Quote:
Originally Posted by Zorba
Uh...
Tarik - I think you need to re-interpret what I was saying - OBVIOUSLY I put my foot in my mouth and didn't communicate well enough!
For instance: "Stupid Male Tricks" - I'm not saying YOU do them, I'm saying a lot of (other) male dancers do. Not you, hopefully not me, not DaVid, and not Aziz.
I've always found that you and I either agree 100% or agree 99.5% on just about everything about this dance. I don't think that's changed...
Sometimes I get so *frustrated* with the limitations of the written word on message boards!
It is, and always has been my position that Belly Dance is neither "Masculine" nor "Feminine", just "Human", BUT that
it (currently) resides in a "Feminine" context. A subtle, but important difference and is my interpretation of what you've been saying as well... (?)
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Hey Zorba:
I'm sorry if I came across as angry. I do have very srtong convictions, (NO REALLY? Couldn't tell.), and I do have an issue around this issue for reasons that I'll explain. The issue of the effeminatemale dancer is one that comes up over and over again. I guess if there were more of us and things were more even, it wouldn't be an issue for me.
I got into the dance because I love it and wanted everyone to know how wonderful it is and recognize it as a true art. The assumption of "gayness" is often used to dismiss the legitimacy of male dancers, in other words the stereo type is, "This is a woman's dance=a man doing it must be gay=gays aren't real men, they really wanrt to be women". Therefore, whenever I see something that reinforces the stereotype, it makes me bristle.
Believe it or not, I have lost very good jobs because a very effeminate guy dancerd there after I did and just put a bad taste in everyone's mouth regarding male dancers. I was approached to do a venue because the female customers were asking for a guy. Assi form Israel was here at the same time, but wasn't chosen because at that time he only wore gallabeyas and the owner wanted a flashier costume. So I did the job and it went very well. However, the dancer who was booking the gig was always evasive when I asked her when I was coming back. What I found out later was that she had a student who she wanted to do the gig instead. I know this guy quite well and for him, it seems, dancing was all about his sexuality, rather than the culture music, or art.
It wasn't enogh for him to be gay, he had to be Super gay and make sure everyone knew it. He went in ther wearing three contrasting shades of eye shadow, (gay flag, I'm not kidding), a woman's balkan vest, the kind that is cut to fit around the bust so that his big red nipples were showing, laddies earings and a seethrough pair of harem pants. As if this were not bad enough, he had very bad posture and really limp wrists. It made the crowd very uncomfortable and put such a bad taste in the owners mouth, he decided never to hire a male dancer again, regardless of the fact that the crowd and himself had appreciated my show.
This is why I get annoyed and frustrated. If there were more of us and some of us were effeminate and some weren't, then the public might realise that understand that it depends on the individual. I know you don't dress the way you do for the reason I mentioned, but that's because I know you somewhat from your website and posts, but the problem is we rarely get a chance to speak to people. That is why I think image and not behaving in ways that confirm the stereotype is important. I really am concerned with the image of the dance and that we get taken seriously. I don't like the fact that our sisters are taken for bimbos and our brothers are dismissed as sissies, (shades of Billy Elliot).....Does any of this make sense?
