MECDA Professional Conference and Retreat....the recap...

A little over a month ago, I had attended the first MECDA Professional Conference and Retreat. The first one of it's kind with everything I could ever want and need for my upcoming business was included in one neat weekend package. Even though I was part of the volunteer staff, working for the event has never been so fun and fulfilling!
I got to be the room attendant for each of the conference rooms throughout the day and got to listen (and sometimes participate in) some valuable classes.

Because I was opening up my business, classes like developing your own pedagogy, teaching practicum, and injury prevention from Amara to the many classes from Julie Eason of the Bellydance Business Academy, some fun informative lectures from Devilla and Princess Farhana and other masters like Angelika, Zahra Zuhair, and Mesmera. These classes are essential tools in building my business and nurturing it along the way to success.

One of the unexpected experiences I had at the conference was the camaraderie all the dancers - both professional and pre-professional attending....everyone was so nice and helpful - far removed from the nature of some bellydancers in my area.

Everyone shared ideas.
Everyone shared thoughts.
Everyone shared experiences.
Everyone shared laughter.
Everyone shared tears.

There was no competition, exclusivity, indifference with any of the attendees or instructors - we were all one - one with a common goal...one of paving the way to the future and standing strong together as a dance community.

Now more than ever, I strive to make my goal and mission for more unity in the dance community - to share, love, and experience together what makes this dance a true form of art. I admit, I wondered how I could cram all this info and make it useful?
I got my business partner to open a twitter account, think of other media ways we can promote our studio or troupes, explore various marketing ideas, start a blog page for my studio, regularly posting with my own blog, negotiated with the landlord on some better deals, and most of all think clearly with an open mind. My business partner was fortunate to be one of the subjects in Amara's teaching practicum class and also is going to apply some applications she even learned from that session! Applying all this was not as hard as I thought. I had many 'a-ha' moments both during the conference as well as setting up my plans for the future....something a dancer should experience daily.

My studio is slowly getting off the ground, no opening date yet, and when it does, I will definitely blog about it!
With the tools I learned from the conference, I consider it valuable beyond the price you'd pay to just to attend it. I enjoyed everything about it...'work' didnt seem like work and I'd work the event all over again!

Here is a recap of the conference with some plugs on how great it was. As you can see...yes, we did have fun too...