A way this helped was to think that this is an Arabic step without the step, the undulation part. At a point I did it on releve and it clicked. Then I did it better flat footed. 

Oh, a lot, hahahaha! nailed a move by accident, skipped cool down, belt slid, missed hip drop, learned first drum solo

Hi Sadie,

I just signed up for this yesterday and I'm very excited to get started. I have some questions.

So, is the Info packet what we downloaded or is that a separate document?

Are we supposed to send in anything (answers to the questions in the level 'outline' download, video of the choreo at the end, etc.)?

How do we let you know when we've completed the materials in Level 1?

And is there any certification for Level 1's completion? In other words, do I get a certificate, or does that cumulate for the exam in Level 4 at the end?

Of course you can!  I started bellydancing when I was in my senior year of high-school (about 17-18 years old.) I live in an area that is very rural so there aren't many opportunities to learn this dance form with an in-person teacher. I actually stumbled across Sadie bellydancing on youtube one day. I saw her perform and I fell in love with it and had to learn how to dance like she did. I spent countless hours watching and re-watching her performances, imitating her moves, learning her dance pieces all from the computer. I practiced in my home's window reflections (I did not have a big enough mirror, and you gotta improvise) I spent several years doing this. I took it up again about nine years ago, same methods on the computer but then I bought Sadie's dance DVDs. From there it was a combination of youtube and DVDs up until two years ago when I discovered Raqs Online and Datura Online. I'm 35 now. So, YES! It's a very helpful tool to get you started.  Good Luck!!

Tribal dance, as far as I understand, is a combination of different styles mostly derived from the tribes of the North African and Middle Eastern cultures, and gypsy cultures (Roma, Sinti, etc.) with some influence by Spanish Flamenco (hence the higher arm carriages). Sometimes Indian dance is incorporated as well. It was started I think by Carolina Nariccio but then made popular by Rachel Brice, Zoe Jakes, Sharon Kihara, Ashley Lopez, and many others during the late 90s to 2000s. It uses darker elements in their clothing (inspired by tribes, Victorian Era, Edwardian Era, circus elements, punk, rock, etc.) and  dark dramatic make-up and many dancers tend to have piercings and tattoos. They are known for their serpentine, gooey movements with precise accents and dancing to more 1920's-30's themed music, but they also dance to traditional Middle Eastern songs too. 

This is just a brief history of course. Hope it helps!

If Shakira is going to learn she might as well learn from the best. Just like Alana said, I feel very fortunate to have learned, and still be learning from you! 

Woooow, that's going way  back for me. I was a teen too when I first found bellydance. I guess the first song I actually tried to dance to was Ali Ahmad Ali Moallem Tabla. That was probably 15 years plus ago now. I've never performed in front of people but I've started to "perform" for online challenges last year. 

I love the 10  minute drills. They're great if you're pressed for time and want to get a workout in or to get yourself ready for a longer practice. 

I like The Art of the Drum Solo by Issam Houshan. It's got a lot of musicality that is great for different interpretations. I like to incorporate Raqs Sharqi percussive accents with Tribal micros and "choppy" accents. I can let myself really go with this and not worry about missing beats cause I can easily pick up one. Sometimes I just lose the bellydance altogether and just dance to it Hahahaha!

It's not the only song I like to use but it is a fun one.

Great! I love fitness videos so these are lots of fun. I love core work so the abs and booty burn I really liked. I'm going to add that to my regular playlist. The sides of my hips ache but I'll live, hahaha!