Tarik Sultan

I don't think having a show to present male dancers is sexist at all. It's not being done to compete with women or take anything away from them. However, lets face it, being a male dancer in this field means coming to terms with being discriminated against. No matter how talented we are, we still receive less work than women. I personally have experienced this first hand. Not to toot my horn or anything, but I am a very good dancer, yet still I see girls out there who literally can't dance. I'm not being sarcastic... I mean THEY CAN'T DANCE AT ALL, or they are very poor dancers, but you know what? Most clubs will hire them before they hirer me just because they are female and have a nice figure. I even know dancers who are not particularly good looking or have a figure, but they are working steadily in certain clubs. I on the other hand, have performed in the same clubs, have much better dance skills and rapport with the audience, but only get asked back for the once in a blue moon special occasion, or not at all.

I see and experience this all the time and I have to ask myself, what does she have that I don't and the answer is obvious TITS! So taking that into consideration I think it's laughable that anyone could or would consider this ONE concert in ONE city in Europe a sexist show. Unlike BDSS or the average nightclub all of the dancers chosen for that concert are there because they have indisputable skill and talent, not because they have a pretty face or a nice ass. They have talent, they have skills, they are limited in the amount of venues that are open to them and so they have taken the initiative to create one for themselves, good for them, even if they forgot to invite the Jamaican peanutbutter eating dancers!

Aisha Azar

This is not the 1970s. Male belly dancers are seen all over the place. Sexist is sexist, whether or not it goes along with YOUR personal agenda.Too bad they forgot to invite women to dance alongside them so that they could have a well rounded show instead of a male review. And as for the pretty young girls with their great tits and asses, they get work that I would like to have, too. Being past the prime age for where they are dancing, I can accept that gracefully and so should you. They take work away from great female dancers also.

Tarik Sultan

When Miles was initially putting together the BDSS he did approach me about being in it. In fact he came to Le' Souk saw me dance and personally invited me to be a part of it, ( which is why I was featured in the film, brief though it was). Fortunately or unfortunately I had just started school teaching and thought that it was going to be a life long parallel career so there was no way I could have accepted. If I had know the DPT of Ed was run by people who worshiped Satan in the basement, I would have quit and taken him up on it. Now however, he has strayed so far from the original intent that there is no place for a male dancer.

I understand what you mean about variety in a show, but lets face it, male dancers are still a minority and so we inevitably find ourselves being the token testicles in just about every show. Most of the time we are THE ONLY ONES in our areas, kind of like being the last unicorn. It would be nice to NOT be the only one.

Also and more importantly, I think this is about creating a nice and venue for dancers, (men), who are very limited in the amount of venues and opportunities open to them. They are creating it for themselves since the world is not exactly beating down the door looking for us. Most of the world still has no idea we even exist. Therefore, doing an all male show provides performers with limited opportunities a chance to be seen and shows the general public that we exist. One male dancer in a show is like displaying your pet one legged giraffe, seeing more than one in the same even makes it seem less odd and more ordinary so next time when they see the odd male it isn't seen as such a novelty.

Aisha Azar

Men have just as many venues to dance in as women do. The fact is that in many venues, the clientel want to see young, beautiful women, whether or not they can dance. Now that men are suddenly faced with this problem, it seems to be a big deal. The fact that all female belly dancers have dealt with this same prejudice for as long as there has been dancing does not seem to be sinking in here. It's nothing new and its nothing directed at men exclusively. It is also directed at every female dancer who does not meet certain age, body, looks criteria. It's suddenly important because MEN are having to deal with this prejudice? Please!

Makeda Maysa

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The Niraja Dance Company www.thendc.net

Eshta

Hun, that's not sex discrimination, it's "sexual" discrimination! And believe me, a lot of us female dancers are also discriminated on those grounds in favour of the "pretty young (but useless) things"!! But you're not competing with them as a dancer, you're competing as EYE CANDY!

I personally find it difficult to view male belly dancing as 'normal'. For a start it hasn't been the norm to see male star belly dancers, and then whenever I've seen a guy perform, it is the audience's overblown reaction that has made it hard for me to watch the performance normally. I hope I am being clear - I am not being critical of male belly dance!

I think therefore that there is an element of swings and roundabouts. I have seen some men teaching and performing and being idolised where I have to question whether they would be so darned popular if they had ...to quote Tarik... TITS! But at the same time I appreciate that there would be many gigs you would lose out to for the same reason.

Sorry, meandered away from the show itself! Oscar Wilde said it is better to be talked about than not talked about... The show is certainly being talked about!!

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Saqarah - London's monthly Belly Dance Hafla!

Alexandros

I really don't like this kind of << fights >> anymore, who is better, who suppose to dance and who's not.



I thing that we can find the answer or a solution only if we respond to our shelves with honestly in to the following question



why do we dance?



and from the answer we can figure out many things and from that point we can be not only better dancers but also better people.


Take care
Alexandros

Suheir

Certainly when I saw the first high-profile male belly dancers perform here in the UK, many reactions tended to be either sniggering or of the menopausal-female-at-male-stripper-night variety. Reading the reactions of UK dancers to JimBoz, who's been to the UK once, made me feel *really* queasy - the equivalent of Simon Cowell and cute teenaged girls!

I really enjoy the teaching of both Khaled Mahmoud and Shafeek Ibrahim, but I first went to their workshops because they're Egyptian, not because of their lack of tits!

I have to say, belly dance does seem to attract some UK women who *really* don't get out much - some of them have to ask their husband/partner's permission (yes, permission, not whether it'll clash with something they're doing) before they can go out in the evening so it's not really suprising they overreact when they see a man dancing.

Aisha Azar

DEar Alexandros,

PrinceKayammer

OK next year I will organise the "First International dog belly dance show".Does anybody want to complain about it?is it political right?should dogs belly dance?
Why all discussions are not discussions about the point but general?
I agree with Alexandros.The "I am" is the only phrase that everybody loves to use.....................Started the discussion happy,now I feel sad...
When I See a bellydancer(female,male,..) I think that human with all these bad things also came to the earth to make beautifull things.No costume,show,make up,why,because,yes,no will change my mind about this beautifull thought.

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Prince Kayammerبرنس قيامر