Late last night I found this article on hip pain...
Hip Pain? Stretching is not the answer
While it is aimed at gymnasts, it can be applied to any exercise. The basic premise is control and stability first. I feel some belly dancers neglect strenghtening of the core muscles and go straight to "how big and awesome can I do this move". I heard a story from an ex-student who first went to another studio before joining Janka's. At her first class, at this other studio, the teacher had them doing backbends! I couldn't believe it. In your first class at our studio you are learning how to warm up, proper posture, hip kicks, basic step and how to cool down properly. All subsequent classes are the same (except it's a new move plus the ones you have already learnt). I still will stop the advanced class in their warm up, drills, choreographies and cool down, to correct and adjust (perhaps this is why a few years ago I was labelled the bitch of the studio, but I don't care - I don't want you to get injured).
Mel and I alternate who gives fitness class each week. We will attend each others classes and correct each other and our students, no matter who is giving the class. On Tuesday, while Mel was teaching, I stopped and corrected a student whose hips weren't straight during a side lift series.
Making sure your students and yourself are doing the moves and exercises correctly is more important than whether it looks cool or not. That is how you safe guard against injuries. The flashy can come later.
After years of doing ballet I suffer from several areas of chronic pain. They cared about how high you could get your leg, not whether your hips and back were protected by core stability and strength, resulting in back and sacroiliac pain, and don't forget that I can dislocate my right hip on command. I had shin splints (which still give me problems) from being made to jump higher and higher, and put on point shoes without working the legs and buttocks enough to support these impactful movements. Finally, upper back pain from not being taught to hold my arms properly, creating tension.
This is why I love pilates. It's building up your strength instead of forcing the body into unnatural positions without having the muscle to support the tendons and bones. I've learnt a lot more from my short time of doing pilates than from 11 years of ballet.
So ... watch yourselves and your students. Safety first! Protect your body.