Class Plans

Planning classes is a difficult thing! Schemes of work and lesson plans aside, for part-time, 'leisure' classes in the current economic climate, finding or creating demand is key, achievable by tapping into the right demographic groups (whatever they might be). Then it's a matter of finding a venue which is available when you want it, at a reasonable price and then matching location, venue, day and time to the prospective students' availability (especially in low population areas such as this one). Without this, even free workshops won't necessarily attract attendees.

My class numbers are so low that I effectively have no class running at the moment. Even through adult ed, where the classes are charged in blocks of 10 and are really, really cheap, especially for those who get concessions, and still people will not commit or pay up front. (Some really can't - however cheap, it's difficult to find £30 or £40 in one go if you're on jobseekers allowance. However, some will still pay the equivalent of their concession-rate class to Costa coffee every week, grrr! But it illustrates that although many will cite cost as an issue, it really isn't about the money.)

After letting my classes stagger on until I was effectively paying for my teaching practice and the social contact with the couple of dancers who would come regularly, I've had to stop classes. There's no competition from other belly dance classes here, and it's not just belly dance classes which are closing. Only a fraction of adult ed classes are running, despite being extremely cheap and offering payment plans to take the sting out of paying in 10 week blocks. The main issues seem to be the perception of how much things do and should cost, and personal priorities. It's been noticeably harder since 2008. From the prospective (dance) student's point of view, prioritising time and money is a difficult thing for most, especially when weighed against the needs and wants of the rest of the family. Many people here are on very low incomes, suffering from health issues, have other responsibilities which take their time and energy (shift working, caring, parenting), and however much we think adults are in control of their lives, shit happens. There are a million and one other reasons why a dance class is low on the list of priorities. Some just don't want to be tied to a regular commitment (even if only for a few weeks) or are just apathetic or complacent (thinking that a class will still be there for when they feel like it, and if it's not, oh well!).

Having dropped in to other exercise-based classes, I've seen that many students want their leisure activities to be social and not feel like hard work. This can be tricky. It's good for beginners to join an existing, stable class, with enough people that they can be anonymous at the back, preferably in the company of a friend. But they are easily put off if most of the others in the class are no longer absolute beginners. There is a safety in being able to hide in a group who are all following the bouncing butt in front of them, being carried away by the music, without having to think or remember, and without being corrected.

Enquirers often don't turn into students for reasons which can be very difficult to discover (cold feet? but their lack of engagement often results in a lack of response).

I'm going to carry on trying, if only because other good, experienced teachers are having the same problems, so I can reassure myself it's not because I'm a crap teacher. Trying to stay positive that things will change is hard though, and because I'm scarcely earning anything, I'm having a hard time getting to haflas and keeping up my CPD. It's a vicious circle!
 
So I've kept the venue booking at Bloomfield House in Narberth, not least because the staff and welcome there are fantastic, and introduced a 'class card' of a block of (semi-transferable) classes at a reduced rate (upfront payment and some motivation) and a drop-in rate (for the occasionals) and created posters and flyers to advertise it, as well as social media and other online outlets.

So much work, all unpaid, and I must admit that it's because I love it so much that I do a lot of it 'for love'. My most committed dancer/student is using this to make improvements in her mental health and some challenging physical issues. She's been at this for about 3 years now, and managed a hip shimmy last night without moving her arms and shoulders for the first time. I almost cried with happiness.

If you're reading this and thinking about going to a belly dance class, but fear you have no coordination and just 'can't dance', remember - everyone is different. So it might take you a while to learn to shimmy, or you might get it first time. You'll never know unless you try, and it's never too late to start!

Joon Dance 'Wild' Summer School 2017

I missed the Gather project in the spring, partly because I was seriously concerned that I would not be able to cope with dance movement on uneven surfaces (something I've been told seriously to avoid by the consultant and physiotherapist when my severe osteoarthritis was diagnosed). One of the locations was Newgale beach, and the last time I went there, I had problems for a few days afterwards, as getting down to the beach involves scaling a pebble bank. Difficult surfaces aside, I might still have gone for it, but a back injury put paid to that!
Having sorted my back out, I was determined not to miss Summer School.
Then, I was so wrapped up in editing work and preparations for this year's Cardigan Belly Dance Festival that I entirely forgot to register for it until the middle of the previous week.
When I got in touch, I found there were only two other adults registered, and I could do a sort of abridged version, without the break dance (which I was glad of, fearing it would break me!), and would be absorbed into the 'youth' group, as there were enough teenagers this year to create a 'junior' group as well as the 'Joon bugs' (little ones).

I'd already met and danced with the other two 'adults' and it was great to be with them again. I'd also met and danced with a couple of the 'youth' dancers and I was struck by how they had improved and grown as dancers.

The week started with the customary welcome by Zosia in the Torch Studio Theatre, where she introduced the teachers and reminded all that we were creating a supportive, friendly group. For our 'youth' group, Zosia would be leading an hour's contemporary class, followed by break dance with Dan Martin and topped by an hour's creative dance with the lovely Eeva-Maria Mutka, whom I already knew through her somatics workshops. After checking with Dan that he'd be okay with his class being watched, (which he was) we were off and into contemporary class.

It's been a few years since I've done a class, but I found myself immediately in the zone, concentrating on the exercise mark-through, dancing the exercise through, feeling for correct alignment and placement. Things went reasonably well until the floor work, when even using my hands underneath me didn't prevent me catching and banging bits of body and it hurt. I would have been interested to try the floor exercise in very slow time, seeking adjustments, but the main issue is that most of it only works if you can get down and up from the floor easily and if you can pretty much bend over and place your hands flat. My bad knees and bulky tummy create limitations and I felt annoyed and frustrated at my lack of ability, remembering a time when I found it easy. I need to do more rolling around. I vowed to myself that by summer school next year, I shall have sorted out my tight hip flexors and shall once more be able to sit in jazz 4th position.

I reflected that this wouldn't be a class for someone who had never done contemporary class. Had there been a group of adult beginners, I am sure Zosia would have organised things differently. And although teenage girls can be the worlds' worst bitches, these dancers were so lovely. In classes later in the week, I found they had a maturity and assertiveness which made them an absolute joy to work with, not to mention their dance skills. I know Zosia is very proud, having seen how they've improved over the years. Their parents should be very proud too. They were wonderful!

As last year, I found myself admiring the way in which Zosia had organised the teaching groups and the three available spaces (gallery, stage and dance studio). We were a bit cramped in the gallery, but it wasn't a problem. There was also an exhibition of Roy Campbell-Moore's photos of some of Zosia's recent work, which created a very inspiring atmosphere.

We finished the week with a performance on the Friday night, which didn't go as smoothly for me as I'd have wished, but it was fine. I had a sort of crown of twigs and foliage to put on at one point, and I elected to leave it just offstage in the dressing room, rather than risk it being trampled in the rush offstage from the previous piece. But in the dressing room, it got sat on, moved, and the path to it was blocked by dancers, which unexpectedly threw me when it came to the subsequent cues, but I don't suppose anyone noticed really. And I rather enjoyed being a dumpy little earth goddess wearing a bird's nest crown.

The 'grown-ups' snapped at dress rehearsal. Photo credit: Meriel Paget/Zosia Jo

Links (current at the time of writing):
Zosia Jo: https://www.zosiajo.com/
Joon Dance: http://joondance.wixsite.com/joondance
Eeva-Maria Mutka, Penpynfarch studio: http://www.penpynfarch.co.uk/index
Dan Martin: https://www.danmartinmedia.co.uk/
Roy Cambell-Moore:  http://www.campbell-moore.co.uk/
Torch Theatre, Milford Haven: https://www.torchtheatre.co.uk/