After reading the review, I just thought I'd point out a mistake that was made (or what I think might have been a mistake since I did not see the documentary) in Egypt there is a very commonly used saying that "nobody in the world would want........" it is often used as a generalization of things and therefore not to be taken literally, just like in english we say "no half-brained person would ever do..." I haven't seen the interview but knowing how Egyptians speak I can almost imagine exactly what that man was saying.
A common mistake in translation is when things are taken literally and word for word, often out of their context.
I suggest to anyone that attempts to review a translated work, that he or she first make sure the source is reliable and the subtitles (or voice over... just think youtube!) actually matches what the interviewee is really saying.
The easiest thing in the world is to label other people's beliefs that are different than ours as "religous nonsense", a lot of people would have a similar perception about men with hairy armpits and painted toenails who undulate and shimmy in a feminine manner in public. In order to get people to accept the choices of a group of individuals that may seem out of the norm, in return one should learn to respect and not bash others' beliefs and traditions, remember it's a two way street. Also remember that belly dancing is based on folklore and mainly the the dances coming from the villages, the Upper Egyptian villages in particular. This is a conservative society, or the most backward portion of society if you want to look at it that way. However, their customs are highly influenced by their beliefs and it is also the main reason why they dance the way they do and their singing sounds the way it does. I think if more westerners started to understand this, the less dancers we would see looking like they came out of an Aladin movie.
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