Frequently Asked Questions for Students

Qadria is on sabbatical from regular classes, but is available for workshops, seminar, and retreats. These FAQs apply to just about any of her instructional venues:

Beginner Class FAQs

DROP IN - You are welcome to drop into a beginning class for free. Please e-mail Qadria@BellyRevelations.com or call 919-786-9895 to let me know you're visiting.

CALL 919-786-9895 or write Qadria@BellyRevelations.com with any questions - I'm happy to answer them. Really happy -- I love this dance and I love sharing it.

EXPERIENCE - No dance experience is necessary, and you will be bellydancing within 30 minutes. If you have up to six months' experience in bellydance classes, you will find this class to be fun and worth your time. Just for comparison, I took beginning bellydance classes for two years!  There's always something new to learn.

SAFETY - My motto is "No pain, no pain." Bellydance is an "entry level" dance, meaning that it's accessible to Every Body. It's derived from folk dance, which is for Every Body. Every Body.  Your Body, too, despite what you may think of it. You have my personal guarantee that if you dance joyfully with me for a set of classes, you will dance and live much more joyfully in your goddess-given body. My video "Warm-Ups & Cool-Downs for Bellydancers"  or my DVD "Bellydance Moves & Combinations Anyone Can Do" can get you started safely, and it's a good supplement to any beginning class, but a video is no substitute for the feedback you get from a live instructor, nor for the glorious fun that a bellydance class can and should be.

Do not be afraid of coming to class! We all came to our first class and we survived, and thrived. Tell me if you're hesitant about anything and we'll work it out. Especially tell me if you have medical considerations.   Feedback for students is general unless you ask for specific critiquing. You don't even have to look in a mirror and if you're really nervous, you can stay in the back of the classroom behind the other dancers. Joyfully.

FITNESS - This dance form is excellent for all-over body toning and particularly for increasing range of motion, a bit like Yoga, Tai Chi, or NIA. Classes are 90 minutes long to allow for warming up and cooling down/stretching, to take you safely and comfortably through your class and your day.

CLASS FORMAT - The 90-minute class includes a 15-minute warm-up and a 15-minute cool-down & stretch, emphasizing the “strong-women-in-community” and mental/spiritual aspects of bellydance. The warm-up usually includes new moves, then we practice them, then we dance them. Each class learns a new choreography written especially for them and is offered an opportunity to perform it. (Performance is never required, but it’s great fun once you get over that initial stage fright.) Also there will be handouts, referrals to websites and other references (history, culture, neighboring troupes and instructors, places to get costumes & music, etc.)

STYLE - "Fusion" is a bellydance buzzword which means that you can take modern and traditional moves and steps from any of the Middle Eastern countries or any of several other countries including the U.S., and "fuse" them together to create a style all your own. As you take more classes from more instructors, you will be able to distinguish Egyptian from Turkish from American Tribal Style, etc. With a grounding in the basic moves, you can add to your repertoire so that you may eventually dance in any style in any venue, from your living room, to student haflas (dance parties), to the most formal stage. 

AGE/SIZE RESTRICTIONS (UPPER ENDS) - quoting from the gracious and witty Saqra, whose FAQs I used as a model:
"Who does this? Okay, I just had another woman FINALLY show up who had been afraid the class would be filled with skinny 20-somethings, so I'm gonna take the time to tell you.... the average student is a woman 25-50 and ranges from about 140-225 lbs. Some of the extremes have included 6 & 79 year olds, Bulimic eating disordered (trying to improve her self image during recovery) to 350+lbs (this is a relatively gentle but thorough form of exercise). Men also do this (though there are many more women than men). Sometimes there are gorgeous young ladies, usually there are the rest of us!  "SeaFATtle" recognizes us as a fat-friendly thing to do AND I am an international level competition coach and competitor (and I'm personally not "fat," "skinny," "young" OR "old"). Trust it. Come and see you DO fit in....We also aren't a bunch of bimbos. You'll see."

Qadria speaking again, in regard to what we look like: Check out the photos on each page of our website for a sampling of what we look like, and check the links to other area troupes and groups. The bellydance classes I taught at the YWCA on Oberlin Road in Raleigh were the YW's most culturally diverse, for example.

WEAR something you are comfortable moving in. Leggings and a T-shirt, leotards, baggy pants & sports bras, or full costume... all are okay. No jeans or tight pants as it makes it hard to bend. We are usually barefoot, but if you prefer shoes that is fine. If you really want to get into the fun of it, look around your house for something that would pass for a hip scarf, like a shawl or sarong. It makes it easier to focus your attention and it adds to the fun, but it isn't necessary. Buy nothing. You have everything you need for a happy, healthy, and fun bellydance life.

BRING a water bottle and a willing heart -- that's all you need.

REGISTRATION - Some of the classes fill rapidly, so it's best to pre-register. Call me if you need help choosing the appropriate class or registering. There are no refunds, but if you miss a class, you may attend any other class as a make-up. 

OTHER QUESTIONS - E-mail me at Qadria@BellyRevelations.com or call 919-786-9895. I love sharing this dance -- it's changed my life and I've seen it change the lives of many women over the years I've taught it. Come join us and see what it does for you!

CONTINUING STUDENTS FAQs

DROP IN - You are welcome to drop in and dance in a beginning class for free. Please e-mail or call me to let me know you're visiting: Qadria@BellyRevelations.com or 919-786-9895.

Call 786-9895 or write me at Qadria@BellyRevelations.com with any questions - I'm happy to answer them. Really happy -- I love this dance and I love sharing it.

EXPERIENCE - You’ll probably find this class a good fit if you have six or more months experience. There will still be plenty to learn in the new beginners’ class, but if you need a challenge, you’ll find it here.

SAFETY - My motto is "No pain, no pain." My DVD " Bellydance Moves & Combinations Anyone Can Do" is a good supplement to this class, and you might also enjoy “”Warm-Ups & Cool-Downs for Bellydancers,” in VHS, a lovely gift for your body or someone else’s. Call me at 919-786-9895, or go to Instructional Videos on our website, www.BellyRevelations.com, for ordering information.

FITNESS - This dance form is excellent for all-over body toning and particularly for increasing range of motion, a bit like Yoga, Tai Chi, or NIA. Classes are 90 minutes long to allow for warming up and cooling down/stretching, to take you safely and comfortably through your class and your day.

STYLE - "Fusion" is a bellydance buzzword which means that you can take modern and traditional moves from any of the Middle Eastern countries or any of several other countries including the U.S., and "fuse" them together to create a style all your own. As you take more classes from more instructors, you will be able to distinguish Egyptian from Turkish from American Tribal Style, etc. With a grounding in the basic moves, you can add to your repertoire so that you may eventually dance in any style in any venue, from your living room, to student haflas (dance parties), to the most formal stage.

AGE/SIZE RESTRICTIONS (UPPER ENDS) - [quoting from the gracious and witty Saqra ( www.Saqra.net), whose FAQs I used as a model]:

Who does this? Okay, I just had another woman FINALLY show up who had been afraid the class would be filled with skinny 20-somethings, so I'm gonna take the time to tell you.... the average student is a woman 25-50 and ranges from about 140-225 lbs. Some of the extremes have included 6 & 79 year olds, Bulimic eating disordered (trying to improve her self image during recovery) to 350+lbs (this is a relatively gentle but thorough form of exercise). Men also do this (though there are many more women than men). Sometimes there are gorgeous young ladies, usually there are the rest of us! "SeaFATtle" recognizes us as a fat-friendly thing to do AND I am an international level competition coach and competitor (and I'm personally not "fat," "skinny," "young" OR "old"). Trust it. Come and see you DO fit in....We also aren't a bunch of bimbos. You'll see.

Qadria speaking again, in regard to what we look like: Check out the photos on each page of our website for a sampling of what we look like, and check the links to other area troupes and groups.

WEAR something you are comfortable moving in, and DO bring your hip scarf. Leggings and a T-shirt, leotards, baggy pants & sports bras, or full costume... all are okay. No jeans or tight pants as it makes it hard to bend. We dance barefoot, but if you prefer indoor shoes that is fine; the yoga studio requests that we not wear outdoor shoes.

BRING a water bottle, maybe a notebook & pen, and a willing heart.

REGISTRATION - When you let me know you're ready to have a workshop, seminar, or retreat, we'll plan the details; it's easy enough, promise.

INTERMEDIATE STUDENT FAQs

The intermediate classes are not available this semester. Let me know if you're interested and we'll see what we can make happen. The following is some information about these classes:

WHO WILL ENJOY the intermediate classes? Qadria's intermediate students dance for the love of the dance -- just ask them!  Students eligible for this class are bellydancers who:

1. have completed a minimum of 18-24 classes, preferably with multiple teachers.
2. have performed for an audience other than class members or pets (family and friends, hafla, or a public performance).
3. are familiar with and comfortable with basic bellydance isolations (circles and figure 8s, lifts and drops, arms, shimmies, as well as some traveling moves, transitions and combinations).
4. are familiar with and comfortable with what it takes to bellydance safely (warm-ups, cool-downs, stretches, grounded stances and grounded traveling moves).
5. are familiar with (not necessarily comfortable with) leading and following.
6. are familiar with (not necessarily comfortable with) dancing solo for classmates.
7. are comfortable with looking in the mirror and giving/receiving feedback to/from teachers and/or students.
8. are thinking about choreographing their own solos or for a group.
9. have discovered the difference between dancing and practicing and enjoy both!

OTHER QUESTIONS: E-mail me at Qadria@BellyRevelations.com or call me at 919-786-9895. I love sharing this dance -- it's changed my life and I've seen it change the lives of many women over the years I've taught it. Come join us and see what it does for you!

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