07-02-2008, 01:33 PM
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#10 (permalink)
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V.I.P.
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: Pacific Northwest USA
Posts: 4,500
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Dina, etc.
Dear Dipali,
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Originally Posted by Dipali
Dear Forum
I think Dina is also some how responsible for making Belly dance a controversial thing in Egypt. She loves controversy , that’s what I think after what I see and have read about her. At the moment many radical movements are on the rise in Egypt and other places that will attempt to impose pressure to cover up and stop anything that sounds or looks sensual , also as Tarik said economic meltdown is a big cause , I was watching an independent programme about the food crisis in Egypt and the current situation when an average person has to think twice before spending any money on daily life.
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Belly dance has always been a controversial thing in Egypt, when it comes to it being a performing art. This is partly because it exposes a woman's body, but also because it is considered low there to make one's living s an entertainer if one is a woman. (Men seem to fare better if they are actors or singers, though male dancers are definitely suspect!) This is not different than it has ever been. We are more aware of Dina because she is of the current generation and has made her name on the word "sex". The Egyptian dancers went through the same thing in the 50s and at other times as well. Whenever there is a religious fundamentalist uprising of any sort, entertainers pay greatly.
The economic issue has been going on all of the modern life of Egypt and it is nothing new. People living way below poverty level has been the situation in Egypt forever, and belly dancers have been performing in the poor Mohammad Ali district forever. The economic situation has not changed the needs and wants of the average person for having a belly dancer at their wedding. This seems more a consideration of those who can afford to feed the poor!
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Re - Belly dance is still somehow an underground culture in Western countries. Although I see a rise of people wanting to do Belly dance or want to learn about the dance but it seems Belly Dance never presented itself as a brand in the mainstream culture
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What we are seeing now IS mainstreaming.... and it is doing the dance a great deal of harm. It is turning a wonderful, complex cultural art form into milk toast.
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I know many people don’t want their art to be commercialised but to keep this art alive you just have to do what others are doing. A perfect example is Yoga from India, When Indian people presented that to the rest of the world they presented it as a brand , most of the time the spiritual aspect is missing which is one of the main elements in yoga , but you know what a new Yoga class gets more publicity than a new Belly Dance school , well at least in Australia.
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And at what point does it cease to BE Yoga?? Is it truly Yoga if its soul is stripped away, and is it worth it? Here in the States, Yoga has sort of had its day and belly dance is actually more popular currently.
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People show great interest and they don’t mind talking about it to their friends but When it comes to Belly dance , a lot of people don’t want other people to know that they are Belly Dancing. Maybe that’s one of the reasons its difficult to propel this art form forward in the West.
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I would say it is not hard to propel the art from in the States at all. There is a belly dance school on every corner and all kinds of below average dance going on out thee. those who are trying to keep it a secret that they dance are usually holding the romantic theory that they are doing something frowned on by society, when if fact, mostly people in the States seem to love belly dancers. Also, if someone in a western country is too ashamed to admit they dance, is this really the art form for them? When you are in the Middle East, however, it is a very different story. Best to keep your mouth shut unless you are only among other dancers.
Regards,
A;isha
Regards
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Last edited by Aisha Azar; 07-02-2008 at 01:52 PM.
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