Dancing Lessons?

[haotailecongmeiguo]

I am from America and will be studying at BLCU in the fall. For those of you who have been to Beijing, can you give recommendations for teachers and studios for belly dance? I have been dancing for almost four years and don't want to give up on it while I am studying Chinese.

Thanks for your help!

[xiaoxiaocao]

Most gyms offer belly dancing classes.

[XiaoZhou]

If you are at BLCU there should be gyms around there with dance classes. It is also easy to find specific dance schools around town just from searching with "舞蹈". I really enjoyed the classes that I took (breaking, popping, locking) from 嘉禾舞社, but this map shows the results for 舞蹈 near BLCU, whereas this one is just belly dancing (肚皮舞). One thing to be wary of is that online information can be out of date or completely false. I don't know how many trips I made to go to a dance studio or a martial arts training place that simple didn't exist. Always call before hand to make sure it is real!

I would actually recommend talking to other students at BLCU. Chinese students tend to be very friendly and helpful to foreigners, and it is likely that there are dance groups on campus. It is even possible that there are dance classes at BLCU (I don't know if BLCU has a dance major or not).

You say that you have been dancing for four years. Keep in mind that if you have reached any level of real proficiency it might be frustrating to join a new dance school/group. That is a frustration that I felt in Beijing trying to practice martial arts: teachers tend to be rigid and traditional in a way that insists new people follow particular steps in a particular order, regardless of individual skills. Dance teachers should be less rigid than martial arts teachers, but just be prepared.

[haotailecongmeiguo]

Thank you, XiaoZhou. That is really helpful to me.I can understand teachers making you start from the beginning. I have switched dance instructors before and I was required to have 6 months of beginners training. It can be a little frustrating but I can say my posture is so much better for it!

I will make sure to talk with the students and the locals when I get there. One thing I have learned here in the States is that the locals know the best hole-in-the-wall places to go!

Thanks for suggesting I call before I traipse all over the city. It really wouldn't have occurred to me to call first. Thanks for the heads up!