Workshops can be an excellent way to learn a new skill or hone and enhance your existing skills. It can also be a great way to meet other members of our wonderful dance community and make new friends. No matter what your current skill level is, from beginner to advanced, there is a workshop out there for you somewhere!
When you look at all the many workshops listed in the workshop calendar, you’ll be amazed to see just how many opportunities we have right here in North Carolina and surrounding areas!
There are workshops for
Assess your current skill level.
Beginners might benefit the most from workshops that concentrate on a
particular area of the dance, as a way to learn and reinforce basic moves, as
well as to get extra practice outside of their regular beginner classes.
And because every instructor’s personality and teaching style is different,
you get the benefit of a different perspective. More advanced students might like
to try incorporating a prop into their dance routine, or delving deeper into the
moves they already know. All levels will enjoy the chance to sample the many styles
of dance available to us. Most instructors will list the suggested skill level in the
brochure or description of the workshop. If the skill level isn’t listed, contact
the instructor personally to make sure this workshop will be a good fit for you.
Assess your time constraints.
You’ll need to check your calendar to make sure that your workshop doesn’t conflict
with vacations, business trips, or other weekend engagements. Some workshops will offer
refunds if you have to cancel, but others don’t, so it’s good to make sure you don't have
any existing conflicts before signing up for a workshop. Also, with so many workshops
available in our state alone, it’s impossible to attend every one.
Assess how much time you can devote to attending workshops each year, so you can pick and
choose the ones that are the most important to you. When assessing your time constraints,
consider both the times the workshop is scheduled as well as how long it will take you
to travel to and from the location.
Set a budget.
Even if you have a lot of time to devote to workshops, money can sometimes be an issue.
You will want to take into consideration not only the cost of the workshop itself, but also
travel costs, food expenses, lodging, and any materials you might have to purchase in advance.
Also, many workshops will offer vendor booths selling all sorts of wonderful costumes, accessories,
jewelry, and music, and it will be quite tempting to buy anything and everything!
You might want to consider setting aside a set amount for merchandise when planning your
budget.
So now that you have assessed your current skill level, considered your time constraints, and set a budget, it’s time to sign up for that workshop!
Next month, I will cover some basic tips on getting the most out of your actual workshop experience.
About the author: Haala is the webmistress for NCBellydance.org, as well as a
new member of the Belly Revelations dance troupe.
She has been studying belly dance for two years with various instructors, and
currently studies with Shahzaadee in Raleigh, NC.
She absolutely loves workshops, and plans on attending as many as time and budget
will allow this year.
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