Originally Posted by Aisha Azar

Dear Babylonia,
In spite of rumors to the contrary, the BDSS rarely gets a strong showing from general public at their shows, from what I have personally seen and from what others have reported. Secondly, most of the general public who have any interest in the dance already know that male belly dancers exist! They are everywhere and have been for at least as long as I have been dancing, which is 34 years as of July 1st. ( I took my first lesson on July 1, 1974!!) I have no issue with men being included and that can be seen if you look at my fantasy list of dancers. I DO object to them being included simply because they are men. All of the dancers on my fantasy show list have a unique contribution to make, either as a belly dancer or in some other way. It is not about their gender, but about their talent.
Regards,
A'isha