Since I was planning on being in San Francisco for 4 days, I figured that I should look for a teacher who might have a class I could take. I found out through Shira.net about several teachers who seemed to be a good fit, but I decided that I would check out Amina's Performance class.
Amira Jamal's classes have had a focus on performance, so I knew that I could feel comfortable if we had to dance solo.
Since I was still learning my way around San Francisco via Muni, I made sure to plot out my trip to make sure I could get there early enough to introduce myself. When the bus dropped me off, I couldn't believe how steep the hill was! I'm not really sure why Google Maps insisted that I got off at that particular stop when there was a stop closer to the bottom of the hill and not too far from where the location was. But the view was spectacular!
Amina's class is in the basement studio of her house, which was really neat! Considering how much studio rentals can cost, this was a great space to have.
There were about 5 of us in total, and it seemed like they had all been taking Amina's classes for a while. I'm so used to the teacher leading the stretching, but Amina and her students seemed to be stretching mainly on their own depending on what their body needed at the time.
Amina then lead us through several run-throughs of several songs. We would mimic her dancing and try to keep up. She would redirect us when we weren't doing specific movements correctly, but for the most part we just followed along with her dancing.
I realized that this was somewhat of a middle road between my two main teachers in Boston. Amira Jamal has us work on movements based on a warm-up drill, but we also do a lot of free dance, which has helped me hone in my improvisational technique. Najmat goes through several short combinations which we would drill, and she would help us hone in on the specific muscle movements and steps.
Amina was right in the middle. She was having us follow her movements, but they weren't necessarily choreographed. It was quite a different experience, but I enjoyed the challenge.
She then showed us a video of ghawazee dancers with canes, pointing out that while they were dancing together they weren't necessarily doing the same exact movements. A second video showed us two male dancers using larger canes in a tahtib, which is mainly danced by men and simulates martial arts. The raqs al assaya would be the dance that is mainly done in a dance set.
We were then instructed to each dance with a cane, but not to do any of the tricks associated with it, such as spinning or twirling the cane. After each person danced, we were giving a critique. After all 5 of us danced, we danced a second time as a chance to improve based on the critique.
It made for a much longer lesson than I anticipated. Nonetheless, it was quite a valuable time!
Amina pointed out that I have the tendency to not make enough eye contact with the audience - which is definitely true! In an effort to connect with everyone, I quickly run through each person as fast as I can. Instead, I need to learn to linger a bit longer to make the person feel like I'm dancing just for them. My boyfriend would love for me to look at him a bit longer, so I've heard this critique before.
She also said that I have the tendency to move too quickly. I need to feel the beat more than be 100% on the beat, if that makes any sense. I do end up scribbling a bit, especially if I feel nervous or unsure about what's coming next in the music. But I know I need to slow down a bit in my movements, add some more gooeyness in it (as Najmat would say).
Overall, it was a great lesson. I enjoyed meeting all these Bay Area dancers and seeing the talent the West Coast has. Though her style was different from what I expected, Amina has a lot of experience and expertise in the dance. It was definitely a pleasure to take a lesson with her.
Amira Jamal's classes have had a focus on performance, so I knew that I could feel comfortable if we had to dance solo.
Since I was still learning my way around San Francisco via Muni, I made sure to plot out my trip to make sure I could get there early enough to introduce myself. When the bus dropped me off, I couldn't believe how steep the hill was! I'm not really sure why Google Maps insisted that I got off at that particular stop when there was a stop closer to the bottom of the hill and not too far from where the location was. But the view was spectacular!
 |
| So steep! Cars have to park at a 90 degree angle! |
There were about 5 of us in total, and it seemed like they had all been taking Amina's classes for a while. I'm so used to the teacher leading the stretching, but Amina and her students seemed to be stretching mainly on their own depending on what their body needed at the time.
Amina then lead us through several run-throughs of several songs. We would mimic her dancing and try to keep up. She would redirect us when we weren't doing specific movements correctly, but for the most part we just followed along with her dancing.
I realized that this was somewhat of a middle road between my two main teachers in Boston. Amira Jamal has us work on movements based on a warm-up drill, but we also do a lot of free dance, which has helped me hone in my improvisational technique. Najmat goes through several short combinations which we would drill, and she would help us hone in on the specific muscle movements and steps.
Amina was right in the middle. She was having us follow her movements, but they weren't necessarily choreographed. It was quite a different experience, but I enjoyed the challenge.
She then showed us a video of ghawazee dancers with canes, pointing out that while they were dancing together they weren't necessarily doing the same exact movements. A second video showed us two male dancers using larger canes in a tahtib, which is mainly danced by men and simulates martial arts. The raqs al assaya would be the dance that is mainly done in a dance set.
We were then instructed to each dance with a cane, but not to do any of the tricks associated with it, such as spinning or twirling the cane. After each person danced, we were giving a critique. After all 5 of us danced, we danced a second time as a chance to improve based on the critique.
It made for a much longer lesson than I anticipated. Nonetheless, it was quite a valuable time!
Amina pointed out that I have the tendency to not make enough eye contact with the audience - which is definitely true! In an effort to connect with everyone, I quickly run through each person as fast as I can. Instead, I need to learn to linger a bit longer to make the person feel like I'm dancing just for them. My boyfriend would love for me to look at him a bit longer, so I've heard this critique before.
She also said that I have the tendency to move too quickly. I need to feel the beat more than be 100% on the beat, if that makes any sense. I do end up scribbling a bit, especially if I feel nervous or unsure about what's coming next in the music. But I know I need to slow down a bit in my movements, add some more gooeyness in it (as Najmat would say).
Overall, it was a great lesson. I enjoyed meeting all these Bay Area dancers and seeing the talent the West Coast has. Though her style was different from what I expected, Amina has a lot of experience and expertise in the dance. It was definitely a pleasure to take a lesson with her.
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