[Sca-cooks] Sca-cooks Digest, Vol 24, Issue 60

[Christiane]

>
>Since the list is quiet, does anyone have thoughts on teaching and classes
>in the SCA?
>
>Johnnae
>
I teach basically the same thing inside and outside the SCA: Middle Eastern dance. Inside the SCA, I talk a bit about dance in period, and what a dancer would wear within period, and the moves I teach are basic Egyptian beledi, rather than the ATS-style improv I teach outside the SCA. Also inside the SCA, I've begun teaching about the Muslim and Norman history of Sicily and southern Italy. For this, I am starting to use food and recipes to give a taste of the culture, so to speak. For the kingdom A&S at Mudthaw, I had a paper and platter of slices of pasticcio di ibn al-Thumna. His Majesty at the time (Andreas) liked it! I have also volunteered to teach some beginning drop-spinning classes at local events and demos.

I teach at local events because my job will never allow me to go to Pennsic (the timing) and I never saw anyone teaching these some of these things locally (mostly because some of the folks who used to teach these things went away, or are caught up in other duties). I'm also passionate about the dancing, because let's face it, many of us are less then athletic and often would rather curl up with a good book or a project than any physical activity and are fond of our food (I include myself in all of these categories). But I put myself out there dancing to show folks that if I, a nearsighted, overweight klutz who spent a good deal of her childhood falling down stairs, can do Middle Eastern dance and derive tangible benefits from it, just about anyone can. I started dancing at 34, and will be 41 in May. There is more to this dance than lithe young thangs in chainmail bikinis, and I think I can show that.

If I get two folks in my dance classes at an event, I am happy. I realize that Middle Eastern dancing is not for everyone, but if I can get at least one person to go look for a teacher near where they live and start studying in earnest, my job is done. :-)

Gianotta