Conclusion: The Art of Bellydance

I hope that through this project you have learned as much as I was able to in doing the research. My main goal has been to better educate readers about the origins and goals of belly dance as well as dispel some of the myths and misconceptions that surround the art. Dancers are often surrounded by the stigma that bellydancers are just like prostitutes because of their costumes or dance-style but that isn't the case. While Americans did take advantage of the exoticism surrounding bellydancers when they first come to America and use the interest in the dancers to populate night clubs with dancers dressed as bellydancers, the art of belly dance is meant to be empowering and inspirational. It's origins as a fertility and wedding dance among women make it perfect for women of all types who wish to express their femininity and power. The westernization of the dance somewhat degraded the power and opinion of dancers, but the west has also made some valuable contributions to the dance by introducing new styles and moves. The art of belly dance is always a fun time and a great work-out! It's a rewarding experience, both bodily, mentally, and spiritually for all who choose to try it. Happy Dancing!

Body & Gender Expectations of a Belly Dancers

Like many other aspects of life, the art of belly dance unfortunately has a stigma attached to it that belly dancers must be slim, exotic, young females. If that was the case the number of belly dancers would be significantly smaller. Belly dance is for any person, of any gender, of any body type, of any age who has a desire to learn. Unfortunately  many night clubs and restaurants that hire belly dancers are looking for dancers who fit the "stereotypical" dancer. However, many dance troupes across America are working to change this. One such dance troupe is ATTAR, an Australian group who has a male member who preforms with them. While it is unconventional, it is a great way to showcase that bellydance is an art form that welcomes anyone who is willing to put in the work. By allowing women of all types, and even men, into professional preforming troupes, the idea of what a belly dancer must look like is slowly changing. 

    ATTAR Dance Troupe

Men in Belly Dance

Contrary to what most Americans think about Belly Dance, it is not just a dance for women. Recently in America, the dance has transitioned from an all-female dance to a dance for anyone wishing to express a sense of freedom or confidence. However, male belly dancers have been common in the east as early as the 16th century when the Ottoman empire had male dancers called "cengi". These dancers used many of the moves we recognize as belly dance moves today and their costumes were similar to those of early belly dancers. Like most oriental dancers, Cengi generally wore caftans that allowed the dancer to appear more gender neutral and therefore be appreciated for the talent and not the gender.Modern male belly dancers face social hardships due to the face that bellydance in thought of as a female exclusive art. Male dancers seek equality in the world of belly dance and are often turned down for jobs and festival performances base on their gender. Just like women have had to fight for rights and equality in several other fronts, belly dance is a field in which men are trying to find equal footing and trying to find a place to fit in and be accepted. 

Ex: Cengi dancers of Ottoman Empire

Ex: Documentary on difficulties of being a modern male bellydancer in a female dominated art

Opinion of Dancers

In the article "Defining the Dance" by Jen Al-Amira she writes, "As a feminist, no, as a whole person I claim the right to display my sexuality in a context that empowers me but does not dis-empower,  overpower or alienate my audience, just as I would display any other experience. To deny sexuality is to deny a part of ourselves, to castrate ourselves, a mutilation as savage as foot-binding or clitoridectomy. Would we deny our other emotions to protect society's sensibilities?" Her belief that belly dance is a way of displaying femininity and should not be judged as demeaning
or demoralizing. Unfortunately when the dance first began to grow in popularity it was not uncommon for night clubs to hire girls to perform as belly dancers and provide other services as well. This led to a lowered opinion of the art in several communities. As a result, legitimate dancers had to begin defending themselves against people who believed them to be prostitutes because of the way they danced. Al-Amira points out an important fact in her article, that while belly dance can be a sensual performance, that is not its main goal and those who dance should not have to be ashamed of displaying their talent to avoid offending people who are uneducated about its true origins and meaning.

Westernization

Once belly dance was brought to American, the westernization of the dance began almost immediately. From film to the vaudeville theater, to the stage - belly dance began to crop up everywhere in American culture. And like everything we encounter, Americans were intent finding a way to make the oriental dance their own.  Over the years Americans are credited with forming several styles of bellydance that are distinctly western. The biggest example of how belly dance became Westernized is the newly formed style of dance called Tribal Fusion. It combines the Tribal style of belly dance (which also began in America in 1967) with different types of music such as electronica and classical. The vaudeville theatre, famous in the late 1800's and early 1900's was also an American convention that brought the art of belly dance to the public. Vaudeville dancing could be characterized by its costuming, music, and sensual moves. Below is a clip from the movie "Whisper Hungarian in my Ear" which is a remake of the 1930's "White Zombie". The dancing featured in the clip is a great example of Vaudeville dance and it is a more westernized version of belly dance as you can see from the costuming (oriental dancers would have been more covered) and types of movement.

Pretense of Exoticism

I think what most excited audiences about the oriental belly dancers of the Chicago World Fair, and what inspired film makers to use dancers in so many films, was the pretense of exoticism that surrounds the art of belly dancing. Dancers seemed mysterious and unattainable. Belly dance was something that had not been seen before in America so the performances were captivating to those who witnessed them. Once Hollywood began to feature dancers in film, interest in the art only began to grow. Dancers were portrayed in many different lights, sometimes flirty and promiscuous, sometimes respectful and demure, but almost always as existing solely for the entertainment of men. They are shown always as exotic, ethnic women. Even when American women were picked to portray dancers they often wore wigs or certain kinds of make-up to make them appear more "oriental". The idea that women had to appear exotic and foreign to portray a belly dancer is one problem that affects the way they are thought of today. Also, the portrayal of them as 'loose women' in skimpy hollywood costumes affected the way viewers thought of the art form. It is safe to say that early Hollywood movies did not do a lot for the reputation of belly dancers or for the pretense of exoticism that surrounded them.

Belly Dance in Film

After the appearance of Little Egypt dancers at the Chicago World fair, bellydancers began popping up in American films as exotic and mysterious women of the East. One of the more popular films involving bellydancers was the 1942 movie "Road to Morocco" which starred Bob Hope and Bing Crosby. The problem with this movie was that it strayed pretty far from the truth of what belly dance actually is. Dancers in the film were scantily clad and were not truly belly dancing but more tying together a few writing movements with a veil. Movies like this led to many of the misconceptions the American culture has about the dance because dancers were portrayed as sex objects instead of respectful dancers.
At the other end of the spectrum, a good example of an accurate portrayal of belly dance in film is the 1954 movie "The Egyptian". The dancer in the film was an American dancer, Carmen de Lavallade, but she was trained in the art of ballet and oriental dance so she was able to properly portray the movement and grace of belly dance. Above are pictures from "Road to Morocco" (top) and "The Egyptian" (bottom). The dancer from the American film "Road to Morocco" is portrayed as flirty and provacative. The dancer from the later film, "The Egyptian" is portrayed as regal and majestic. The two different interpretations of oriental dancers definitely had an impact on American viewers and their opinions of belly dancers as people.