As I begin a new term of classes, I’ve been thinking about what I promise to you as your teacher if you ever come to a bellydance class with me – beyond the obvious one, that I will teach you to dance to the best of my ability!

These are a few of them:⁠

I will always strive to follow the principle of “do no harm” – I will never knowingly push you to take risks with your body, or with your mental health.⁠

I will never judge or comment on your body or physical appearance, or compare your body to others. I will never talk about weight, weight loss, appearance goals, or diets. All I care about is that your body feels good, stays safe, and discovers beautiful new ways of moving.⁠
⁠
I will always respect your boundaries. Not comfortable being touched, or touching others? Fine. Not comfortable working in groups? Fine. Not comfortable dancing in front of the group? Take things at your own pace, it’s fine. You’re here to grow, and growth comes from a place of safety and respect.⁠
⁠
I will never make assumptions about the gender identity, sexual orientation, or relationship status of my students, whether individually or as a group. If you tell me your pronouns, I will be grateful for the knowledge and will do my absolute best to use them correctly at all times. If you entrust me with personal information, I will keep it confidential unless you tell me otherwise.⁠
⁠
I will value all learning styles and neurologies, and try to accommodate as many as possible with my teaching methods. I will never shame you for struggling in class – it is my job to present information in ways that work for my students, and to pitch my content at the right level to help you learn.⁠

Fundamentally, I believe dance classes work best when they are a safe and welcoming environment. We make ourselves vulnerable when we dance – and with safety comes confidence and freedom to explore. Freedom you can then hold onto, and carry back into your daily life ☺️