YouTube video of musicians from Port Said playing on the beach, I feel a strong sense of place.

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January 20, 2020September 22, 2022

How to Apply Laban’s Planes of Movement to Improve Belly Dance Movement Isolation

What do Laban's planes of movement have to do with belly dance? Let's start with the general (Cartesian co-ordinates) and then make it more specific to the human body (anatomical planes). And then apply it to dance (Laban's planes of movement). By applying these concepts to your belly dance practice, you can improve your movement isolation, a key feature of belly dance.

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October 11, 2019September 22, 2022

How to Use a Ritual to Anchor Your Dance Practice

How do you make time for your personal dance practice? Do you have a daily or weekly creative routine that enables you to practice regularly? One of the most powerful ways to build a practice is through ritual: a “ceremony consisting of a series of actions performed according to a prescribed order” (Oxford English Dictionary). …

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September 13, 2019October 20, 2022

How to Give Feedback in Dance

Instruction in dance and sport often consists of a teacher imparting correct technique to achieve an end result. There’s a much broader spectrum of feedback techniques beyond this out there. I’d like to explore a few of them in this blog. I hope you can apply this in your own practice giving and receiving feedback as a dance teacher or learner.

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August 26, 2019September 22, 2022

Belly Dance Teacher Training: Review of the ‘Safe Delivery of Belly Dance Classes’ Course

Have you ever thought about belly dance teacher training? In this review, I share my experience of the 'Safe Delivery of Belly Dance Classes course which helped me take my first steps towards teaching belly dance. I hope that by sharing my experience, it might inspire you to consider your first steps into dance teaching!

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August 15, 2019July 20, 2022

Understanding Rhythms in Belly Dance Music

In this post, you will learn seven iqaat (rhythmic modes) commonly found in Middle Eastern belly dance music: maqsoum, saiidi, masmoudi saghir (baladi), fellahi, masmoudi kabir, malfuf, and chiftetelli. This should help you recognise the rhythms as dance to belly dance music.

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August 11, 2019July 20, 2022

How to Interpret Belly Dance Music as a Dancer: Start by Listening to the Musical Layers

Being able to pick apart and understand belly dance music makes it easier to interpret as a dancer. In this post, you will learn how to listen to the rich texture of belly dance music formed by musical layers.

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July 26, 2019December 1, 2023

My Belly Dance Journey So Far: From Student to Teacher

How does one go from being a complete beginner to belly dance to being a full-blown belly dance enthusiast and teacher? Here's my story.

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