Members of ASMED who offer weekly classes. Afra al Kahira |
Al Kahira School of Middle Eastern Dance "Training dancers to possess individuality & innovation, Click here for information on where to take classes with ASMED trained teachers Details of the Autumn Dance Skills Day are here
ASMED Mentoring Service Don't just spend a few months studying for a qualification! Spend your entire dance career learning how to grow your skills as both a dancer and a teacher! Over the past few months ASMED has been undergoing some significant changes, the most important of which is that we have switched focus away from being about studying with us for a short period to gain either a dance or teaching qualification to offering a long term mentoring programme instead. Why the change? Increasingly Afra is being contacted by dancers wanting more than just a teaching qualification - what they want is a place where they can continue to receive help with ongoing professional development throughout their entire dance careers. With ASMED it is now possible to do that. How does it work? The focus is more about continued development rather than studying intensively for a particular award, encouraging students to think about their dance development in the longer term. Students sign up to a Personal Development Programme which includes a regular assessment of their dance skills and their level of background & underpinning knowledge. The development programme covers a wide range of skills and is tailored to each individual, enabling each student to study areas of particular interest as well as receiving ongoing support, advice and dance training. The practical dance training is coupled with access to easy to use online study modules that cover many aspects of the important underpinning knowledge so essential to both the dancer and the dance teacher, like understanding music & rhythms, cultural & historical information and lots more. Students also have access to a private online discussion forum where lively debates take place about a wide range of topics and students can come and ask in confidence about issues relating to teaching or performing dance in a supportive and understanding environment. Students pay a small annual fee (£25.00) and agree to attend a minimum number of ASMED events per annum (normally 1 practical day, 1 theory day and a workshop with an ASMED teacher), plus undertaking to work on their Personal Development Plan throughout the year. In return for this all students have regular access to training and support from Master Teacher Afra al Kahira, Senior Tutor Emma Pyke and Visiting Tutor Vashti, and of course the rest of the ASMED Community. We share a common aim of wishing to continue to learn and develop our dance and teaching skills and support each other in the pursuit of those skills. Members of ASMED recognise that continued learning is an essential part of the dancer's toolkit and are committed to developing their skills to the best of their ability. Can I still study for a qualification? Yes, you can! The Teaching Diploma and Advancer Dancer Certificate are still available as study modules and students can study for them at their own pace, accruing credits for each one they complete, which will count towards an award. All students must study with ASMED for a minimum of 1 year before they can apply for an award. Students can build up their credits a variety of ways - completing online training modules, attending ASMED training days, private tuition with Afra or other ASMED Tutors, by attending workshops, master classes or privates with other recommended teachers. Even if you don't initially wish to study for a particular award most elements of training completed will accrue credits that can count towards an award if you want to apply for one at a later time. We are a small organisation compared with some but this is because we focus on the individual more and in order to do that numbers are limited to make sure that all students receive enough support and attention. Our motto is 'it's about the people, not the money.' ASMED teachers abide by a code of ethics. Afra will not train any dancer to teach if she/he is not prepared to teach in an ethical manner. Classes and workshops taught by Afra al Kahira and ASMED teachers are open to all genuine adult learners regardless of age, sex, race or creed. No ASMED teacher will turn away from their classes any man who genuinely wishes to learn to dance . ASMED teachers sign a Charter & Code of Conduct to demonstrate their agreement to abide by those principles. About ASMED - The al Kahira School of Middle Eastern Dance came into being in 1997 when Afra first started to formally train dancers to teach (Teaching Diploma Course) and also provide intensive training to students who wished to deepen their dance skills and broaden their background knowledge of the dance but were not yet ready to begin teaching (Advanced Dancer Certificate). It is a small organisation (Afra describes it as "small but perfectly formed!" :D) and only takes on a few new students for each year. Why keep it small? Afra operates the school with a very 'hands on' approach. She has an active role not just in directing the school but in teaching and mentoring, and you simply cannot do that with a large student body. Although ASMED is called a 'school' this is about the training on offer and not about dance styles. ASMED teachers teach across a wide range of dance styles: Modern Egyptian, Lebanese, Folkloric, Turkish, Tribal, 'belly dance' and experimental to name just a few! Student teachers learn about other dance styles, how to recognise them and explain them to their students and they are encouraged to find the style that suits them best. Afra sees ASMED as her way of giving something back to the dance community that she has been a part of her life for so many years, and also as her contribution to improving the standards of both dancing and teaching within the UK and beyond - "it's about the people, not the money!"
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