For My Dance Students
After completing Level 3 classes with Amy and graduating to Level 4, you might have an opportunity to join Elixir Student Troupe! This would involve performing your new mad skills for an audience at small, unpaid events suited to beginning dancers, like haflas (which are dance parties for belly dancers), open stages, and maybe benefits.The student troupe is just what it implies - for students who are still learning and growing in the beginning to intermediate stages of belly dance (yes, even if you are in the advanced class, you still are a beginner until you've danced for many, many years). The venues we perform at will be perfect for this stage of your dance development- haflas are warm, friendly gatherings where beginning troupes like this one mix with more seasoned performers from the area, and the whole thing is just a ton of fun and very positive for a new dancer.
You will need to show a serious degree of COMMITMENT in order to keep the privilege of working in the student troupe. This is because it's far too frustrating for everyone if you keep missing classes and/or practices - classes, because you'll fall far behind in technique and theory, and practice, because you'll constantly hold everyone else up while you catch up on all the choreos, communication, and complicated concepts that happen every week. That's why, in order to perform, you need to keep coming consistently (at the very least 3 times per month) and practice at home, as well. You might eventually also need to have more than one costume, which you are responsible for making or paying for.
To remain in the student troupe you'll be required to:
* Assemble a full costume before performing (guidelines HERE) and
* Attend Level 4 advanced classes regularly (at least 3 times per month), and
* To be at level 4 class the 2 times prior to any performances, to be allowed to perform in each event.
* Show that you can deal with pressure, get along with others, and understand that the last call is made by Amy Danielson as the troupe director.
* Create, and not stop others from creating. There is a balance that will help you in every area of life to not only adding to the ideas, but NOT squelching others' ideas! Always be respectful of the ideas of others, even if you think they're 'silly' or not as good as yours. You might be wrong! Or, there might not be a 'wrong'.
* And lastly, you will be creating a simple practice schedule for yourself at home, and following it. It will involve drills, improv solo, and practicing the troupe's choreos.
If you stop demonstrating those requirements, you will be asked to leave. I am very protective of the positive environment of our troupe - we want to feel able to create, inspired, and for that we need kindness, consistency, a positive attitude and hard work.
You will be expected to continue your education through classes with me (required) and possibly also other teachers if you choose, using workshops, videos, etc., and to develop as a solo dancer as well. You will no longer be considered a member of the student troupe if you stop taking classes for any length of time over a month - you will at that point need to be re-approved. This keeps things fair and makes organization of learned dance pieces possible - it's actually a very lenient policy (since we are a student, not a professional, troupe). No exceptions, or it wouldn't be fair for everyone.
Even if you have other dance experience, if you wish to perform as a member of Elixir student troupe, you need to follow these rules. There is more to being in a troupe, and having all the wonderful benefits and fun of that, than just knowing how to dance. There is teamwork - and we all count on each other and need to feel that we can count on everyone in the team to take it seriously. We don't want to get onstage, with everyone knowing the choreography except one member that we made an exception for. That makes everyone look bad! We want to get on the stage like a well oiled machine, all knowing what we need to do, understanding ALL the ins and outs of the choreography - not just the technique but how the whole thing came about, its feel, its energy, how we are all reacting to each other to create backstory, knowing we can count on each other - that's one of the greatest feelings in the world! And that's what we're going for!