How many ?

[khanjar]

Just out of interest, of male belly dancers, how many are there in the western world ?

How many in the UK does anyone have an idea ?

And How many in the US ?

Now I assume a question such as this could be answered and that because rarity tends to be noticed and can there be counted, so any ideas ?

But what about other parts of the Western world, France, Germany, Scandinavia, Italy and the new countries admitted into Europe ?

How thick or thin are we on the ground ?

 

[Jane]

You're going to have to narrow it down Do you want only big names like those guys teaching on the workshop/big show/contests circuit? Locals dancing/teaching regular gigs? Hobby dancers? Students?

Do you want to include the Tribal Fusion dancers or would you like just straight belly dancers?

 

[khanjar]

Belly dancers are bellydancers, be it fusion or Egyptian, basically anyone that uses bellydance as a core movement and with that, not just professionals, how many students are there, because it is the students, those learning now who might be the future.

 

[Yame]

I don't think we could even begin to estimate how many male belly dancers there are...

 

[Aniseteph]

Nope, don't think you'll ever know. It'd be hard enough to track down all the teachers in one area to ask, unless they network with each other - not everyone is on the radar. Then there are the dancers who don't go to regular classes. You can't extrapolate from one region/ city/ country to anywhere else because attitudes are so varied. Forums are not representative of the general BD world, IMO. Definitions do matter - do you count ME guys bopping at parties as bellydance? Folkloric? YT bedroom Shakiras?

 

[Duvet]

Not enough!!

It’s a difficult question to answer, needs a better definition (do you mean students and teachers, or everyone including semblance dancers and the Arabic social dancers), and I agree with Aniseteph about not being able to count teachers, let alone students, although I think if you did do a survey you would be able to track down enough to have a general idea. Teachers know where their rivals for students are.

You would never be accurate. How many Bellydancers have blue eyes? – impossible to know. But male Bellydancers get noticed, and can rarely hide the fact. There are people on this forum with enough experience in teaching or attending classes/workshops to give a rough idea of their own experiences. But that will of course not include those men who don’t attend their classes or workshops, and those in classes that refuse men access and so will rarely come across one, and all those dancers who (for whatever unfathomable reason) are not on this forum. This forum is not representative of the Bellydance world. Just judging by the number of male Bellydancers who do post here, there must a remarkably higher proportion of them in the UK alone than I’ve experienced personally. (Let’s hope the forum is right!!)

Shimmy in the City last year had a male Bellydance competition, with, I think, four contestants of which only one was British. (Was anyone else there who can remember?) There were two (?) other blokes in the classes. If that’s all the area could muster, I’d say pretty few men dance. Yet I’m told by teachers that there are lots of men who go to classes in London.
But that was just one event, and not everyone wants to do competitions.

But I’ve also been to Planet Egypt and Bellydance Meet-Up events in London, and I think there were only four male Bellydancers there, two of whom were teachers (although there may have been more students, but too inhibited to dance in public). Sure, there were lots of Arabic guys who got up and danced what they’ve always danced, but are you including them? And how many of those Arabic guys were in fact students or teachers as well? And these events are again not going to be representative of dancers in that region, nor the whole country.

In my own limited experience I think I’ve met more male Bellydance teachers than I have British male students. I couldn’t begin to count the number of female Bellydance students I’ve met. I get told by women I meet in workshops and festivals that they have men in their classes, yet when I go to Bellydance festivals – where are they? If they are out there, what are they doing and why aren’t they being encouraged to attend, or why don’t they feel able to go? OK, money is a factor, but this has been over a five year period. Do men rarely get beyond the beginner-who-has-a-go stage?

 

[BigJim]

In western Canada there was Viraj... a professional dancer out of Edmonton but I'm not sure he is still there.... I heard of a male dancer taking lessons out of Winnipeg... I saw one at a workshop about 5 years ago...

And then there is myself... not sure but I believe I'm the one and only in Saskatchewan.

Nath Keo... Jim Boz... and Ahmed Ferky have all taught workshops in saskatchewan.

That covers alot of square miles of the earths surface....

 

[Safran]

Unfortunately, I can give you an accurate number for Estonia - none! However, I keep hoping that if I go around enough, telling people that male dancers exist AND I would accept male students in my class, one day, there actually will be some. Sigh.

 

[Kashmir]

How many belly dancers - any gender - are there out there? I've been trying just to keep track of just the teachers in New Zealand and I have difficulty in even counting them! (We had one male teacher that I know of - but he has left the country)

But since 2001 just over 1% of my students have been male - however I don't have any at the moment.

I have met a small handful in Australia including at least two professional performers. I have also done classes with Dr Mo, Yousry, Kazafy and Momo - all of whom are great teachers - and there are several other good male teachers out there too.

 

[gisela]

In Denmark I know of two. Both are very cool and active. One is even a former member of the Reda troupe. I hope there are a few others out there though

 

[Jane]

I've known of two male belly dancers in Montana. I don't think one of them is dancing anymore. Both are American Oriental style. Geographically large state (area of 147046 square miles/380850 km2) with a small population (298,199.)

 

[Zorba]

Viraj is still around.

If they don't have a web presence and/or they're not local to me, they don't exist.

I have links to every male dancer that I know of that has a website - and I know that's a fraction. Lots of them come and go...

 

[Duvet]

Not enough!!
In my own limited experience I think I’ve met more male Bellydance teachers than I have British male students. I couldn’t begin to count the number of female Bellydance students I’ve met. I get told by women I meet in workshops and festivals that they have men in their classes, yet when I go to Bellydance festivals – where are they? If they are out there, what are they doing and why aren’t they being encouraged to attend, or why don’t they feel able to go? OK, money is a factor, but this has been over a five year period. Do men rarely get beyond the beginner-who-has-a-go stage?

I realised I wrote my post, and then didn't give any indication of actual numbers. After thinking;
8 Male teachers = Ozgen, Khaled & Shafeek (all based in London), Paul (who used to teach in Bournemouth), Tito, Karim Nagi, & Wael (visitors to the UK), & Guy Schalom (who I only know as a drummer, but am aware he does dance too).
8 Male British students = two at Majma, another at Sirocco, two at Shimmy in the City, one from Oxford & one local (the two last no longer bellydance). Me.
I've met five other male students from outside the UK, and seen a couple other male performers, also from abroad.

 

[khanjar]

I have met one other male student at a festival and he was good, he possessed a naturalness and a confidence I envied.

The classes I have had have had three others join then drift away after a few weeks, perhaps that is the majority, those that drift off. Even my first ever class a taster session four or was it five years ago the teacher said that she had taught a couple of other males in the past, they had lasted a couple of years, attained a respectable level and also dropped out of it, men do that was the impression I got. But I guess that is what the majority do of either gender, those that go on to be something are a minority, perhaps a determined and thick skinned minority.