I have been studying belly dance for 3 years. I attended several of Leslie's belly dance classes…read morebecause I wanted to broaden my belly dance.vocabulary (ATS/tribal fusion was always my dream goal for the past 10-15 years), but the experience ended up being very disappointing.
I am neurodivergent -- ASD Level 1 with OCD comorbidity -- and I mention that not for sympathy but because it is directly relevant to my experience in this class. I have a very structured, analytical view of the world and I learn best by breaking movements down into component parts, asking technical questions, and understanding clear expectations. I also don't always pick up on social cues or intuitively understand appropriate social context until in retrospect, but I do have keen intuition about the kind of energy people project, which I will go into later.
Leslie's class is heavy on repetition and drilling a strict set of vocabulary, and the various layers are often not broken down and explained individually. She leaves no class time for questions or clarification, and pays no individual attention to students regardless of their experience level. When asked clarifying questions, Leslie was often visibly irritated and treated them as interruptions rather than good-faith attempts to learn.
One example was an ATS chest rotation drill. I asked whether the move involved a chest slide layered with rotation. Leslie was adamant that it did not and ended the discussion by saying we could talk about it "some other time" (except there's none to be had in her class). A few classes later, she taught the same movement and instructed us to slide the chest. I felt she updated her instructions due to my question, but perceived it as a criticism rather than a good faith attempt to learn.
I had a similar exchange asking about snake arms in ATS compared with Egyptian style.
The situation came to a head during my final class. During a short water break, I spoke briefly with a newer student I had previously chatted with during breaks. Students had been told to socialize during breaks, so I did not understand this as inappropriate. Leslie then yelled at me in front of the class for "interrupting," said I had done so three times that day, and told me that if I did it again, I was "out of here." I was blindsided because I understood myself to be speaking during a break.
After class, she called me outside and continued reprimanding me, saying I had been rude and had affected the entire school. She also said students were expected to be present for the opening introduction circle. I had missed it that day only because I had an upset stomach and was stuck in the bathroom. I later sent a respectful message apologizing for any unintended disruption and explaining what happened. Two days later, she replied that the situation had caused her stress, refunded me, and told me not to attend further classes.
Based on my experience, I find Leslie's classroom to be frigid, stressful, and punitive rather than supportive. It is not a welcoming space for questions or to form genuine connections with the instructor or other students.
I have had much better experiences with other instructors in the area, under whom I continue to study; I am not going to promote them directly here, but you can go over my review history for more details.
If you are new to belly dance, or if you have experience but learn best through technical explanations, I would recommend that you invest your time elsewhere. You will build a much more solid foundation that way.
