Belly Dance with Erica

Fortuitous Photo!

Some of you may know, and some of you may not know, that my husband and I will be moving to New Mexico this summer. Saturday, April 2, 2016 will be the last class I teach at the Spirit Room in Fargo. It makes me very sad to be leaving my students and friends, especially since there are very limited options in our area.

To my students who may be seeking a new teacher, my advice is this: If you can’t make Danika‘s class, or if ATS® just isn’t your bag look for these qualities in your next instructor.

Your teacher should:

• be able to tell you what style of belly dance he/she teaches (Raks Sharki, AmCab, ATS®, etc – “belly dance” isn’t a style, per se)
• display a good sense of ethics
• recognize that this is a cultural art form and be respectful of that
• be mindful of posture and movement, making sure to keep you safe and free of injury
• be patient and encouraging, never belittling
• encourage you to go to workshops and try out other classes
• encourage you to be part of a larger community
• continue her/his education too through workshops and higher level classes

If you are a belly dancer in the Red River Valley and you are on Facebook, go to the Red River Raks group and say “hi.” There may be a bunch of lone dancers who want to meet up and form a troupe. (Dancers only, sorry!)

I’m not gone yet, I still have my last show with Bad Weather Burlesque on April 28, the hafla and Shimmy Mob on May 14, the Daughters of Atlas stage show in Grand Forks on May 21, and Mistryl Shimmy Guard at CoreCon the weekend of June 9-12. Hope to see you there!

My sincerest hope is that all my dance sisters and brothers will keep the community alive and love and support each other. All my best to you!

EDIT: I am deeply saddened to have to update this post due to the Danika’s untimely death.