Danse du Jour

[shanmonster]

I can't embed today's dance clip, but don't let that stop you from checking it out. Donna Mejia is a superb dancer with a varied background. This tribal fusion solo is "offered in full gratitude for those who bore the ridicule, persecution and retribution often directed toward women who dared to dance publicly."

Donna Mejia's Tribal Solo at Smith/UMASS, 2007.

As a point of interest, Ms. Mejia was the instructor of my last dancer du jour, Frank Hammerhead Sharqi.

Comments

[clevermanka.livejournal.com]

Wow. There were at least eight movements in that six minute routine that I want her to teach me. Lovely. Perhaps when/if she moves back to Colorado, I can make a road trip for some private lessons with her and Isidora Bushkovski.

[admnaismith.livejournal.com]

Ridicule, persecution and retribution? For daring to do something that men love to watch? I must be missing something.

(shaking head in consternation)

[shanmonster.livejournal.com]

Yup.

To get more information on this conundrum, I can recommend you watch Bellydancers of Cairo. Women have been spurned, threatened, and killed for dancing, and it still happens. Although dancers are an important part of Egyptian culture (and are a part of many weddings, and replete in films), good girls don't dance.