I'm quoting from Miles' article on GS about certifications:

" If we ever do give out any sort of certificate, it will be to dancers who deserve a credit and “have the goods”."

Miles -- why not pursue this? I'm not saying fall into the "if you can't beat em, join em" trap, but you obviously feel as though you have a product worthy of some sort of structured certification, so why not create it?

I know you're in the entertainment business and not the teaching business, but a level-based BDSS certification program, with specific and uniform criteria and a specific test for each level -- that might be a really nice addition to the bellydance world. That way you can satisfy the demands for "certificates" but still only grant official recognition to people who truly represent and live up to the standards you set. It seems like an effective business plan for Suhaila -- I would think you could make it just as effective and appeal to an even wider range of people. ???

Just a thought, but I think it would be interesting to see this come about, and I would participate if it didn't involve flying out to California every year :) . A lot of students really enjoy working through the hierarchy and "moving up in the ranks" -- we're goal-oriented, so why not give us a goal?