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Belly Dance: Orientalism—Exoticism—Self-Exoticism
Abstract
The Orient was almost a European invention, and had been since antiquity a place of romance, exotic beings, haunting memories and landscapes, remarkable experiences. (Said 1978,1)
The past century has witnessed the phenomenon of belly dancing becoming a key icon of the Middle East in the West. This iconic representation often causes outrage, resentment, and even protest among Arabs who resent Westerners (mis)representing them by focusing on cabaret-style belly dance, a low-class and disreputable symbol for many in the Arab world, as a primary media image of the Middle East. Since the 1970s, millions of women and some men in the West have been attracted to belly dancing, investing millions of dollars and enormous time acquiring the basic skill of the dance in order to perform it. This essay will address several issues that are raised by the phenomenon of belly dancing and its transformation, globalization, and acculturation in the West; it is designed to develop a newly emerging area of performance/cultural research, drawing from the fields of dance and transnational studies.
... In each of its areas of origin, the dance is characterized by improvised movements of the torso, hands, arms, and head. The specific portion of the body that forms the focus of the dance various throughout the different areas, and probably varied historically as well (Shay & Sellers-Young 2003). ...
... The different folk dances are often conflated in the United States and elsewhere under the single term "belly dance", which has its origin at the 1893 Chicago World's Fair (Shay & Sellers-Young 2003). Since that exhibition, belly dance has undergone a transformation that was inspired by Orientalism both in the United States and the Middle East, in which the dance developed into the modern belly dance that most people are familiar with today. ...
... As the numbers of immigrants increased during the 1950s, the dance changed its association with erotic hoochie coochie to that of ethnic entertainment of Middle Eastern immigrants in the United States. In the 1960s, belly dance was allied with the second phase of the feminist movement (Shay & Sellers-Young 2003). Many women were excited to find a permissible means to embrace and explore their femininity (Deagon 1999). ...
Localised Exoticism: Developments and Features of Belly Dance in Taiwan
Belly dance has become one of the most popular dances in Taiwan today, with women of various ages participating in this imported dance. With respect to this speedy expansion, the purpose of this study is to investigate current developments, and to distinguish features of Taiwanese belly dance. The method adopted is literature analysis: a large number of Internet news items were collected to capture the trend of belly dancing in Taiwan. This study concludes that belly dance in Taiwan is primarily presented as: an exercise that is beneficial for health; widely accessible and partially embedded in local life; an exercise for all age groups and genders; a blend of multiple cultural elements; outstanding dancers acclaimed as the pride of Taiwan. The representation showed that the development of belly dance was influenced by the Taiwanese social background. Within the Taiwanese cultural landscape of meanings, belly dance moves between the exotic and the local. This study argues that belly dance is better described as "localised-exoticism" in Taiwan.
... Al Furuqi stated that dance among Muslims would continue to be influenced by things that arise from the Islamic belief system that has shaped other arts of Muslim society [9]. In performances, whether played as religious songs, funeral parades, or community activities, it has a function and liberates and purifies the performers as individuals and as a group [10]. ...
Lengger dance, as one of the local wisdom of the Banyumas community, is considered by the wider community to have no Islamic values. However, the fact is that every art that grew from the people of the archipelago emerged for reasons of spirituality, getting closer to God and nature so that when Islam was present in the archipelago, Islamic values were very easily integrated into these arts. This research aims to examine more deeply and describe the value of spirituality in the Banyumas Lengger dance. The research method used in this study is qualitative with an ethnographic approach. The subject of this research is the Lengger Banyumasan art, and the paradigm used is spirituality and Islamic values in the process, movement, and accompaniment of the Banyumasan Lengger dance. Data regarding dance movements were obtained through the process of observing and interviewing the dancers. Furthermore, the research explored whether religious values were taken into consideration in creating the musical accompaniment for the Lengger dance performances. The results showed that the Banyumasan lengger dance contained spiritual values related to God, fellow human beings, and the environment. The spiritual values found in the lengger dance in Papringan Hamlet, Banyumas is the local community's belief in the existence of indhang, offerings offered to the indhang, movements that are considered erotic have spiritual value and gratitude to the power, and there are several taboos for lengger dancers
... The set-up also seeks to call attention to associations with specifically Indian dance, even when several years of dance studies scholarship have addressed the imperial histories of the control of and fantasies about performance in colonial and postcolonial contexts. Reductive images of the bejeweled dancer were stock features in the Orientalist archive of photography and painting that represented the "exotic" Middle East and Asia (Allen 1997;Behdad 2016;Dox 2006;Hawthorn 2019;Imada 2011;Maira 2008;Min 2018;Ness 2008;Nochlin 1989;Said 1994;Shay and Sellers-Young 2003;Srinivasan 2009;van Nieuwkerk 2001;Warren 2006;Wood and Shay 1976;Young 2008). 5 Such representations, as well as brokered forms of contact in compromised contexts such as World Fairs, provoked seminal reflections on the nature of performance and catalyzed innovations that took place in the early 20th century on the part of thinkers such as Antonin Artaud and performers such as Ruth St Denis (Coorlawala 1992;Desmond 1991;Kowal 2020;Savarese and Fowler 2001;Shawn et al. 1920). ...
To the Academy is a multi-media performance work that makes poignant and humorous commentary about education, common paradigms of diversity, and the oppressive nature of institutional labor. Created through a dialogue between myself, an Indian American with training in various forms of physical theatre and Indian dance, and Guyanese-Canadian actor Marc Gomes, it has been performed at several universities and arts centers since 2015. In this essay, I will interrogate the ways in which we place select elements of “Indian tradition” at the service of the piece’s overarching theme of histories of European domination, asking whether making these cultural materials subservient to our political agenda constitutes a form of appropriation. I examine three components of the work: the character of the classical Indian dancer who appears in the first section of the show, the explicit references to the ancient Sanskrit treatise on performance, the Natyashastra, and the framing of both these elements within our adaptation of Franz Kafka’s story, “Report to an Academy,” about an ape who learns to impersonate humans. In so doing, I explore the ethical responsibilities artists of color have in working with intercultural aesthetics. Furthermore, I assert the inevitably ambivalent nature of activist performance, even if artists aim to resist hegemonic structures.
... The dance form we call "belly dancing" is derived from traditional women's dances (Shay & Sellers-Young, 2003) of the Middle East and North Africa. It is beautiful and interesting, more popular in today's societies especially among youth. ...
A series of steps and movements that body matches the speed and rhythm of a piece of music is known as Dance. It allows people to be more active, socialize and develop creative and physical skills. Regular exercise has been long associated with a fewer visit to the doctor, hospitalization and medication. Physical activity can help to prevent or manage a wide range of health problems and concerns, including stroke, metabolic syndrome, diabetes, depression, and certain types of cancer, arthritis and falls. The main objective of this study is to analyze and describe the impact of dance on our body and mind. Through this article reader can perceive the significance of dance as physical fitness not only entertainment.
... Women's public expression of sensuality or sexuality in traditional Arab, Middle Eastern cultural spaces, write Frances S. Hasso and Zakia Salime (2016), is considered subversive, and when embodied in Oriental dance (raqs sharqi), constitutes a highly contested, frequently condemned, practice (Shay and Sellers-Young 2003). Thus, "politics of pleasure" as used here refers to the ways a public, artistic expression of bodily pleasure performed by a sensuous, female dancing body can function as a powerful means of challenging social structures of power. ...
As a woman Palestinian dancer and choreographer in Israel, Sahar Damoni performs within multiple contexts of cultural, gendered, and political oppression, employing her bodily art to challenge these structures, most poignantly through dances that express and evoke pleasure and sensual joy. Offering a detailed ethnography of three of Damoni's performances within one year in Israel/Palestine, I argue that an examination of her artistry provides unique insight into the intricate workings—and transgressions—of gender, ethnic, and national boundaries through the movement of the body in dance.
... Other genres have spread more directly from the place they are associated with, such as flamenco associated with Spain or Andalusia (Goldberg et al . 2015), belly dance with the regional connotation of Egypt or "urban Middle East" (Shay andSellers-Young 2003, Adra 2005), or the tango argentino, investigated more closely by Stepputat in this volume . ...
Music-dance genres are not necessarily bound to a particular place, especially with
regards to their contemporary practice. They do, however, often have a (real or constructed) place, region or culture of “origin” that is associated with the historical development of the genre. In the course of migrations and the circulation of music-dance
genres over time and space, the relationship between music and dance may change
profoundly. This article investigates processes of separation of dance and music from
a choreomusical point of view. By comparing various case studies, we attempt to outline
general patterns of the effects of translocalisation on the relationship between music and dance, putting emphasis on the influence of contexts of migration and diaspora,
adaptation and appropriation, forms of transmission, and economic factors.
... Shay, Anthony ve Sellers-Young, Barbara. (2003). "Belly dance: orientalism-exoticism-self-exoticism", Dance Research Journal, 35/1 (Yaz), 21-22, http://www.jstor.org/stable/1478477 adresinden erişildi. (ET:10.06.2018)18 Gençkal, Fatih, "Sahnedeki 'Gerçeklik' Üzerine Dansöz Oyununun Düşündürdükleri", 03.03.2020, http://www.mimesis-dergi.org/2020/03/sahnedeki-gerceklik-uzerine-dansoz-o ...
"A Theatre Play on Belly Dance, The Dancer and the Gaze"
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In this paper, the new theater play entitled Dansöz by Mek’ân Sahne group will be analyzed on the basis of gender, (male) gaze, movement interpretation and oriental dance dramaturgy. This play -which has been watched in different venues of Istanbul- will be evaluated on the basis of its plot, performance of the actress, the relation with the audience, the audience feedbacks… etc.
Basic resources for such analysis will be some theatre reviews, web site and journal interviews with the director and the performer, after talk in première performance and academical resources on oriental dance in English. The dramaturgical orientation of the play based upon the historical origins of oriental dance dance will be discussed on the basis of such references.
..................................................................................................................................................Keywords: Oriental dance, male gaze, gender, theater
... This Orientalist approach to dance research was promoted by World History of the Dance. As Anthony Shay and Barbara Sellers-Young (2003) note, Sachs conflates the Middle East, South and East Asia and "positions the Orient as 'Other than Europe,' a sort of halfway station in his evolutionary scheme of dance moving from uncontrollable primitive frenzy to high art" (20). ...
Chinese postgraduate dance students can be surprised by epistemological expectations when commencing research degrees outside China. This can result from translations into Mandarin of very dated dance scholarship from Europe. Specifically, Curt Sachs’ 1933 book World History of the Dance continues as a pervasive representation of Western dance scholarship in current dance research published in Mandarin. Within this article we collate key examples of academic literature published in Mandarin during the last twenty years to show how World History of the Dance continues to be used to support essentialism in dance research in China. We connect this with critical arguments from international dance scholars, identifying why Sachs’ publications from the early 20th century have been rejected within English language academic journals. While this comparative analysis of dance scholarship reveals deep epistemological differences across learning cultures, this paper further evidences how essentialist theories can construct cultural hierarchies in dance.
... Belly dancing is becoming a key Middle Eastern icon in the West and very popular among local women. American and European women have adopted belly dancing as a symbol of personal and sexual liberation, a meaning that did not originally exist in the Arab world (Shay and Sellers-Young, 2003). This can be interpreted as another expression of Orientalism, exoticizing of the East as ultimate 'other'. ...
A fascinating new phenomenon aimed at redrawing the boundaries of two different (and conflicted) ethnic groups – Russian and Mizrahi (North African and Middle Eastern) Israeli Jews – is increasingly visible in recent years. Young, Russian-speaking, ethnic entrepreneurs have invented the hybrid cultural trope of ‘Mizrahi or Mediterranean Russianness’ expressed in various popular culture venues: video-clips, festivals, public events, and music and dance performances they produced. This counter-intuitive merger reflects the mainstreaming of Mizrahi styles and genres in the Israeli culture. It also challenges the Orientalist attitudes towards Mizrahim prevalent among Russian immigrants in Israel, especially the older generation. Drawing upon several vivid examples from the Russian-Israeli cultural scene, the present article sheds new light on the mechanisms of ethnic fusion and hybridity in migration and their role in the ongoing integration process of young immigrants belonging to Generation 1.5. I argue that ethnocultural fusion can function as a means for ethnic revival, solidarity and the claim for belonging among young immigrant adults.
... As Nem tão longe, para não compreender ou ter uma visão imagética como acusa o Orientalismo de Edward Said (2007), nem tão próximo que modifique a ponto de torná-lo semelhante como a globalização atua, mas vizinhos, para que possamos aprender com as danças do mundo novas formas de mover e de sermos movidos pela dança. estrangeiro/ o diferente, não necessita tornar-se semelhante para que o Ocidente o aceite (SAVIGLIANO, 2009 ...
Resumo Este trabalho reflete acepções para o termo world dance utilizado na Universidade da Califórnia para o estudo de danças internacionais e a aplicabilidade de suas ideias no contexto brasileiro a partir da proposição de "mundialização cultural" de Renato Ortiz (2006, 2007) na perspectiva da dança. Propõe-se que a "mundialização", aplicada à abordagem world dance, traz a possibilidade de discutir o movimento de globalização que atravessa as práticas culturais atuais permitindo questionar modelos hierárquicos consolidados no campo da dança. Palavras-chave: hibridação, globalização na dança, world dance, pós-colonialismo, dança do ventre Abstract We access meanings to the term world dance used at the University of California so as to study international dance and the applicability of its ideas in the Brazilian context. We consider the "cultural globalization" proposition coined by Renato Ortiz (2006, 2007) in the dance angle. Our motion is that the "worlding" applied to the world dance approach opens discussion on the globalization flow which crosses contemporary cultural practices. It raises issues on solid hierarchical models in the dance field.
... It can be acknowledged that representations of women dancing in the southern Mediterranean have been subject to much misinterpretation within literature and neglect by dance scholars, often succumbing to distorted, romanticized, exoticized perceptions, understandings and images when being investigated or presented (Shay & Sellers-Young, 2003). Some accounts of dance in the southern Mediterranean region tend to reiterate Orientalistic stereotypes of both the dance practices occurring in the region and the generalizations about women dancing in the region (for examples see: Al-Faruqi, 1978;Buonaventura, 1983Buonaventura, , 2004Buonaventura, , 2010Helland, 2001). ...
... 111). Shay andSellers-Young (2003, 2005) contend that this may be due to the social stigma that has long plagued the dance form. The same may be said for the lack of research on dance, specifically belly dance, within leisure research. ...
The search for happiness and life meaning is an ancient quest. Positive psychology has brought this topic to the forefront of modern research. Previous research has shown that meaning and happiness can be found through one's vocation and through leisure pursuits. The purpose of this study was to determine the impact of routine and project-based leisure experiences on meaning and happiness. Three-hundred and five college students participated in the study. Structural equation modeling and regression analyses revealed significant relationships between meaning, happiness, and routine leisure pursuits. Social engagement, personal reflection, and time spent outdoors were potent predictors of happiness and meaning. Implications for the leisure field are discussed in light of these findings and other relevant research.
... Belly dancing, one of the most ancient forms of dance, originates from North Africa, the Middle East and Central Asia. Initially it used to be part of rituals to salute maternity and fertility (Shay and Sellers-Young, 2003;Richads, 2000). Nowadays it is becoming a popular form of exercise (Maira, 2008;Dox, 2006), and its physical and psychological effects are widely reviewed (Paul, 2006;Sookoo, 2009). ...
In the sources of dance history in Turkey, there is no classification that evaluates urban dances, which are mostly mentioned in entertainment contexts, in terms of function, contents and social acceptance and made with this focus. Dance in the history of the Republic has been mostly examined within the framework of identity, representation and ideological patterns, and historical analyses have been considered with this relationship focus. In addition, these subjects are embodied in the national repertory, which is generally accepted as official and thus reflects a dominant traditionalism. In this study, my aim is both to present a historical literature summary of popular urban dances and to embody similar subjects through alternative repertories in the context of the "other" determined by the relationship with the official one. Urban folk music was not included in the national repertoire, at least until the 1950s, and urban dances were not included in the category of Turkish Folk Dances in the compilations of the early Republican period. In this way, popular urban dances were left out of the national repertoire and were positioned as "the other" of dance cultures in Türkiye. This study, on the other hand, focuses on the general history of the repertoire, the definition of which is proposed as "dances that are excluded from the official discourse but exist in the cultural practices of the city, whose social acceptance has been realized and have become widespread by any agents (migration, mass media, etc.)". The draft of the urban dance repertoire, which has this quality, was determined through metadata from newspapers, magazines and new media content, and the data obtained is re-interpreted together with the previous literature sources. The case for research was determined as Istanbul, both because it changed a great deal during the 20th century, and because it converted little. Istanbul allows us to trace the sustainable clues of cultural practices, because dance practices are in a central position in the product and market relationship in this historical process.
Istanbul Educational and Cultural Association of Oriental Dancers (Istorder) is a unique institution that brings together professional belly dancers in Istanbul/Turkey. Between 2019–2021, I participated in belly dance courses in their dance studio. In this study, I examine my own experience, utilizing the data obtained from participant observation, fieldnotes, and semi-structured interviews with a feminist autoethnographic approach. I consider both my own experience and the narratives of other women who learn and teach belly dance in Istorder. Furthermore, I compare my findings with other research on women’s experiences of belly dance in the United States of America in different historical contexts.
The 2003 UNESCO Convention on Intangible Cultural Heritage allows dance to be officially recognized as heritage and included in UNESCO’s heritage lists. Authenticity is one of the conditions that UNESCO requires for the recognition of monumental heritage (regulated by the 1972 UNESCO Convention) but it does not feature among the requirements for the award of ICH status. The reason being that authenticity is a problematic concept, which reflects power dynamics, has often been used for political aims and can lead to the freezing of ICH into immutable forms. Moreover, authenticity is particularly problematic for dance, because dance is embodied, changeable and transcultural. Nevertheless, the 2003 Convention on ICH contains implicit references to authenticity and this concept still seems relevant to the communities who engage with such heritage. This makes authenticity a topic worth exploring to investigate if a fluid, dialogical and community-centered understanding of it can be provided. Research on Egyptian raqs sharqi, with data gathered through a qualitative methodology (using interviews and analysis of videos and texts available online), provides a case study that shows how the tangible and intangible elements of heritage contribute to the authenticity discourse constructed by an international community of Egyptian raqs sharqi practitioners in the twenty-first century.
This article describes a study of the impact of belly dancing on women’s experience of pregnancy, labour and birth. In order to identify the core movements of belly dancing suitable for pregnant women, an expert panel of belly dance teachers was convened. Next, based on the teachers’ consensus, a video demonstrating the core movements was produced. Finally, a second expert panel was convened, comprising midwives and childbirth educators, who were asked to comment on the video from their professional standpoints. The panel considered that the movements demonstrated were safe and would help with pregnancy ailments such as back-ache, pelvic discomfort, constipation, sleeplessness and anxiety and that belly dancing would assist pregnant women’s mental health, positive self-image and confidence in their bodies to give birth. The relational aspect of belly dancing in terms of building a sisterhood of women making the transition to motherhood was also noted.
Rizal’s identity has been commonly tied to that of an intellectual propagandist, an ilustrado who utilized more of his
brains than brawn. However, it must be noted that biographies about Rizal were able to mention the physical
development and martial arts enthusiasm of Rizal albeit briefly. Such information captured the minds of current
martial arts enthusiasts that a narrative of Rizal as a practitioner as well as a teacher or guro of Arnis was even
accepted.
This study therefore aimed to examine the historiography or the writing, interpretation, and presentation of the
idea of Rizal as a martial artist in popular biographies, sources, and online articles. Doing so provides us an
investigation of the veracity of these narratives. Analysis of the historiographies, including comparison of selected
letters, either affirms the information provided in these popular biographies or uncovers hagiographies,
anachronisms, or invented traditions in the narratives of Rizal as a martial artist and especially as an Arnisador.
Consequently, such examination necessitates understanding the historical context of physical education, extra�curricular activities, and education itself during Jose Rizal’s time.
Finally, the study wanted to present Rizal’s perspective, whether it came from the interpretation of his biographers
or his own letters, on the importance of martial arts and physical education to the development of a person.
Belly dance was first performed publicly in Toronto during the late nineteenth century. While immigrants to Canada from the Middle East faced discrimination, white audiences could not get enough of stereotypical portrayals of danse du ventre. Hollywood further popularized the Orientalist image of the belly dancer, and beginning in the 1950s, star Middle Eastern dancers like Samia Gamal and Nejla Ateş were making appearances on Toronto stages. By the 1960s, American, Middle Eastern, and Canadian dancers were performing belly dance in Toronto’s hotel nightclubs and restaurants. During belly dance’s peak popularity in the 1970s and 1980s, multiple venues were running two belly dance shows a night, six days a week, and belly dance classes were so popular they were often waitlisted. Why and how did this Middle Eastern dance form become so popular between 1950 and 1990 in the city of Toronto? Various archival sources and twelve oral history interviews with professional dancers and teachers indicate that belly dance’s popularization in Toronto was partially a result of its widespread stereotypical presentation in North America as something exotic, ancient, and sexual. This contributed to a growing demand for belly dance shows amongst white Canadians, but increasing immigration from the Middle East was an even more essential element in the growth of Middle Eastern entertainment in the city. White and Middle Eastern dancers and teachers who worked in Toronto hybridized belly dance performances as they circulated transnationally, with some working and performing internationally while also developing personal and professional relationships which bridged ethnic and cultural divides. Dancers and instructors alternately embraced and resisted Orientalist stereotypes as they navigated a social and political context in Canada that favoured whiteness. Many also laboured to increase belly dance’s respectability by trying to distance performances from overt sexuality, or by aligning them with regional pride, spirituality, fitness, or feminism. Belly dancers, instructors, and choreographers participated in uneven processes of exchange and hybridization which characterized belly dance’s popularization in Toronto.
This article introduces the digital humanities and dance studies project Mapping Touring , and employs it in an analysis of Denishawn's touring prior to and immediately following the company's 1925–26 tour to Asia. Situated within the archival turn in dance, Mapping Touring emphasizes the possibilities of spatial and comparative analysis for touring dance artists, with information about their location and repertory drawn from archival sources, gathered and stored in a database, and plotted on interactive maps. With Denishawn as a case study, I contend that digital mapping can make visible some of the implications of travel and touring for the circulation and spread of theories of embodiment contained in dance repertory.
This article examines ʿAtaba thaqīlat al-rūḥ (“Threshold of heavy spirit,” 2011), a novel by the new generation West Bank writer Māyā Abū l-Ḥayāt, who is considered one of the prominent new generation Palestinian West Bank writers, in which diverse and unique use of a dance motif is found. The article reviews the history of dance in Arab society and the meanings that it had in the past and currently has in Arab society and culture. It illustrates how Abū l-Ḥayāt uses each of these meanings throughout her novel in order to reveal the female soul and the status of women in Arab society. The article shows how Abū l-Ḥayāt incorporates this motif into her novel in a unique and original way, thus exposing woman’s yearning for freedom, creating a new feminine language and undermining accepted norms.
Female exotic dancers are often viewed negatively, while research on male exotic dancers is scarce. Given that exotic dance is often perceived as atypical, exotic dance club attendees may also face negative social reactions. Two experiments investigated evaluations of male and female strippers and exotic dance club patrons. In Experiment 1286 MTurk participants evaluated a fictitious target individual in order to examine whether target gender and target occupation (stripper or bartender) influenced evaluations of targets. Results illustrate that strippers were more negatively evaluated compared to bartenders; this pattern was particularly evident by those who possess negative exotic attitudes. No differences emerged between evaluations of male and female strippers. In Experiment 2, 302 MTurk participants evaluated a fictitious target individual in order to examine whether target gender and target attendance (whether the target attended an exotic dance club or a dance club) influenced evaluations of the target. Results illustrate that exotic dance club attendees were evaluated more negatively than dance club attendees; this pattern was particularly evident by those who possess negative exotic attitudes. Additionally, female exotic dance club attendees were evaluated more positively than male exotic dance club attendees. Overall, results suggest that a general negativity associated with exotic dance still exists, but there are some differences in evaluations of exotic dancers and exotic dance club patrons.
The global phenomenon of K-pop cover dance indicates the rise of imitation in social media and its production value wherein identity passing is necessary. Employing performance ethnography, this article analyzes two female K-pop cover dancers in San Diego, CA and examines their embodied labour and (dis)privilege in their intercultural performance of K-pop. Their stories disclose discrepancy than solidarity within the racial and ethnic minority fandom and (in)ability of identity passing based on sociocultural and economic resources at the intersection of age, race, ethnicity, class, education, and family. Yet, a daunting reality further inspires fans’ dreams to be like K-pop idols.
Little is discussed about belly dancing in the area of education. Studies involving this modality highlight important benefits of its practice, however literature is still scarce. The aim of this study was to evaluate the perception of belly dance practitioners about its physical and psychological benefits. This quantitative cross-sectional survey was conducted with 29 adult belly dancers. Volunteers completed a questionnaire consisting of 7 questions about their perception of the physical and psychological benefits of this practice. The results obtained revealed a positive perception in 100% of the practitioners. According to their perception, the main physical benefits resulting from the practice of belly dancing were physical conditioning, leisure and health. Regarding the psychological benefits, the most cited were improved disposition, social interaction, sensuality, reduced shyness and new friendships.
Pouco se discute sobre a dança do ventre na área da educação. Estudos envolvendo esta modalidade ressaltam importantes benefícios de sua prática, entretanto a literatura ainda é escassa. O objetivo deste estudo foi avaliar a percepção de praticantes de dança do ventre sobre os benefícios físicos e psicológicos da modalidade. A pesquisa transversal quantitativa foi feita com 29 adultas praticantes de dança do ventre. As voluntárias preencheram um questionário composto por 7 questões sobre sua percepção acerca dos benefícios físicos e psicológicos da prática. Os resultados obtidos mostraram percepção positiva em 100% das praticantes. Segundo a percepção delas, os principais benefícios físicos advindos da prática da dança do ventre foram condicionamento físico, lazer e saúde. Em relação aos benefícios psicológicos, os mais citados foram melhoria na disposição, convívio social, sensualidade, redução da timidez e novas amizades.
Sexual harassment is a type of trauma that causes various physiological and mental phenomena, including a regression in the perception of body image and its preoccupation with it. Studies indicate that there is a link between psychological functioning and physical function, where engagement with the body affects psychological functioning. Research has pointed to the relationship between body image and dance in the therapeutic context. It has been shown that there is a positive and close relationship between dancing and movement and the way women perceive their bodies. The main purpose of this study was to examine how the frequent practice of belly dance, also called Oriental dance, affects perception of body image and self-esteem among women who have experienced sexual harassment in the past. In this study, 152 subjects were examined, 78 women who partake in belly dance and 74 women who do not. Research hypotheses were confirmed, and a significant positive correlation was found between self-esteem, body image, and belly dancing among women who previously experienced sexual harassment.
Undergraduate research papers offer a difficult challenge for students to demonstrate primary and secondary research skills, knowledge of dance practices and their histories, and clarity of written communication. This article demystifies the research process specifically for use in dance studies and dance history classrooms by demonstrating common approaches to analyzing choreographic works. The authors take Katherine Dunham’s 1949 choreography Afrique as a case study and model how to layer different research and writing approaches: movement observation and description as a foundation for humanistic dance analysis, historical contextualization within the dance field with reference to both primary and secondary sources, and cultural criticism that frames dance artists, practices, and choreographed works within an intellectual and cultural milieu.
Confucian values have strongly influenced gender stereotypes in Taiwan. Contrary to traditional gender expectations, the display of the female body is exceptionally encouraged in belly dancing. Utilizing data collected from 21 experienced dancers in Taiwan, this study examines the conflicts that women face when taking part in belly dancing, but also how they merge belly dancing with ideal gender images without conflict. The results show that, whilst few of the women experience inner conflicts, some experience external conflicts, usually with family members. However, by viewing belly dancing as a leisure exercise, a frugal and natural approach to acquiring femininity and beauty, the participants sought to differentiate themselves from the ‘bad others’ to construct a ‘beautiful-and-good’ female image. More generally, we have sought to demonstrate that critical analysis of the physically active female body must always be cognizant of the specific characteristics of those societies towards which the research is directed.
The life and work of Israeli choreographer Ohad Naharin are documented in the 2015 film by Tomer Heymann, Mr. Gaga. With nearly a decade of footage from following Naharin’s work with the Batsheva Dance Company, the documentary celebrates Naharin’s life with abundant footage from his choreographic successes. This article explores the ways in which this film, like many dance documentaries, uses dance footage in strategic ways to present dance artists as exceptional. In Mr. Gaga in particular, the national and cultural specificity of the story and footage portrayed in the film require critical analysis to better understand subtle political undertones and bias embedded in the film’s otherwise primarily aesthetic focus.
The 2003 UNESCO Convention on Intangible Cultural Heritage highlights the importance of safeguarding traditional practices. While some of these practices are only performed in their place of origin, others (such as yoga and flamenco) take place worldwide. In this paper we explore what happens when a form of ICH that originated in one place becomes global. For this, we use Egyptian raqs sharqi (bellydance) as a case study. This is a dance genre with strong cultural roots in Egypt but is also hybrid and now practiced worldwide. Theoretically, we draw on a holistic view of living heritage, Welsch’s transculturality and Urry’s mobilities. Research methods include one-to-one interviews, analysis of written sources and of online dance videos. Raqs sharqi emerges as hybrid and transcultural, yet strongly connected to Egypt as the origin of its heritage. We conclude that ICH can be transcultural and global, whilst maintaining a strong connection to its place of origin.
This article is part of a project on Paradoxical Spaces: Encountering the Other in public space which explores how cultural difference is experienced, practiced and negotiated in public space. Specifically, it explores the ‘multicultural’ festival Kulturhavn taking place yearly along the harbour of Copenhagen. Multicultural festivals are seen as places for on-going identity negotiations, where individuals and groups define meaningful concepts of identity along with notions of exclusion. In the paper, we adopt a performative approach abandoning the distinction between bodies and space and embracing ideas of ‘embodiment’ and ‘rhythm’. We explore participant engagement emphasizing bodily practices as well as sensuous experiences, but also differential processes and orientalist images produced in, and through, encounters. Among the range of activities at the festival, we focus on three: food; dance; and taekwondo. The methods are participant observation and different kinds of interviews.
Belly dancing originated in the Middle East as a form of folk dance but has widely transformed into a leisure dance activity in recent decades. Belly dance was introduced to Taiwan in 2002, marketed primarily as a ‘body slimming exercise’ with a sense of exoticism. According to previous studies, fitness, weight-loss and body-shaping are the main motivations for most female participants despite their wide range of age groups and social classes. While the former studies generally regard ‘the popularization of belly dance in Taiwan’ as a fad, this study aims to give a deeper interpretation of the phenomenon by exploring the social and cultural factors which have contributed to the localization of this dance. The paper employs methods of textual analysis, participant observation and in-depth interview. The data collected reveal that belly dance is primarily defined by Taiwanese women as an exercise rather than a folk dance or an art form. In addition, the study examines the importance of the roles played by the marketing strategies adopted by the pioneering promoters of belly dance, government policies on sports and health, the association with community universities, and the ideas of traditional Chinese medicine in Taiwanese society in building the beneficial image of belly dance in Taiwan.
This chapter reflects on contemporary arts education in Egypt, Lebanon and Saudi Arabia, revealed through the personal narratives of three arts educators working in the region. Artistic education in the Middle East and Arabian Peninsula takes many forms, echoing the cultural reality of these diverse and dynamic societies. Through the authors’ unique experiences the nuances of pedagogy, policy and practice in arts education in the region are revealed. These experiences describe specific arts education contexts in the region, and how regional politics and social issues impact on the perceptions and practices of arts education. It is intended that this chapter broadens knowledge and understandings of arts education in Egypt, Lebanon and Saudi Arabia, and contributes to the global conversation regarding the importance of arts education.
Within this quotation the reader may find a rich description of historical and even contemporary Middle Eastern attitudes toward dance and male dancers in particular, penned from a native point of view. In this article I address those attitudes, but more importantly challenge several cherished, long-held assumptions and theoretical stances expressed by native elites and Westerners interested in Middle Eastern dance and dancers. First, I challenge the romantic views that many gay men hold that the presence of male dancers and the sexual interest expressed toward them by Middle Eastern men somehow constitutes evidence for an environment accepting of homosexuality and a Utopian gay paradise, where the possibility of unbridled sexual congress with handsome, passionately out-of-control Arabs, Persians, and Turks exists. Thus, they crucially confuse gay or homosexual identity with homosexual activity or behavior. Because of this confusion, I use an important aspect of queer theory that counters “the monolithic alternative of liberationist gay politics” (Bleys 1995, 7) to look at the phenomenon of professional male dancers in a somewhat grittier, more realistic light. In particular, I refer to Stephen O. Murray's groundbreaking article, “The Will Not to Know” (1997, 14–54) which establishes a valuable lens through which to view how the vast majority of Middle Eastern individuals regard homosexual acts.
Barbara Sellers-Young details the life and career of Ibrahim Farrah, a Lebanese American who was one of the seminal figures in the performance, teaching, and popularizing of cabaret belly dance in the United States. As a male dancer in a genre widely regarded as performed exclusively by women, Farrah, through his performances and writings, embodied the tensions inherent in the cultural and gender issues surrounding belly dance in both the Arab American community, from which he first learned Oriental dance, and in wider American society after belly dance had become an important leisure activity for more than a million women in the 1980s. Many of those women followed the news and history of the genre in Farrah's groundbreaking journal, Arabesque.
The paper presents a study of Vladimir Bartol's novel Alamut that uses the epistemological framework of Edward Said's Orientalism. Said's conception of Orientalism is further developed through the concept of self-Orientalism in both its versions, here labeled as "Oriental" and "Occidental" self-Orientalism respectively. The main hypothesis of the paper states that Bartol's novel can be interpreted as an example of Orientalism as well as Occidental self-Orientalism in literature. Thus, the paper's primary purpose is to deliver an analysis of Alamut's Orientalist and self-Orientalist elements.
These were my thoughts during my last public performance before delivering my daughter. I had been belly dancing semiprofessionally for more than six years at the time I learned I was pregnant. It was the one form of exercise-recreation I maintained throughout my pregnancy, and it was the first such activity I resumed postpartum. While belly dance is a highly expressive and creative genre (Shay and Sellers-Young 2003, 2005), the public typically views it as a form of erotic entertainment, on par with striptease, burlesque, and cabaret (Carlton 1994; Dougherty 2005). It may thus seem inappropriate for a pregnant woman or new mother to be engaging in belly dance-an unsuitable display of the body and contrary to the asexualized, selfless qualities of maternity. Indeed, pregnancy and early motherhood in the United States are subject to dominant cultural discourses that position them as central to normative femininity, a cultural rite of passage (Letherby 1994). As such, women face a host of gendered expectations about selfless devotion to (impending) motherhood. The pregnant and postpartum body becomes a subject of distinct patriarchal critique, with a range of activities and behaviors related to diet, exercise, and appearance deemed necessary for healthy pregnancy, birth, and postpartum recovery (Bailey 1999). In this chapter I examine the ways in which the act of belly dancing subverts dominant discourses surrounding pregnancy and motherhood.
Middle Eastern dance (aka belly dance) is an ancient and expressive form of movement, associated with feminine and community-based celebration and ritual. However, it is also thought of as erotic, seductive, and titillating. Despite stereotypes, belly dance appeals to contemporary women as leisure. This paper examines the intrigue with belly dance in the United States, specifically why women practice this dance form and what their involvement suggests about the gendered nature of leisure, and the need thereof, in women's lives. It also considers the possibility that belly dance may be a feminist form of leisure. Based on participant observation, journal narratives provided by dancers, and publically accessible online discussions, findings are examined along four themes: healing, sisterhood, spirituality, and empowerment.
Drawing on the extensive discussion of the late Edward Said's work, this new study addresses the ambitious intellectual history of the debates that Orientalism has sparked in several disciplines, including its reception among Arab and European scholars. © 2007 by the University of Washington Press All rights reserved.
In the wake of the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center, anti-Muslim discourse and sentiment has become pervasive in the West. Using a collaborative ethnographic approach, we observe how participants at a Turkish Community Center (TCC) cultivate stigma management strategies against the cultural backdrop of post-9/11 anti-Muslim stereotypes. In our analysis, we use Goffman’s work on stigma and critical race theory to explore the socially embedded nature of stigmatization processes for Turkish Muslims in a local community center. Our findings reveal how aspects of Turkish culture and Islam, together with a structural context that facilitates collective stigma management, allow TCC participants to effectively manage stigma and combat anti-Muslim stereotypes. Turkish participants use the practice of “dialogue” to prioritize secular identity(ies) through cultural education, normalize the Muslim self in conversation about religion, and embody a gendered presentation of Islam and Turkish culture. While facilitating individual and collective resilience for TCC participants in the face of stigmatization and pervasive anti-Muslim sentiment, these practices also contribute to the reproduction of broader patterns of racial, cultural, and gender inequality.
This study reflects on teaching and learning contemporary dance in Amman, Jordan, focusing on the experiences of three contemporary dance students. Through the three case studies, various issues regarding teaching and learning contemporary dance in a Jordanian context are raised, revealing that contemporary dance can be perceived as a taboo and also an activity that evokes belonging and artistic freedom. The study illuminates how family, friends, social values, and religion influence perspectives of dance. The three dance students’ responses to learning contemporary dance taught by a teacher from a Western cultural context provide further insight into the pedagogical concerns and challenges in cross-cultural arts education and cultural interventions. It is hoped that through the analysis and dissemination of these issues, the possibilities for developing future dance education programs and reflection on current dance pedagogy within Jordan, and the wider Middle Eastern region, can be better assessed.
Cambridge Core - Islam - The Cambridge History of Islam - edited by P. M. Holt
Over the past fifty years national dance companies from Turkey, Egypt, Mexico, Greece, the former USSR and Croatia have dominated concert stages throughout the world. Anthony Shay makes coherent sense of these national programs, which have previously received scant academic attention. Specifically, he looks at the ways through which these companies spread political, ethnic and cultural messages by accruing symbolic and cultural capital for their respective nation-states. In his analysis, Shay draws on cultural studies, political science and anthropology to create a work that cuts across disciplines. As the first book to address the topic of state-sponsored folk dance ensembles and their structures, Choreographic Politics examines the repertoires, performances and choreographic strategies of these companies within the political, social, gendered and ethnic contexts in which each company was created. In addition, Shay’s study includes a look at music, costumes, and various artistic directors and choreographers.
This book brings a new approach to the study of the arts of the Middle East. By dealing in one volume with dance, music, painting, and cinema, as experienced and practiced not only within the Middle East but also abroad, Images of Enchantment breaks down the artificial distinctions -- of form, geography, 'high' and 'low' art, performer and artist -- that are so often used to delineate the subjects and processes of Middle Eastern artistic culture. The eighteen essays in this book cover themes as diverse as Bedouin dance, the music of Arab Americans, cinema in Egypt and Iran, Hollywood representations of the Middle East, and contemporary Sudanese painting. The contributions come from scholars and critics and from the artists themselves. Together, they present a wide-ranging and holistic view of the arts in their social, political, anthropological, and gender contexts.
Thesis (Ed. D.)--Temple University, 1995. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 275-286). Microfiche.
Pictorial History of Turkish Dancing
- Metin And
Music in Performance: A Saudi Women's Wedding Party
- Kay Hardy
Middle East: An Overview
- Najwa Adra
Theodora: Portrait in a Byzantine Landscape
- Antony Bridge
Tummy Trouble in Cairo
- Daniszewski
Aesthetic Explorations: The Egyptian Oriental Dance Among Egyptian Canadians
- Fraser
Sar gozashteh musiqi-ye IranHistory of Music of Iran, in Persian)
- Ruhollah Khaleqi
Techniques in Indian Classical Dance.” In JVC Video Anthology of World Dance and Music, Book 4
- Kimiko Ohtani
Mass Mediations: New Approaches to Popular Culture in the Middle East and Beyond
- Walter Armbrust
Narodne Igre (Folk Dances
- S Ljubica
- S Jankovic
- Dancia
1953 Persia is My Heart
- Najmeh Najafi
- Helen Hinkley
Choreophobia: Solo Improvised Dance in the Iranian World
- Anthony Shay
Passion of Music and Dance
- William Washabaugh
Denis, and the Evolution of Belly Dance
- Ruth Paul Eugene Montyserena
- St
Le Theatre et la Danse en Iran (Theatre and Dance in Iran)
- Medjid Rezvani
Raks.” Encyclopedia of Islam
- Annemarie Schimmel
Dances of Anatolian Turkey
- And
Serena, Ruth St. Denis, and the Evolution of Belly Dance
- Monty Paul