Aniseteph

It pushes irritating buttons for me because how I feel when I dance is a personal thing. I don't want to be told "ah yes, you see the reason you like this is because you are discovering your inner goddess, or communing with the great mother, or being symbolic of something or other" etc etc. Or that I need to buy into any of that to be a good dancer. Assuming it's my teacher telling me this, who died and made her the high priestess anyway? I just want to learn the dance.

The historical vagueness makes it even more like someone is foisting their beliefs on me. I'm quite happy to be learning a fascinating dance form that was developed in an Egyptian nightclub; don't need temples and prehistory to make it OK. It lets me express a part of myself that otherwise gets shoved away in the interests of behaving appropriately in my culture. X might want to describe that in goddessy terms, but Y might think it's just part of being human.

If I discovered a passion for painting, or playing the violin, and expressed myself that way, would anyone be going on about goddesses? I don't think so... What's wrong with it just being about celebrating aspects of our humanity?

(ooh, ranty. Sorry )

lizaj

It pushes buttons, bows and belts when a dancer claims to have a direct line to the goddess.
I do see nature..mother or otherwise as a very powerful force and rather think it carries on regardless of loopy wo(men) trying to harness it

adiemus

I think for me it raises a profoundly irrational and completely emotional backlash from years of religion while I grew up. So it's not so much the goddess per se, but anything that smacks of telling me the 'real reason' I should be doing something... I love dance because I love movement, because it makes me feel good - but I'm not prepared to believe that it's some greater spirit god or goddess that is touching my divine self. I'm not even sure if I have a divine self!

__________________
He wahine, he taonga- Every woman is a treasure(Maori proverb)

Jane

I think religion is too personal a subject to bring out in public. Most dancers are interested in bringing art and/or entertainment to an audience, but are not comfortable doing something overtly religious for *public* display.

Dancers dance for a variety of reasons. Dancers who do religious dances, or make blanket religious connections for the general public, are setting themselves up as spokes-people for the entire dance community. When dancer "A" states that belly dance is connected to "Ancient Mother Goddess religions", the public will identify all belly dance and dancers with that and only that. It would bother me equally if dancer "B" stated that belly dance started with ancient Christianity or the Quakers who shimmied for God.

As a Neo-Pagan, Dolphina who is a cr@ppy dancer with a trashy personality, bothers me by making money off some sort of Goddess belly dance that has no serious religious or artistic merit to me. I feel she uses my religion as a marketing ploy and her videos make dancers and Neo-Pagans look like flakey bimbos.

Caroline_afifi

Just a question, If you thought someone was a fabulous dancer and Godess worshipper, would this make a difference?

I think there is more artistic license in theatre, and the Ishtars descent into the underworld has been beautifully represented by various artists.
Preaching the Goddess beyond this is a where it starts going all wrong for me.

cathy

Who are your female icons?

It would not bother me much if someone I thought was a fabulous dancer turned out to be a Goddess worshipper, but I might find it surprising. I appreciate T.S. Elliot and Ezra Pound's poetry but violently disagree with their politics.

Cathy

Jane

[quote=Caroline_afifi;71911]Just a question, If you thought someone was a fabulous dancer and Godess worshipper, would this make a difference?QUOTE]

Yep. If Dolphina presented herself and her material with respect for the dance and the religion it would make a vast difference in my opinion of her.

That said, I wouldn't go out of my way to take a workshop or buy a video based on the religious views of any instructor.

Does Delilah Flynn has some sort of Goddess dance video out?

Caroline_afifi

To be honest with you, I dont really do icons. I think there are many people whom I have respect for and I suppose I always gravitate towards real life. The female members of my family and there personal struggles are icons to me.
I have respect for political figures such as Josephine Butler and Emmeline Pankhurst. Rachel Corrie who felt so politically driven she died for her cause she died in Gaza. I have a long list and most would not make an interesting dance. The inspiration from these women does have the power to make us feel stronger within ourselves, which in turn is expressed through our body language and movement.

Reen.Blom

I would say- leave religion alone! Geez nothing irritates me more than instructional bellydance dvds that tell me about how to set up a ritual or to worship whoever.... Is there not enough religious problems in this world? Dance is supposed to UNITE not separate...

And my religion, worship, etc is my PRIVATE matter, I dont go rubbing my beliefs in everybody's noses!

If you do believe in goddess and dance to worship - do so but dont proclaim that at every corner, cos then it becomes fake and acted.... especially so with tribal, do you have to be part of some cult to dance tribal? Or is it just a matter of fashion?

I would say keep it private... if you really wanna make dvds like than, then fine, just write on it in bold letters that it is for worship and I will at least KNOW to keep away from it...LOL I just wanna dance and not be part of somebody's religious life!

*rant over*

__________________
Join WORLD BELLY DANCE DAY! www.worldbellydanceday.com

Caroline_afifi

I also have a gripe against people who use this dance as a tool for their personal power crusade.