Of course there is a sexual element to the dance. Hell, there's a sexual element to pretty much any physical endeavour, whether it's ballet or ditch-digging (I love watching a hunky guy working hard!).
I think what muddies the waters a bit is that costuming for Middle Eastern dance tends to emphasize the human form. The exception to this would be khaleegy dance, which is a lot closer to dancing in a burqa than you may suspect. It's a voluminous dress, and the hand movements while holding the dress implies the movement going on beneath. For instance, a shimmy is indicated by the hands moving the dress back and forth rapidly at hip level.
There will always be someone who will hoot "Take it all off", no matter what the venue. Usually, other members of the audience do a good job in dispensing withering looks in that person's direction.
What I'm struggling against is educating people who really ought to know better. I've spoken with quite a few dancers (modern, hiphop, ballet, etc.) who have falsely assumed that belly dance is nothing more than shaking your butt around. The best way to educate someone is to have them take a couple of classes, I find. That's when they realize that yes, there's a lot more to it than that. But I obviously can't do that for everyone who expresses an uneducated opinion.
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chiming
Re: Hoochie-coochie dancing?
Date: 2004-02-13 12:23 pm (UTC)From:I think what muddies the waters a bit is that costuming for Middle Eastern dance tends to emphasize the human form. The exception to this would be khaleegy dance, which is a lot closer to dancing in a burqa than you may suspect. It's a voluminous dress, and the hand movements while holding the dress implies the movement going on beneath. For instance, a shimmy is indicated by the hands moving the dress back and forth rapidly at hip level.
There will always be someone who will hoot "Take it all off", no matter what the venue. Usually, other members of the audience do a good job in dispensing withering looks in that person's direction.
What I'm struggling against is educating people who really ought to know better. I've spoken with quite a few dancers (modern, hiphop, ballet, etc.) who have falsely assumed that belly dance is nothing more than shaking your butt around. The best way to educate someone is to have them take a couple of classes, I find. That's when they realize that yes, there's a lot more to it than that. But I obviously can't do that for everyone who expresses an uneducated opinion.