Stay tuned…
To celebrate Nadira’s retirement and maintain our legacy, we’re opening up the Belly Dance Geek® catalog with “pay what you want” pricing and granting limited permission for classroom use.
We’re still evaluating whether this course can be offered as a fully DIY release, so check back here or subscribe to receive updates from our “pay what you want” store.
Do you panic when you try to improvise?
Maybe you draw a blank and freeze up.
Or maybe you frantically jump from move to move.
They’re actually the same thing.
Drawing a blank and frantic dancing look different, but they are both caused by a lack of trust.
You don’t trust that you can improvise good ideas.
So you constantly monitor and judge yourself.
That chokes off the flow of ideas.
So you freeze up, or frantically jump from idea to idea.
Either way, your dancing suffers.
So you try to monitor yourself even more closely.
It’s a vicious cycle.
It’s an awful feeling.
To stop that vicious cycle, you need to earn your own trust
You need to trust that you won’t make a fool of yourself, no matter what happens.
Even if you can’t think of any good ideas.
Even if you can’t think of any ideas.
That trust is the foundation of improvisation.
Once you stop monitoring and judging every idea, you have the freedom you need to improvise:
You’re free to think creatively.
You’re free to listen to the music.
You’re free to express how you’re feeling.
You’re free to connect with the audience. But you can’t do any of that until you know that it’s safe to stop judging. You need a safety net to catch you if you fall.
When you trust yourself, you’re free to melt into the moment.
That’s why Nadira created…
The Improvisation Safety Net
How to build the skills you need to trust yourself in the moment.
In this program, we’re going to build your safety net.
Through knowledge and practice, you’ll develop a deep trust in yourself and your skills.
Here’s what you’ll learn:
How to free up the flow of ideas
You’ll learn techniques to shut up your inner critic, so the ideas can flow. (And it’s really fun!)
How to make friends with your safety moves
Instead of fighting the same few moves that occur to you in the moment, we’ll make them work for you. You’ll learn how to use them instinctively, so you can free up your attention to think creatively.
How to make your safety moves fabulous
Safety moves are only boring when you fight them. You’ll learn how to use them to create dancing that’s interesting and elegant, not repetitive.
How to stay polished in the moment
In order to trust your safety net, you need to know that you won’t lose your polish, even when you’re not paying attention. We’ll practice polishing your safety moves in the moment.
How to end frantic dancing
As you make friends with your safety moves, you’ll get comfortable using fewer moves. You’ll learn to trust simple-but-elegant dancing, instead of throwing in everything but the kitchen sink.
When you stop listening to your inner critic, you can start listening to yourself.
In the process, you’ll discover:
- 8 techniques for making your safety moves fascinating.
- Why simple dancing is more interesting—and how to tell when it’s not.
- A 4-point polish check that won’t break your concentration.
- Why even traditionalists need non-traditional music sometimes.
By the end of the course, you’ll have a strong safety net in place. You’ll trust that you can create interesting, elegant dancing without thinking too hard. You’ll trust that you can still give a good performance, even if you can’t think of anything “cool”.
With that safety net in place, you’ll be ready to leap into improvisation. And that’s when the cool ideas will start to flow.
I never thought I’d be brave enough…
to perform publicly on stage. But I did it, and I know it’s thanks to this course. It wasn’t always easy, but I felt guided and supported every step of the way. -Rebecca G. in Washington (private course led by Heather Wayman)
When I began the class, I could barely tolerate seeing myself on video…
Through the wonderfully designed curriculum, I blossomed and at the end of the class I could dance to the different layers of the music, move, and express myself. I guess you could say I went from a dancer with the “deer in the headlights” look to a more confident dancer who can improvise to a piece of music I’ve never heard before.
-Sandi in Alaska
How it Works
The Improvisation Safety Net is a 10-week online course.
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Regular Assignments. Each week, you’ll receive three dancing assignments. Some of the assignments will be delivered as video, others will have written instructions. These should take about 30 minutes each to complete. I’ll also ask you to do some journaling at the end of the week.
You can use the remaining three days to rest, review, or catch up if you fall behind. |
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Course forum. The course will be conducted in a private forum. This is where you’ll post your assignments, share videos, and ask questions. The course is limited to 15 students, so it’s already pretty small, but you’ll be assigned to a small study group. Your group members will give you feedback and encouragement, and also provide accountability to help you stay on track. |
Bonuses
To make sure that you get the most out of the program, I have some great bonuses for you.
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Improvisation Toolkit Vol. 1Our “textbook” for the course will be Nadira’s DVD, Improvisation Toolkit Vol. 1: Movement Recall. All participants will receive a free, electronic copy with the course. (If you already have it, you can substitute vol. 2.) |
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A Personal Support Session with Heather (premium package only)I will be providing feedback in the forum throughout the course, but you may still want some one-on-one support. So I’m offering you a 30-minute private session with me. We can work on anything that’s giving you trouble, or plan the next steps in your training journey. I use the Zoom video conferencing platform (so I can see you dance), but we can also do it by phone or email if you prefer. You can use your session any time during the program, or within six months of its end. |
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Finger Cymbals Bonus Week (premium package only)In the course proper, you’ll develop a strong safety net for your dancing. In this bonus week, we’ll do the same for your zils. You’ll establish safety patterns, explore ways to create variety in the moment, and learn how to play more complex patterns without having a meltdown. |
Logistics
What’s the time commitment?
In The Improvisation Safety Net, you’ll be learning in chunks of 30-60 minutes, three times per week.
This includes:
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- Doing your assignments (15-30 minutes)
- Posting to your accountability journal (5-10 minutes)
- Helping out your classmates (10-20 minutes)
FAQ:
Do I need any special equipment?
You will be asked to post videos of some of your assignments. This means that you will need a webcam or video camera. (You can even use the camera on your phone, if you have a way to prop it up.)
If you sign up for the premium package, your support session will take place on Zoom video conferencing. You can access it via a web browser link I’ll send you in an invitation when we schedule your session.
You can also download the desktop or mobile client for iOs, Android or Windows. If you’re not keen on Zoom, we can also conduct your session over the phone or email, if you prefer.
Do I have to dance every day?
You don’t have to dance every day, but regular practice is an important part of this course. It helps you integrate what you’ve learned, and maintains your momentum. And since your classmates will be giving you feedback, it’s important that you’re all on the same page. So for this course, I don’t recommend that you batch the week’s assignments for one day. I’ll send emails each Saturday so you’ll have time to review the assignments and plan the week to your advantage.
I’m going on vacation during the class – will I fall behind?
The course can accommodate a few days away, but you’ll have trouble catching up if you miss more than a week. If you let me know well in advance, I can give you the homework assignments early, so you can do them before you leave.
What levels is this appropriate for?
This program is designed for intermediate through professional-level dancers.
Motivated advanced beginners with a strong movement foundation may be able to handle it.
What styles is this appropriate for?
The Improvisation Safety Net is completely style-neutral. The skills you’ll learn are appropriate for all styles of belly dance.
(They would even work for other types of dance.)
I’ve never improvised before. Can I still take the course?
Absolutely. The skills you’ll learn in this course are the foundation of successful improvisation. So it’s appropriate for improv newbies, as well as dancers who are already improvising, but don’t feel like they’re on solid ground.
What’s the difference between The Improvisation Safety Net and the Improvisation Toolkit DVD Series?
Both programs touch on similar material, but their structure and depth are very different.
The Improvisation Toolkit DVD is a do-it-yourself program. It gives you all the information you need, but you have to find the motivation to do the work, and to troubleshoot any problems.
The Improvisation Safety Net is a guided group coaching course. You’ll get personal feedback from me and your group members, which lets us dig more deeply into the material. The structure and accountability of a course also helps keep you on track.
Think of the Improvisation Toolkit DVD as a textbook, and the Improvisation Safety Net as a class.
You can teach yourself Chemistry out of a textbook, but it’s a whole lot easier with a teacher to guide you, and classmates to help you.
I found the ISN course to be a great way to “make an appointment with myself” three times a week.
It helped me dedicate practice time to myself and the accountability that Nadira and the forum provided really helped me stay more on track throughout the course. There were a few times when “life happened” and I wasn’t able to meet my “appointments” with myself, but I was able to catch up each time, do the assignments at my own pace and post to the forum.
– Heather Wayman
(I’m not just the Director at Belly Dance Geek…I’m also a long time past client.)
Sign Up Now
The course is limited to 15 students, so I can provide individual feedback.
They are first-come, first-served, so register now to reserve your spot.
Two Payment Options:
Limited enrollment. Secure your spot today! |
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What’s Included: |
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Basic Package |
Premium Package |
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| Improvisation Safety Net Course |
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Bonuses: |
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| Improvisation Toolkit (worth $29.95) |
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| 30-Minute Private Session with Heather (worth $40) |
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| Finger Cymbals Bonus Week (worth $97) |
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Price: |
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| We’re still evaluating whether this course can be offered as a fully DIY release. Check back here or subscribe to receive updates from our “pay what you want” store. Get Updates |
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