Our Teaching Philosophy

We believe the body is a great place to be.  We teach and perform rooted in this belief.  It is our goal to bring this dance, this tool of empowerment, to as many people as we can. We have found that The Sacred Shapes™ inherent in this dance are our greatest tools for change and that learning to belly dance is really just a journey into the heart of our selves.  At every level, we welcome students who have taken belly dance instruction from other places and teachers.

A Dancer's Journey...

Our classes are structured as a journey.  We offer Beginner, Advanced Beginner, Intermediate and Advanced level classes on a regular basis.  Each level contains technique, including veil and zills, and choreography.  In addition, we strive to illuminate the history and spiritual nature of belly dance throughout each stage of the journey.  All of The Goddess Dancing™ classes are team-taught.  Sessions are eight weeks.  Our goal is to help the student become her own unique belly dancer.

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Beginner:  The Sacred Shapes

Beginners learn The Sacred Shapes™, originally created by Barbara Brandt, which form the foundation of all styles of belly dance. At this level, veils and zills, which are tools for all levels, are introduced to the student.  Our beginner choreographies, The Dance of The Sea Anemone™ or Bring on The Dancing Girls  are taught. 

The goal of the beginner level is to introduce the concepts of belly dance as developed by The Goddess Dancing: The Sacred Shapes, planes of movement, other vocabulary.  Simple belly dance movements, zills and veils are introduced.

It is important to begin this journey with confidence and with a solid understanding of our terminology. Therefore, we recommend that students repeat the Beginner class.

What you will learn in this class

•    Basic stance

•    Three planes of movement

•    Basis isolations in hips, heart & head including circles, crescents, figure eights

•    Shimmies

•    Traveling steps

•    Undulations

•    Hand and arm movements

•    Transitions as combinations

•    Middle Eastern rhythms

•    Beginner veil technique

•    Beginning zills (finger cymbals)

•   Class schedule & pricing

•   Register for this class.

Advanced Beginner:  The 7 Chakras

The Advanced beginner class is designed to help the students feel the Sacred Shapes™ deep within their bodies while continuing to learn new movements.  We focus on each of the 7 chakras and explore the Sacred Shapes™  associated with them. The Advanced Beginner choreographies are Rainbow Chakras and Mystic Chakra Groove.

The goal of the Advanced Beginner level is to feel the Sacred Shapes from within and to feel empowered by the dance.  Muscle and energy are explored through the language of the Chakras. The students are evaluated on their Basic Stance and isolations.

Because of the abundance of material and movements centered around the chakras, we recommend students repeat the Advanced Beginner class.

What you will learn in this class

•    Going deeper into the basic isolations

•    Layering movements

•    Belly rolls and undulations

•    Hand and arm movements

•    Spinning/turning

•    Transitions as combinations

•    Beginning floor work

•    Advanced beginner veil technique

•    Advanced beginner zills

•    Advanced beginner traveling steps

•     Middle Eastern rhythms

•   Class schedule & pricing

•   Register for this class.

Intermediate:  Personal Expression

Fall session:  The 5 Rhythms of Life

Winter session:  Goddess Archetypes

Spring Session:  The Art of Story Telling

The Intermediate class is an exploration of texture, layering and expression in the student’s personal dance.  The focus of each session is different such as; The Five Rhythms of Life (based on the work of Gabrielle Roth), Goddess Archetypes and The Art of Storytelling.  Along with creating their own dances, the Intermediate students learn the choreographies for Circle Dream and Sarasvati.

The goal of the Intermediate level is to begin to express a personal dance. Getting to know yourself well enough to express, to continue to feel empowered and to be able to receive individual feedback.

Due to the unique nature of these sessions we recommend that the students experience each theme and even repeat them.

What you will learn in this class

•    Dramatic expression

•    Story telling technique

•    Creating your own combinations

•    Transitions

•    Articulation in the isolations

•    Single hip circles

•    18 points of the hip

•    Belly rolls, undulations and flutters

•    Intermediate floor work

•    Intermediate zills

•    Intermediate veil technique

•    Intermediate traveling steps

•    Intermediate hand and arm movement

•    Student assignment: Create a dance to be performed in class for classmates

Advanced:  Group Performance

Fall session:  Methods of Expression & Theatre Arts

Winter Session:  Ear Training & Musicality

Spring Session:  Creating Group Choreography

The advanced level class in Group Performance brings the journey to the world. Belly dance is a performance art. This level is designed to enhance performance skills including, choreography, improvisation, stamina, drama and poise.  In addition, students continue to learn about their bodies and their spirits through the sacred art of belly dance. The class size is limited.  Preference is given to those coming from the Intermediate level.  However, we welcome students who have taken belly dance instruction from other places and teachers as well.

The goal of the Advanced level is to enhance the student's performance skills, and further spiritual development through the dance.

What you will learn in this class

•    Dance story development in group choreography

•    Nuances of body and facial expression

•    Improvisation as a choreographic tool

•    Theatre arts skills

•    Collaboration in group choreography

•    Musical phrasing and critical listening

•    Choosing music to support and express a dance story

•    Evaluating and revising choreography

•    Creative use of space

•    Costuming concepts for group dance

•    Drills in belly dance technique

And Beyond...

For those wanting to pursue solo performance more seriously we offer Solo Performance Coaching and schedule it on an individual basis.   It is helpful to be familiar with The Goddess Dancing™ curriculum for this.  However, we welcome students who have taken belly dance instruction from other places and teachers as well. 

For those wanting to pursue the healing nature and deeper spiritual essence of belly dance as a life practice we offer The Higher Geometry . In a series of workshops we bring a deeper meaning to movements that allow healing, meditation and a spiritual connection to emerge.  We recommend a familiarity with our curriculum for this series.

For those who know they want to share belly dance through teaching, we offer Teacher Training in The Goddess Dancing Method™.  The course involves experiencing our method, studying our curriculum and standards, and a student teaching practicum. There is one course for each level of dance. Certification is presented upon successful completion of the course.  This is open to all women regardless of belly dance experience.

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Register for classes

You can register and pay for classes using our Paypal shopping cart, or you can print out a registration form and mail it to us with your payment.

Drop-in pricing

The Goddess Dancing™  offers drop-in pricing for our Cambridge beginner classes. Curious about our classes and want to try one or two out? Stop in! One-time drop-in rate is $22. You can also buy a card good for any four classes, at $80 for the card. You must show your card to participate in a class.

Class size

Classes with more than ten students are taught by two members of The Goddess Dancing.™   Beginner level classes may have teacher trainees co-teaching with The Goddess Dancing teachers.

Click here to read about class policies.

Questions?  Contact us by phone 781-207-9182 or email.

Please note:  Pre-registration is strongly encouraged.  The Goddess Dancing reserves the right to cancel a class in the case of inadequate registrations. 

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Copyright © 2008 ~ The Goddess Dancing

All materials on this website including photos, graphics, and written materials are copyright The Goddess Dancing™ unless otherwise indicated and may not be used without permission.  

Last modified: 8/23/2008