Q: Well Taaj, 2005 is looking like an incredible year for you. Your students have swept the east coast competition world. You must be very proud. You had two students in Shakira’s Personal Best Competition in Columbus, Ohio win the Silver and Gold categories. Then your students won first place in every category except Troupe in the East Coast Belly Dance Classic. Can you tell me how that makes you feel?

A: I have had students place in competition before, but none have won first place. When Inaras and Samira won in the Silver and Gold categories, that was the first 1^st place win for my students. I thought it would feel like a victory for me too, but when it happened I didn’t feel that way at all. I may have provided some guidance, but they did all the work.

Now that I have four more student winners, I am starting to feel like maybe I had had some part in their success. That feels really rewarding.

Q: Why do you think you had such a big advantage this year? How do you get that many students who want to compete and then bring what it takes to win to the contest?

A: The first advantage I have is that I think my students are a self-selected group of people who want to work hard. I attract few hobbyists, people who want to dance for exercise, or people who want to bond with other women. Those things may be present, but the main reason why students stay in my class is to learn how to dance. You can’t be in any of my classes beyond Foundations and keep up if you don’t do your homework, apply the concepts, perform, and move forward. The class would just be too overwhelming for someone who isn’t serious about learning how to dance well. The girls are competitive. I don’t mean with each other, but with themselves. They want to master the material and learn more. I think that this makes my students more likely to compete. They also get critiqued in our monthly student showcase, so they are constantly getting feedback to take their performances to the next level.

There aren’t many east coast contests. I’ve been sponsoring the East Coast Belly Dance Classic for four year and I have judged Queen of the Nile and Personal Best. That gives me a unique perspective into what judges are looking for and how they score. Other teachers are at a lesser advantage unless they came from the west coast where there are tons of contests, or are contest winners themselves.

Q: What advice would you give for people who want to win?

A: The number one thing is that you have to look at the items being scored and be sure to include every single element. In the Grand Champion category this year at the Classic, there were six points separating four dancers. That means that every single point counted, yet there were people who got zeros for not putting X or Y in their routine. That could drop you right out of contention for placement! This is the biggest mistake that competitors in all levels make. Shadows of the Fire have placed no lower than second place for the last four years at the East Coast Classic. I think that demonstrates that it takes talent and knowing how to dance for points to score well.

The second thing is to get advice from people who know. I’ve written many articles on how to score higher. I also sell a teleseminar with Zaina Hart, sponsor of The Double Crown competition, that covers common mistakes that competitors make. You can spend your first competition experience learning the ropes, or you can take a short cut. Why not take the short cut?

Q: Do you think that people will raise their eyebrows at the fact that so many of your students won at your own contest?

A: No. There are several reason for that. I did not judge any of the categories that they entered in either contest. Samira won at two different events, so that gives some evidence that she’s a solid performer. During the first day of competition at the Classic, I asked around to see what people thought about the placement of the winners and was told that it looked about right. They also pointed out that the winners in People’s Choice were the same people who won first place. When I found out that my students also won the second day’s competition, I had two judges verify the scoring before announcing the results.

There is also the point that many people come year after year to compete at the Classic. I think that is a testament to the fact that they trust that it is a fair competition. It is nice to have students win and compete, but it takes an awful lot of preparation and money to make this event happen. I would not go to all that trouble just to award my students with a trophy. This event is for the community. I love that people come and support it, that it gives people something to aspire to and work towards, and that it can help launch a budding career. I wouldn’t jeopardize that so that one of my students could win. If the winners are not deserving, it gives the contest a bad name. Without integrity, there is no contest. Who would enter?

It really truly also does not matter to me who wins. I hope that my students win, but if they did not do the work to do what it takes to get there, it’s someone else’s prize. And anyone can have a bad day. It’s not the end of the world. The person who did the work and had an "on" day deserves the title. Many people, myself included, feel that they don’t care who wins because all put their heart and soul into it. When the winner’s name is called, the crowd always supports whoever it is.

Q: So what’s next on the horizon for you?

A: I am going to continue teaching and sponsoring the East Coast Classic. I know that I teach things conceptually that aren’t widely taught in classes, so I am focusing on getting my instructional DVDs out. My e-book, "How to Position Yourself as the Obvious Belly Dance Expert and Double Your Income" has been selling well, so I am going to get that in print in the next year or so. I am doing a lot of long-distance coaching too. I predict that that will increase now that my resume` just got a little more impressive. So it looks like I will be busy doing more of the same.