Thanks to Amandine MEVEL, oriental dancer and teacher in the region of Rouen (France), for answering to our interview with talent and spontaneity.

How did you come to know and love Bellydance, and what motivated you to make it your job?

I came across oriental dance quite by accident, my mother had wanted to do it for a while and there were classes opening nearby. We signed up for the following school year and were immediately hooked.
Over the years, I evolved a lot and my enthusiasm has never stopped growing...  Then I had the opportunity to replace the Bellydance teacher who had trained me when she left the association she worked at. After I started to perform always by chance, without having look or asked for anything... I was really doing it out of passion, it was very rewarding to be solicited while making pocket money while I was still a high school student.
At the same time, I continued my studies by trying several courses without conviction... But I had more and more oriental dance lessons to teach in the evening after college and performances as professional bellydancer on weekends, which took me a long time. So it was from there that I decided to make it my job because it was "THE" thing I was good at, the one which made me vibrate and I especially did not want to work through spite in a sector I did not like.  

You usually have a sustained rhythm of dance lessons with nearly 18 classes per week all dances combined. How are you managing this activity remotely with the current Covid-19 context? What kind of organization do you have to provide such a choice of lessons to such varied profiles (babies, children, teenagers, adults, from a beginner to an advanced level)?

During the Covid, I had to adapt and then reinvent my dance lessons like all the other teachers... Despite ourselves, we became pros at online Bellydance lessons! We then did what we could to keep our students dancing, but our activities were strongly impacted.
For my part, my adult students quickly gave up the online lessons because they could not find what they had come looking for when signing up (exchanges, conviviality...). There were also those who are not on social networks and not very comfortable with technology in general, or those for whom the schedules offered to dance at home did not fit with their pace of life.
For the children's Bellydance lessons, it was even more complicated because it was up to the parents, whether they had time to connect or not... And as for this audience, I teach in the form of collective games, it had no great interest when alone at home.
It is true that I give a lot of lessons and for all ages, but over the years, I am well established as not to get lost in the choreographies, groups, and activities offered.
For each group of the same level, I offer the same oriental dance choreographies or the same small sequences I prepare at home during the day and record (this is absolutely essential for me because at the end of the season, I have nearly 25 choreographies cooking not counting the solos, duets, trios...). I don't prepare the entire choreography ahead of time, but I move forward little by little from one week to the next according to my inspiration and depending on my students' progress.
An essential skill for me as a Bellydance teacher is of course pedagogy. But other qualities are also needed to practice this job: being organized, very patient, listening to my students, knowing how to adapt to them... Whether they are for adults or children, my oriental dance lessons are above all a moment of pleasure and relaxation.
I worked for a long time in a children's activity center as an activity leader and director, so I obtained diplomas which today I think are my strength for the little ones lessons. Besides, I have my own way of teaching the children's lessons. Everything is in games, the kids learn without realizing it.
Knowing how to constantly reinvent yourself, evolve with time and innovations... is also vital because if I do the same thing all the time, I get tired of it very quickly and so do my students.

What do you prefer between teaching oriental dance and performing at events?

Bellydance classes allow me to share my passion and meet lots of different people... Most of my students have become friends over time. They also allow me to have a "fixed" monthly income, which is not the case with performing at events.
Performances are the essence of my activity because you are first a dancer before being a teacher... Shows allow me to open up in my body, head, and life in general... I am a different Amandine when I put on "my glitter", I was very shy before starting oriental dance and it allowed me to open up to others and gain self-confidence... In performance, we often have the opportunity to visit great places, be treated like a real princess, see people's eyes shine and dream when they see us, it's magic!
In short, I like both but not for the same reasons; the lessons and shows complement each other.

As an accomplished oriental dancer and teacher, can you explain to us in detail what "Mejance" is?

A mejance is a music from Egypt, created especially for the Bellydancer, and used for the dancer's presentation. It starts with an intro that can last a long time in order to have suspense and enhance the dancer further when she finally gets on stage. At that point, she has to impose so we only see her. Then several styles will follow, such as Saïdi, Khaleegy... but it varies a lot. As a dancer, it’s perfect to show everything you can do with just one piece of music. Great oriental dancers often have their own mejance. To illustrate this kind of music, I prefer to wear a costume which includes a loose, fluid Bellydance skirt that we can twirl and grab to play with and have a "wow" effect.

In your opinion, which accessory or piece of clothing is a must-have for any Bellydancer and why?

According to me, the essential item in oriental dance class is the oriental belt or the bellydance scarf to highlight the movements of the hips. It's very useful especially when starting this discipline. And on stage, it is obviously the oriental dance costume, it truly sublimates the dancer's work. The more you have a beautiful Bellydance outfit, the more you will “impress your audience". In my opinion, this is essential because the dancer must make people dream.

How do you feel about the health crisis' consequences in the world of Bellydance? For you, what's the future of oriental dance now?

The health crisis' consequences are heavy on the world of entertainment and sport in general, whether it is Bellydance or other disciplines, it does not change anything, we are all in the same boat... Financially, we are out of breath… We can finally see the end of the tunnel with the dance lessons and performances starting again, but I remain suspicious as to what will happen next. The start of the school year in September will be decisive, either the students will come in numbers more motivated than ever to finally resume their favorite activity or they will not dare to register for fear of yet another wave and paying the fees for nothing.

We know you are pregnant. Once again congratulations on the great news! Have you already managed to establish a kind of "connection" with your baby through Belly dance?

My baby has been used to hearing music and feeling mom dance from the beginning. I think (but it's a very personal feeling) that he/she knows that when mom dances, you shouldn't bother her because it will last a while so you might as well take a nap! Instead of dancing with me, I would say he/she is rather rocked by the movements. And now, the challenge will be to reconcile my life as an oriental dancer with my life as a mother. 

Discover Amandine in a video :