When I first started Belly Dancing the standard was to go to a class on a weekly basis and then work at home trying to remember what you learned.  The other options where to buy a DVD and hope that what you purchased was of value and worth the price in the end most just ended up sitting on a shelf creating dust.  Technology, Internet, IPhones and such has made an impact on where and how we can learn to dance, but we still must take caution because there is instruction out there that you have to be careful with and are not the best.  Some leave you with false hope and promises such as “Become a professional Belly Dancer in less then 6 weeks” or all you have is a video with no coaching or support.

I have used online training for the past 6 years in conjunction with taking workshops to advance my training and career.  Since I started the online training has skyrocketed! So what is out there?  Here is my list and pros and cons of each I hope this list helps you in making the right decision on online and remember the best way to learn is going to an actually class, but online will help further your dance, use it as another outlet.

Suhaila Salimpour Online Classes:  http://www.suhailaonlineclasses.com/

Suhaila was one of the first Belly Dancers I saw when I just started taking lessons.  Her skills, movement and style intrigued me I was blown away by her dancing and I actually had the chance to do a weekend workshop with her years ago before she had an online class.  Her workshop was brutal, I had never sweated so much in my entire life, but I was happy and on cloud nine the whole weekend!  Every part of my body ached at the end of the weekend!  I was elated though and you would have thought I had earned a gold medal!  In my mind; I did!!

Suhaila offers a 3 day trial for her online classes so you can try it out first.  This is good because it will give you for a feel of her curriculum and to see if you like it enough to move forward with a subscription.  She offers 100+ online classes and each one is filmed live out of her studio and is recorded.  She has three different levels; 1, 2 & 3 and also offers Folkloric Fusion, Dance Movement and Jamila Format Classes. Suhaila’s format is one of a kind and is her own that she has developed over the years.

Level 1:

She teaches you the basics, her terminology and the movement is broken down and very clear she leads you through a warm-up, technique section, drills and then usually ends with a combination.

Level 2:

Once you learn the basics this level is more advance adding footwork, advance movement and so forth.  You must have a good understanding and able to do level 1 before moving to this level.

Level 3

This level is for those who have been certified in level 1 to have access.  It is more advanced and complicated using zills, footwork, muscle contractions and more.

Folkloric Fusion class you will do zill work with movement

Dance Movement is a mixture of ballet, jazz and modern dance and will just add to your belly dancing

Jamila Format Classes

“Jamila Salimpour, the American matriarch of belly dance, was the first belly dance teacher to create a specific format of movements with individual names for each step. The steps she created are now the majority of belly dance movements taught today. Her format was the inspiration and foundation of what later became known as American Tribal Style. Jamila is also the master of finger cymbals. The class begins with playing cymbal patterns and then moves on to practicing moves in a circle around the room. Be prepared to use cymbals the entire class. Each class is different and invaluable as far as developing both dance and finger cymbal skills, as well as learning the history of belly dance movements in America.” taken from Suhaila online.

Subscriptions

She also offers a 3 day free trial so you can check out her videos and classes.  There are also choreographies that you can learn that cost extra on top of the membership fee.

I was a member of Suhaila online for a little over 2 years just recently I cancelled due to lack of money.  It is one of the more expensive online trainings but definitely one to think about.  Instruction is top notch and there are new and updated videos that are added all the time!  This is the first part of my online training blog  as to their are others out there.  My focus is to educate you on the best ones and then for you to make your decision on what fits best for you.

For those of you in my classes I do use some of her technique specifically the glute squeezes and a few of her other strength training exercises we have done in warm ups and drills so you will be familiar with her structure and technique to a point.

I would love to hear your comments or questions!!!

Be on the look out for Part 2!!

Photo above:  Courtesy of NightWing Photography