About Belly Dance
Belly dance is more properly called oriental dance, Middle Eastern Dance or Arabic Dance and comes in many forms. The more traditional genres in the UK are Egyptian and Turkish but we also have the relatively recent additions of Tribal and Gothic etc. etc. etc. Fusions with dance genres like Flamenco, Gypsy and even Morris Dancing are all possible and produce fascinating results.
Personally I have given up being pedantic about not calling it belly dance. When you talk to the "unenlightened" about Raqs Sharqi or Egyptian dance or Middle Eastern Dance they always look confused, then, when the light goes on they say: "Oh!... You mean belly dance!"
Suffice it to say that if you're looking for erotic/exotic dancing, you are on the wrong website and in the wrong dance genre.
Many others have written far better articles than I could about belly dance and the myths that surround it. Below you'll find links to a couple of the best ones that I've found.
Dance of the Seven Veils
by Shira
Arabic Dance (Belly Dance)
BBC article
If you associate belly dance in your mind with burlesque, pole dancing and lap dancing then you'll be surprised when you attend your first class. What you'll most likely find is a bunch of ladies varying in age from 7 to 70 and varying from size 8 to size OMG! Men are usually banned from classes and workshops (many ladies get shy) so you don't have to worry about blokes taking classes for the sole purpose of leching and dating.
Having said that there are some excellent male belly dancers around and they are often VERY popular teachers! One of my favourites is Valizan from Canada, you can watch him perform on youtube at http://youtube.com/watch?v=24aiMIhKy3A
At haflas (belly dance parties where class groups get to show off what they've learned) and shows the only men who usually attend are husbands, boyfriends and assorted relatives, I've yet to see anyone drink to excess at a hafla so the chances of performing in front of the proverbial "Working Mens Club" style audience yelling "GERREMOFF!" are negligable.
Belly dance is more properly called oriental dance, Middle Eastern Dance or Arabic Dance and comes in many forms. The more traditional genres in the UK are Egyptian and Turkish but we also have the relatively recent additions of Tribal and Gothic etc. etc. etc. Fusions with dance genres like Flamenco, Gypsy and even Morris Dancing are all possible and produce fascinating results.
Personally I have given up being pedantic about not calling it belly dance. When you talk to the "unenlightened" about Raqs Sharqi or Egyptian dance or Middle Eastern Dance they always look confused, then, when the light goes on they say: "Oh!... You mean belly dance!"
Suffice it to say that if you're looking for erotic/exotic dancing, you are on the wrong website and in the wrong dance genre.
Many others have written far better articles than I could about belly dance and the myths that surround it. Below you'll find links to a couple of the best ones that I've found.
Dance of the Seven Veils
by Shira
Arabic Dance (Belly Dance)
BBC article
If you associate belly dance in your mind with burlesque, pole dancing and lap dancing then you'll be surprised when you attend your first class. What you'll most likely find is a bunch of ladies varying in age from 7 to 70 and varying from size 8 to size OMG! Men are usually banned from classes and workshops (many ladies get shy) so you don't have to worry about blokes taking classes for the sole purpose of leching and dating.
Having said that there are some excellent male belly dancers around and they are often VERY popular teachers! One of my favourites is Valizan from Canada, you can watch him perform on youtube at http://youtube.com/watch?v=24aiMIhKy3A
At haflas (belly dance parties where class groups get to show off what they've learned) and shows the only men who usually attend are husbands, boyfriends and assorted relatives, I've yet to see anyone drink to excess at a hafla so the chances of performing in front of the proverbial "Working Mens Club" style audience yelling "GERREMOFF!" are negligable.
