Belly Dance -- It's Not So Black and White

[shanmonster]

Consider, if you will, the following.

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I will only teach white people how to dance, because it would make them uncomfortable if they knew a black person might be in the room watching them. After all, the black people might be there only to ogle or pick up, and it is a white person's space. Besides, belly dance was made for white people by white people. Black people have their own things to do, and it's offensive that they would want to infringe upon something sacred to whites.

When I dance for a mixed crowd, I only dance for the white people in the audience. I would never dance for an all-black audience.

Although I've seen quite a few black belly dancers, they always looked awkward and forced. Black people can't belly dance properly, because they're built differently.

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Did I miss anything?

Now, before you get your bedlah in a bunch, replace all instances of white people with women, and all instances of black people with men.

Discrimination is an ugly thing.

Comments

[suzycat.livejournal.com]

*applauds madly*

[shanmonster.livejournal.com]

Now, let's see what sort of shit storm arises on bellydancing.

[real-bethy.livejournal.com]

Ugh - there are people who think like this in this day and age? Oy gevalt!

Now, I'm sensitive to the fact that some cultures prefer to certain activities to occur separate from the opposite gender - in Orthodox Judaism, for example, women and men do not dance together (or really, in front of each other) but the reason given is not because men or women are better or worse than each other...it's because people should be focused on the simcha (joy, celebration) of the situation and music and not flirting.

Women and men should be able to have opportunities to do whatever satisfies their souls, regardless of traditional gender assumptions. Kat has shown me videos of wonderful male bellydancing. They could indeed bellydance properly.

Ugh...I see this kind of hatred in the birth field and it drives me nuts. While it is important to honour women, it is not necessary to destroy men in the process.

Jerks!!!

[shanmonster.livejournal.com]

I can see the cultural reasons for that, but it still doesn't preclude one group being excluded.

And yes, this dance gender thing is still present. In fact, I'd go as far as to say that in North America, it's the rule rather than the exception. This folk dance has gained a "history" of being only for women.

And this is all in spite of historical evidence to the contrary. Facts, schmacts!

[nehmet.livejournal.com]

I have met those teachers. I suspect you'll be hearing from some of them on the bellydancing comm.

[shanmonster.livejournal.com]

I'm still waiting....

[suzycat.livejournal.com]

They're being remarkably restrained!

[shanmonster.livejournal.com]

Finally! A couple of bites! One even threatened to punch my face. Wow....

[elanya.livejournal.com]

Yeah... My dance teacher here has sort of a variation on that theme. She'd be willing to teach an all-male class, but there are never enough around who are interested for it to be worthwhile. She says that it is because in her experience of the dance (from when she was living in Morocco), girls danced with girls and men with the men, and also that a lot of the dance moves, and the whole style of the men's dances are completely different.

Of the two arguments, I think the second is strong*er*, especially since she tends to teach choreographies, but I dont see why boys can't learn to dance like girls over here, if that's what they want and they know what they are geting into.

[shanmonster.livejournal.com]

See, that doesn't work for me. Tayyar Akdeniz taught us Turkish folk dances for women, and he's quite male. It should work both ways. Knowledge is meant to be shared, not hoarded.

[elanya.livejournal.com]

Yeah... It's kind of surprising in Donna, as she is otherwise a very liberal openminded woman.

[miss-colombina.livejournal.com]

Momo Kadous is my favorite choreographer ever. And Mahmoud Reda.. And they both have big hairy bellies.

[shanmonster.livejournal.com]

I hope I get the opportunity to study with them! Aziza showed me a combination she learned from Momo, but it fled my brain.

[daughty.livejournal.com]

Totally get what you're saying. Amen!

[shanmonster.livejournal.com]

And Hallelujah!

[sasha-khan.livejournal.com]

This is an awesome post. I'm a folkloric dancer, who spends a lot of time involved with the sharqi scene, and I am soooooo tired of the sexism that is espoused so matter of factly.

[shanmonster.livejournal.com]

I've seen it happen time and time again with my own male students, and it really raises my ire. Power to you!

[oh-the-ironing.livejournal.com]

Seems like a straw man to me. I mean, I could say "I don't believe a woman will ever play linebacker in the National Football League. Their bodies just aren't made for it." Seems pretty logical, right? NOW REPLACE WOMAN WITH "BLACK PERSON" AND I'M BOTH RACIST AND STUPID!!!

It also ignores the fact that there is MUCH more of a difference between men and women than between black people and white people, physically and emotionally. I think a women-only bellydancing class is defensible and, probably, desirable in the marketplace. Woman-only and man-only gathering, clubs, classes, etc. are most certainly not akin to racism, especially when there is a compelling reason for those clubs to be so.

[shanmonster.livejournal.com]

I really don't see why there couldn't be a female linebacker, really. I've seen some hulking huge strong women out there. Serena Williams comes to mind, and there are bigger and stronger. I'm keen on seeing women in national league sports.

I have no problem specifically with women-only clubs per se, as long as there are also men-only. It's only fair, as far as I'm concerned. But the balance does not appear to be there.

[oh-the-ironing.livejournal.com]

I didn't say there COULDN'T be a female linebacker, I just said I don't think there will be. Serena Williams would get destroyed in two plays; women can't get to the same size and speed that male football players achieve. Think of it this way - there are maybe 150 linebackers playing in the NFL. Will a female ever be one of the best 150 linebackers in the US? Possible, I suppose, but doubtful.

I assume that the market would not bear many "all male" belly dancing classes, so those aren't particularly necessary. If there were a tremendous opportunity out there for it, some enterprising belly dancer would be doing it. So, there's not really a need for balance, unless you're for balance for balance's sake.

[shanmonster.livejournal.com]

Maybe there won't be. But I don't see why women couldn't play other positions.

There are all-male classes, but they are pretty rare. I believe this is closely related to sexist stereotyping.

Now, what I want to see are female sumo wrestlers. That would be a sight!

[oh-the-ironing.livejournal.com]

Having different classes for different sexes isn't necessarily sexist, just as having different locker rooms for different sexes isn't necessarily sexist.

Away with nasty words

[(Anonymous)]

Belly dancing can be learned by anyone who WANTS to learn it. Gender, race, weight and age is irrelevant and lets leave it like that.