No. To me, that perspective implies that bellydance is not a full and complete dance form in its own right. I firmly believe that it is, and that you can be a very fine bellydancer who only studies bellydance. I don't think someone -shouldn't- study other styles, though. I'm currently taking a Jazz dance class, and I'm finding overlap and compliment.

I don't think it's necessary; I know plenty of beautiful, talented and insightful belly dancers who never took ballet (or modern or contemporary) and are still wonderful teachers and performers.
I think what IS important is a deep body awareness and an understanding of dance kinesthetics, but that can be learned from many, many different kinds of movement training-- including, you know, bellydance classes!-- not just "formal" dance training.
I took ballet, jazz and acro as a little girl, and as an adult I've taken a modern dance class, and I absolutely think all these things were helpful, but I don't think they should be seen as ubiquitous.

My original training is in ballet and modern dance. I was a professional modern dancer until I quit at about age 35 because of injuries. When I first took up belly dance, I danced what my teachers taught me and left all of my modern dance training completely out of it.

But lately it's coming out in my choreographies, much to the frustration of the one dancer in my troupe who has no classical training. But I'm loving experimenting with the fusion of the two styles.

And I have to say that training in SOME classical dance style, be it ballet, flamenco or something else, does WONDERS for posture and stamina.

From a student perspective, I did find it helpful when my teacher had that background and could describe things like that. Then again, I was familiar with the terms. I think it would be rather pointless and just as equally frustrating if I didn't know what demi-plie was.

No, I don't think you need training in a more formal dance to progress with semi or pro bd/tribal. Although I agree that some forms can help with creativity, flexibility and endurance.

I like that ballet offers the potential for great flexibility, excellent toning and endurance for leg muscles. Also ballet does encourage always using the basics in technique before doing more advanced work, but then you have dances like Tahitian or Hawaiian hula that offers slight differences that can help add subtly to your dance. Indian style dancing is great, African dances are fantastic to add to your technique. I guess it depends on what you want to do with you dance.

It helps me. Columbia, SC may be small and relatively off the map, but this place is a dance company town. There are more professional dance companies than I've been able to count (Columbia City Ballet, Columbia Classical Ballet, Carolina Ballet, The Power Company, Columbia City Jazz, Vibrations Dance Company, Ebony Dance Theatre, University of S. Carolina dance dept., and on and on and on). There are at least four full-scale professional productions of the Nutcracker every year. As Delirium has grown, I've gotten a lot of class drop ins from people with some serious dance training, and it's helpful to be able to approach some of my explanations from that direction.

For me, the main thing about teaching has been having really good body awareness. I think if you've done any sort of physical activity that will put you in touch with your body--dance, sports, gymnastics, martial arts--you'll have a jump start on being in touch and in tune with your body. I am also a thinking teacher. There's a trick to being able to explain a movement, and to be able to come at it from a whole different direction if one explanation isn't coming across. People learn in different ways, and I try to reach all of them somehow.

Personally, I'll never get my ballet training out of my bellydance performance either, especially dealing with my body type. I don't mind. It's my signature style.

I haven't taken classes in a long time. I may try again soon, though.

I started with tribal bellydance classes, never having taken any other form as a kid, and only recently started taking other styles of dance and I find it exhilerating and challenging...when I took my modern and ballet classes last term, I learned a tremendous amount, and gained more strength, a better understanding of posture and basic elements of movement, things I that had been stewing in the back of my mind, but hadn't yet found words. With the small amount of hip hop and now flamenco I have taken, I find as much as the elements are used in bellydance, they are still both very independant and challenging forms of movement. I think it helps to have an undstanding of various forms of movement and be able to adapt to different postures, energies and flow, it adds more to bellydance I think, because it gives you a bigger selection of movements to choose from to fuse with your dance. Sometimes certain styles will rarely never be used with bellydance, but I think it can be especially important to know some of the vocabulary when talking choreography, and working with other dancers. I really think it's up to the person, but to me, what makes for a good dancer, isn't that they are studying a specific kind of other dance, but that they are just broadening their study, and experimenting, learning other kinds of movement, or from many different teachers, if they stick to one kind of dance. Even as professionals, we can't forget to continue to learn, and on our way to becoming professionals, it is impossible, if we have not made the effort to learn many things.

In my own practice, I am studying flamenco this term, as well as my out of school bellydance clases, and I plan to take more modern and ballet again, because they were both so increadable in helping me build strength and explore different ways to move [fyi, I really was still bellydancing in my modern class, but using those techniques...I did expand some though. Ohmygod LEGS! ;P] I also plan, when I have the money to study with several more bellydance teachers, and branch out in bellydance styles, triberet and caberet with Severina and Magidah, and eventully [after I get my BA in dance...which entailes many different kinds of dance study], Carolina and Jill Parker and more and more...This one-day pro is planning to have tons of dance under her belt :D

I would say, there's no right or wrong. ... if you're a teacher, your style will attract students who ressonate with that style and want to learn from you. having said that, i strongly strongly think that taking different types of dance forms--and even the same dance form from different teachers---is super beneficial for any dancer. I have found that expanding my repetoire of dance vocabulary and movement bases, and learning moves, sequencing, musicality, and technique from various styles has really deepened my body awareness, my ability to pick up choreography, and strengthened my dance brain (if that makes any sense), to the point where it's not even really conscious, it's just ingrained in my body memory and toolbox. So now when i'm choreographing a tribal fusion piece, and playing around with the music, things come out of me that i go "hmmm, where did i learn that?" or my body just moves in patterns and sequencing and rhythms i may have learned from jazz, or moderm, or hip hop, or salsa, or african... vs. just what i may have learned in a bellydance class.
Having been a dancer my whole life, of many different styles (and also a gymnast), and a 'professional' bellydancer the last 5 years (i don't know why i put that in quotes.) , i have also found that actively studying different styles inspires me to fuse more, and helps my brain pick up people's choreographies faster. You never know when you'll be surprised by a sequence you learn in one class.. that you can tweak, make it your own, and either teach it in your bellydance class, or put it in a choreography...

in my mind, the essence of Tribal fusion, is that it is, indeed, fusion! What makes it exciting for me --to both dance, and to watch really juicy juicy tribal fusion performers---is seeing elements of other styles brought in, or seeing dancers expand outside the 'box' of traditional bellydance. Instead of just doing straight 8 counts of bellydance moves over and over, for example, i find it more exciting to watch (and do) when the dancer stretches the limits, so to speak, and surprises me.

In essence, dance is the visual representation of the music. These days, instead of just thinking in specific genres, i.e. now i'm bellydancing. now i'm doing jazz. now i'm doing flamenco..... i like to play around with what movements comes thru me as the music speaks to me. What is the rhythm of the music? what is the emotion? what is the feel? How can my body best say what this music feels like, or is trying to express?? that might mean a series of hip bumps, or a flamenco turn. It might mean a plie, or head turn taken from ballet, or it may mean a grounded rooted stomp/head slide from khatak. I have fun playing around with stuff like that. hope that helps! :)

I would say, go with what moves you the most. if you're called to take ballet and modern. do it!! if you're called to immerse yourself right now in straight up bellydance. do that! :) Go with what moves you, and you'll never get sick of it. That being said, my newest little challange for myself, is to go to dance classes outside my movement comfort zone, where i feel like a complete dork. :) it pushes the edge a bit and opens up new movement pathways in the body. :)