FAQs – Frequently Asked Questions:
How do I register?
For community centre courses, contact the community centre to register.  I teach the classes, they deal with the paperwork!  Usually I try to make sure there is a direct link in the class listing!
For my advanced private classes – contact me directly and I’ll take care of signing you up!
I haven’t exercised in years/due to an injury/for other reasons.  Is this a safe way to get moving again?
If you are at all concerned about your own personal abilities, do speak with your medical practitioner to confirm that it will be okay to start dancing.  The Bellywood style of dance, as a blending of two similar but different styles, will offer some great muscle toning, lower impact aerobic workout, body awareness-ie. posture, and help develop a sense of balance and improve flexibility.
I strongly remind folks in class to take charge of your own body, as you know it best and should only push yourself to a point of challenge, but not discomfort.
In short: if it hurts, stop. Check your form and trust yourself- if it is not a move for you, that’s okay
Aren’t Belly dancing and Bollywood dancing the same thing?
AAAAHHHH. nope.
We’ll have some geography and cultural chats in class to clarify that in fact these are two separate and distinct dance forms.  The fact that folks have been fusing them together for years is just a gleeful sign of the multicultural nature of the western world.  We’ll discuss the differences and similarities between these two dance forms in class, along with some fun costume discussions and more!
Feel free to do some research on your own just to get your head wrapped around the differences!
Will we learn a dance?
Maybe.  Dunno yet.
Mainly for the first half of the session we will focus on learning distinct movements, sharp technique, and then blending them into combinations.  If it feels like the class would like to explore a routine, then we’ll look into that for the last half of the session.  I like to tailor my classes to the needs of each group – every one is a bit different and offers new ideas and fun in how we play together!


What are Mudras?
As others have explained it much better than I can, I suggest you click here for the images I use in class and here for more detailed description of the concepts!  But in general, they refer to the hand positions!
Any more questions?
Ask them in the comments area and I’ll add the good ones to this list!