gypsywitch
sappy n' sassy
- Joined
- Nov 9, 2003
- Posts
- 27,854
~ from a goin'no-where GB thread ~
We try to help our students understand that 'real' resturants and parties that cater to the Arabic community here have definate standards of expectations.
Visible tattoos are the worst; you just won't get hired as a bellydancer. Same for odd piercings and dredlocks. Being plump is ok if its a flattering costume, but they aren't interested in older dancers unless they already have a long standing reputation or are family members.
No open legs while dancing or pelvic thrusts to the front... and certainly no writhing on the floor or over zealous zaghareets.
We just got the clearance for next weekend's show in SF that we can do floor work and more folkloric/Americanish type stuff since the crowd will be mostly Americans. Now I'll get to be in my other brain while performing.
In some ways I don't like to be restricted but in others... that's what makes the styles different and authentic to the music and era reperesented.
~~
I mean its like we go off on our fantasy tangents with Hollywood helping and create our own myths in a way and then actually fool Americans that our hippie trip is 'authentic Middle Eastern' when it is actually, potentially offensive to the very countries that we've pulled the imagery from.
The event I was at last weekend had women from India in peels of giggles when they saw the American Tribal style dancers there since the costumes had so many India elements but not a lick of real Indian style in the dancing and it wasn't real bellydancing either. Since it was a ethnic heritage festival, I went to their booth and explained to them that the art form the dancers were generating is considered an authentic American fusion style, they got it a little bit. But its hard for them since their regional art forms are so specific and ancient.
Then we have the whole 'Arabs are all bad' thing here in the US now which is really sad and so uneduacated. I get much more work as a 'gypsy' as opposed to 'bellydancing.' And then people don't even know the real history of the Romani Gypsy people either.
We try to help our students understand that 'real' resturants and parties that cater to the Arabic community here have definate standards of expectations.
Visible tattoos are the worst; you just won't get hired as a bellydancer. Same for odd piercings and dredlocks. Being plump is ok if its a flattering costume, but they aren't interested in older dancers unless they already have a long standing reputation or are family members.
No open legs while dancing or pelvic thrusts to the front... and certainly no writhing on the floor or over zealous zaghareets.
We just got the clearance for next weekend's show in SF that we can do floor work and more folkloric/Americanish type stuff since the crowd will be mostly Americans. Now I'll get to be in my other brain while performing.
In some ways I don't like to be restricted but in others... that's what makes the styles different and authentic to the music and era reperesented.
~~
I mean its like we go off on our fantasy tangents with Hollywood helping and create our own myths in a way and then actually fool Americans that our hippie trip is 'authentic Middle Eastern' when it is actually, potentially offensive to the very countries that we've pulled the imagery from.
The event I was at last weekend had women from India in peels of giggles when they saw the American Tribal style dancers there since the costumes had so many India elements but not a lick of real Indian style in the dancing and it wasn't real bellydancing either. Since it was a ethnic heritage festival, I went to their booth and explained to them that the art form the dancers were generating is considered an authentic American fusion style, they got it a little bit. But its hard for them since their regional art forms are so specific and ancient.
Then we have the whole 'Arabs are all bad' thing here in the US now which is really sad and so uneduacated. I get much more work as a 'gypsy' as opposed to 'bellydancing.' And then people don't even know the real history of the Romani Gypsy people either.
)
