Intro to ATS® or level One? what is the difference?
So if you are pondering taking American Tribal Style® belly dance classes with me, and you see Intro to ATS® and level one, and wonder where to start. Here are the details on the differences between these two classes and how I came to teach two, beginner level classes.
So a long time ago in a galaxy not that far away I, not so expertly began to teach ATS® belly dance. I struggled with teaching the level one class series to absolute beginners. Those students who I could tell desperately wanted to learn belly dance, but seemed seriously overwhelmed, (not in the good way) with all the material that was presented. Not being able to move their bodies in a way that was remotely in the ball park to what I was doing, and the chaos and fear, that one can feel when learning the formations for the improvisational magic that is ATS®, just seemed to be too much, and they would not return next week. After a year of this, I figured that I would try a different approach. So for the next several years, I watched the students I was teaching and figured out what seemed to jive best with somebody who was an absolute beginner. That was when the Intro to ATS® class came into being. This class provided that space for absolute beginners to have the time to get their brains and bodies working together just enough that level one wasn’t the bad kind of overwhelming. The Intro class for me, also acted like a filter for those who were just trying new things out, or just wanted a fitness class, and to not really learn how to dance. Moving on to the big differences, I will start with the Intro to ATS® class.
The Intro to ATS® belly dance class is the way basic of the basic moves. I teach four moves; shimmy step, hip bump with arms 1 and 2, bodywave, and arabic. Pretty ambitious right? 4 moves in one hour? yes, yes it is, but, remember, my expectation is not to see the baby dancer students doing these movements perfectly, my expectation is to see you starting making that brain/body connection, getting used to the “Heidi-isms” , (yes that is a term) of my teaching, and gaining just enough of the, “I can do it! attitude” to be successful in level one. Intro is taught the same way every week, the same four moves, so that allows me to offer this class as a drop in class, (The only class that I offer that option on) and to help build that muscle memory. I require brand new dancers, folks with no experience to take the Intro class for a minimum of 4 classes. You know how I was talking about the brain/body connection and the, “I can do it! attitude?” In my experience, it seems to take about 4 hours of work to get that brain/body connection, and the right level of, Yes, I can do all this physical/brainy work, and I WANT do all of this physical/brainy work as a past time. Hence the 4 class requirement for folks with no previous dance experience. If you have previous dance experience, Intro is probably not for you. You already have that brain/body connection, so you can take on the physical/brainy stuff and are already wired to love it.
Level One is where we get into the real meat(sorry my to all my Veg friends) and potatoes of the foundation of ATS® belly dance. Not only do we get into the mechanics, but we really start focusing on the aesthetic of the dance, we zill, a lot. We learn the basic formations that ATS® dancers use to create that improv magic, and we do a heck of a lot of dancing in level one! The first half of my Level one classes is the instruction part, and the second half, I step away from the lead, and let you dance in your formations with other students. You get to create and experience that improv magic for yourself, You get to learn the feeling of a move when you are following a leader or being the leader. You get a chance to interpret the music, speaking the language of ATS®, leading your fellow dancers in how you see the music, then being courteous and letting your fellow dancers have a go at leading to their view of the music. It is really quite something you should be a part of.
That is the difference between Intro to ATS® and level one. A point to remember, is that not every sister studio or ATS® teacher teaches the same way, we all teach the same moves, and strive for excellence, but we may arrange moves a little differently than the next teacher. That is ok, and is expected, My students needs and ways of learning here in Arlington, TX are different than they are in Los Angeles, or New York. SO if you are looking to learn ATS®, go and find a sister studio, show them some love, because that is where you are going to get the best ATS® education. don’t forget to stop by the Mothership, FatChanceBellyDance® at www.fcbd.com and just check the awesomeness that oozes from that site. If you are DFW local, check out my website, www.wildskystudio.net!