Brea

I hear the seduction technique comment all the time..and does it make you better in bed..and I can belly dance I have a belly har har har.

Hm...worst insult? There have been some interesting ones over the years. After 3 years of intensive education I performed at a place with the most ridiculous sound system, they made me wear a different costume, dance to different music than I had prepared, etc (I wrote about it on here before) and then some lady said to me, 'Don't worry you'll be better with a little practice!'
Grrr...

Best compliment: when Cassandra Shore told me I was a good dancer. !

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www.breamorgiane.com

Moon

Ooh I remember one of the worst insults now. It was directly agaist me, more to my teacher and the whole bellydance world. I posted a thread about it when it happened.
My teacher gave a workshop and explained some things about bellydance and this stupid journalist didn't even listen and just wrote in his newspaper: "During the workshop the women were told that bellydance is meant to seduce men."

Mosaic

I haven't had any negative comments made to me, and no one has said that anything has been said behind my back. I have been told I danced beautifully and looked wonderful, by 2 Indian ladies who were in the audience. I asked if they were dancers and the older lady said she had learnt classical Indian dance when young.

My dance colleagues are always generous in praise, they are all extremely wonderful friends. I in turn love to watch them dance and always tell them how lovely they look and how well they danced, I am very proud of them.
~Mosaic

danceswithblades

I think the insults we struggle with are the ones based on prejudice against dance, dancers and ethnicity/gender, because we feel that it is more than just our own ego that is at stake.

Kashmir

My worse and best (weighted by the fact they were both by teachers I admired) actually say the same thing. Depends how you look at it (although I do try and avoid beldleh these days for a range of reasons)

Worst: Folkdancer in bedleh. (Name withheld)
Best: Good, true dancing. No fluff. Bravo. (Aida Nour)

Maria_Aya

As I'm kind of distance in real life (you know my internet personality lol), people just cant come to me and say something to me, i'm too serious.
But they gossip around and bellydance community in greece is not huge, and they are speaking... so in time i learn what they say.
So the worst, and because they dont say anything for me is saying things about my students and fellow dancers that we work together.
Worst: Hmm so this is the oriental group of old ladies (over 30 !!!!!!!!) and fat ones...
I really dont care as this for me that I am achieving my goal to spread the beauty of oriental dance to everyday people.
The best: Cant decide have many
Zeina (Sweden teacher) Thank you for dancing and lightening our soul (yes I cryed after that)
Well in a wierd way the good ones are related to feelings that give to the audience

Maria Aya

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... www.orientalexpression.gr

Nafiseh

I too have had the experience of someone gushing over my fellow dancer in front of everyone and then saying "and you were ok too" to me but I think the worst insult I has was when I danced a piece I'd been working on a piece for 6 months, and a guy came up to me afterwards and said "just a piece of professional advice: I don't think you're ready to tackle a piece like that yet"

However on the very same night I was also told (by someone whose opinion I respect much more) it was one of my best performances ever!

The best compliment I got was actually last night when a lovely fellow dancer who I respect very much told me I was "so magnetic with a beautiful smile", which made me blush & beam at the same time

I think some people have an agenda to push, and others are genuine, it's just a case of filtering the genuine comments through.

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Nafiseh - South London Belly Dancer