One of the first times Middle Eastern dance was displayed for the public in the United States was when Sol Bloom brought a group of dancers to the Chicago World's Fair in 1893. Later in his memoirs he wrote:
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It is regrettable -- of, if anyone should choose to disagree, it is at least a fact -- that more people remember the reputation of the danse du ventre than the dance itself. This is very understandable, When the public learned that the literal translation was "belly dance" they delightedly concluded that it must be salacious and immoral. The crowds poured in. I had a gold mine.
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I know others on this forum disagree with the idea that the name "belly dance" was coined by Sol Bloom on this occasion and that the name "belly dance" has in itself negative connotations. But I think it's clear that whatever the origin of the name, Sol Bloom the businessman intended to profit from encouraging the public to associate it with the exotic and salacious.
We are still trying to overcome this association to this day. Cathy
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