fatinah

I have noticed alot of dancers use arabic names especially when they are regular performers.

I signed up for this site under the name Fatinah but my boring western name is Emma Jayne....not very arabic or exotic!!

Is it ok for myspace and forum purposes to use a different name??

I love using a different name because I feel a different person when I dance...even in my bedroom

Is it acceptable or do people just think your sad?

Darbla

It's a stage name like many, MANY actors do.

Aniseteph

Of course it's OK - you can have different names on different sites if you like, or use the same one. People have stage names, forum names, dance names (sometimes even if they don't perform - some teachers name students apparently)... for all sorts of reasons.

The only thing to be very careful of is that your name doesn't mean something rude or silly or inappropriate in Arabic!

fatinah

hopefully mine doesnt i have a muslim arabic friend who told me Fatinah means captivating and alluring...hopefully nothing more than this hehehe

khanjar

I saw the arabic essence of this site as a lurker, so on registering I thought why not, but what. And so I saw an arab antique hanging on my wall, an Omani khanjar. Fitting possibly, as I am also a custom dagger and knife maker.

As to the use of Arabian or Oriental names, I see no harm, as it is positive in that it displays an interest in the people and culture of the region. Something which I feel on the whole as good seeing as actions of extreme minorities are causing fear in the west and destroying relations between our two cultures.

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Midoria

Well, I think it's fair to assume most of us aren't using our real names on this forum. I never use my real name as a screen name! "Midoria" is a Japanese name with an "a" stuck on the end since I love names that end in "a"!! I have all things Arab shoved down my throat in real life. I have no desire to carry on with that when I'm using the internet.

Arab names seem to be the standard fare in the world of secret belly dance identities. But if I was going to choose a stage name, I'd consider something from Middle Eastern culture, but not necessarily Arab. Maybe Persian or Jewish. Or maybe a name that is a cross-breed of Arabic and something else - like Swahili. I have seen a few dancers with Greek names and I thought that was cool. My teacher and most of her troupe mates use their real names and I think that's awesome too.

jenc

I might have been Jenna, but as I recommend that lady's dvds so heavily, it might have looked creepy. Round here everyone uses real names anyway

Samira bint Aya

I have noticed the greek names too. The ones I see more often are Stefania and Artemisia, which have flower meanings. I suppose that is what makes them appealing.

However, in my culture they are very ordinary and somewhat old-fashioned too. They would not be considered “nice” names.

By the way, I’ve been told, Samira is a fairly ordinary Arab name too… but I like it!

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Babylonia

My BD teacher recommended getting a BD name. It helps you to develop a different persona. She'd say "Nadjwa is beautiful and mysterious...D has a mortgage and 3 kids."

Tarik Sultan

It's neither wrong nor right. We do it for the same reason that Norma Gene became Marily Monroe. Most actors have stage names, but because we do an art form from another culture, I guess it helps us to connect, honor the culture from which it comes. Its interesting to note that many dancers in the East adopt Western names.