Male Belly Dancers

**Aniseteph** · 04-12-2012, 05:23 PM

Originally Posted by Zorba

Here's an article written by a UK male Belly Dancer:

Male Dance in the United Kingdom

Out of interest and with the "history of BD in the UK" thread in my mind, what was the date on that article?

**bellykrol** · 04-12-2012, 07:34 PM

Originally Posted by Zorba

Yep. And supposedly grown up, thinking adults can't think beyond this paradigm. Its *ALL* artificial, SOMEONE MADE THIS STUFF UP! It has no bearing whatsoever on absolute reality. None. Zip. Zero.

Yes, exactly!!!

I've been telling my bf (L42yB) to not worry about what I term "male bullshit propaganda", for example the preconception a lot of UK men have that men don't dance etc.

(Not to say that there isn't any "female bullshit propaganda" out there too of course

)

**khanjar** · 04-12-2012, 08:20 PM

Originally Posted by Aniseteph

Out of interest and with the "history of BD in the UK" thread in my mind, what was the date on that article?

I understand it must be a few years old at least and that because I had heard the author had since had a sex change and was somewhere in Bulgaria.

So perhaps I know what you might be thinking, it is old information and possibly not the situation as it is now and that perhaps many are reading it and thinking negative things ?

**Zorba** · 04-12-2012, 09:09 PM

Originally Posted by L42yB

It seems the majority seem to be against a sexual dynamic in a duet? Is this necessarily a bad thing though? The Tango is basically two people coming as close as they can to making love on a dance floor without actually doing it, and that can be a great duet to watch...

This ain't Tango...

I don't like seeing sexuality in dance - my dance or anyone else's. That's just "my thing".

**Zorba** · 04-12-2012, 09:10 PM

Originally Posted by Aniseteph

Out of interest and with the "history of BD in the UK" thread in my mind, what was the date on that article?

Nuts - it would have been a good idea at the time, huh? Its probably about 5 years old now...

**Kashmir** · 04-12-2012, 09:17 PM

Originally Posted by Yame

As for the statement a few people made about sexual dynamic in male/female duets, I have to say I honestly have not seen much of that at all in any of the many partner belly dance performances I have seen. Perhaps I am naive and my idea of "sexual dynamic" is different from other people's, but I've always found these performances to be fun and playful, sometimes maybe a little flirtacious but almost never sexual. I can only think of one or two that crossed into that realm.

I didn't mean sexual in the pant-pant-pout-pout way. Rather the emphasis is moved from playing with the music and to playing with your partner. (I have not seen this shift in same sex duets)

**Yame** · 04-12-2012, 09:51 PM

Originally Posted by Kashmir

I didn't mean sexual in the pant-pant-pout-pout way. Rather the emphasis is moved from playing with the music and to playing with your partner. (I have not seen this shift in same sex duets)

Maybe, though I don't see it as an either-or scenario or as a bad thing, and I see it in same sex duets too, at least in the ones I actually like. If the person isn't "playing" with their partner, I find it boring.

The way I see it, the best live drum solos are the ones where the dancer is playing with the music and the drummer (and the drummer plays with the dancer), and the best duets (same or opposite gender) are the ones where the dancers play with each other and the music.

But to each their own...

**Aniseteph** · 04-12-2012, 10:05 PM

[QUOTE-Zorba]Nuts - it would have been a good idea at the time, huh? Its probably about 5 years old now...[/QUOTE]
LOL, my webmaster side knows how it is. But I do think it needs a date to reflect that things change.

The UK history thread made me think - where DID we get our perspective on BD in terms of classes? It may well have had a heavy dollop of the belly dance = wimmin's space ethos that some teachers haven't wanted to shake off, maybe because it's so fundamental to their idea of what bellydance is.

IMO it's maybe a little old-fashioned these days. For anyone who is in touch with the (ME-focused) BD scene, we have enough really high profile male dancers that a "no guys" policy is increasingly nonsensical. I've seen male students at workshops and events and it's no big deal.

I do appreciate that some guys have a tough time finding classes and I'm not trying to downplay people's experience, but it'd be a pity if male dancers in the UK expected to meet a wall of hostility and rejection - some of your potential classmates and teachers really don't have that attitude.

**Yorkshire Lass** · 04-12-2012, 10:18 PM

Originally Posted by Zorba

This ain't Tango...

I don't like seeing sexuality in dance - my dance or anyone else's. That's just "my thing".

Tango is very different from bellydance as well. I love tango. It's my other passion in life and it's all about the sensuality, intimacy and closeness and the feeling of your partner in your arms and the feeling that the world could end and you wouldn't even notice.

Bellydance "feels" different for want of a better word.

The dynamic is completely other in bellydance as is the awareness and interaction with other performers.In bellydance I've performed with others from class and we are aware and interact but it's not the same level of awareness because it's not the same degree of intimacy.

I'm not putting this well but as someone who loves both, they're completely different in how they feell.

Before anyone mentions Belly-Tango fusion, I've seen it on more than one occasion but I've never liked it. The two just don't mesh properly to my way of thinking.

The only male / female bellydance piece I saw and really liked was a lady called Beatrice Parvin who performs in London. She danced at a hafla I attended. Her husband played the violin and she danced for him to his music. He didn't dance but interacted with her. That worked and the chemistry was absolutely beautiful and transformed the dance into something truly special.