Beautiful Words

[khanjar]

Although this is about a forthcoming dance festival, I felt it would be of more use is posted here, in the male dancers section in hope that it is of help to all the curious lurkers and others who happen upon this website whilst searching an interest they may have, musch as I did, when I first sought to belly dance.

This, is an excerpt from an email I received from Afra Al Kahira responding to an enquiry I made regarding myself going to the forthcoming celebrating dance festival in Torquay, Devon. It is reproduced with the author's permission ;

...........About the festival itself - we pride ourselves on having a friendly and open atmosphere at Celebrating Dance. Everyone is made to feel welcome regardless of level or indeed gender. Celebrating Dance is about exactly that - celebrating the art of dance, whoever happens to be doing it! I am passionate in my support of men being accepted into our dance community and do my best to promote this wherever possible. I have coached many male dancers over my 30 years in the business and I am delighted to see that more and more of you are starting to get involved again, after so being discouraged by certain less enlightened parts of our dance community. Dancing is for everyone, not just an elite few!

Okay, that's me off my soap box! If you have any other questions please let me know!

Kind regards

Afra x

Just beautiful, and encouraging.

 

[Kharis]

Although this is about a forthcoming dance festival, I felt it would be of more use is posted here, in the male dancers section in hope that it is of help to all the curious lurkers and others who happen upon this website whilst searching an interest they may have, musch as I did, when I first sought to belly dance.

This, is an excerpt from an email I received from Afra Al Kahira responding to an enquiry I made regarding myself going to the forthcoming celebrating dance festival in Torquay, Devon. It is reproduced with the author's permission ;

...........About the festival itself - we pride ourselves on having a friendly and open atmosphere at Celebrating Dance. Everyone is made to feel welcome regardless of level or indeed gender. Celebrating Dance is about exactly that - celebrating the art of dance, whoever happens to be doing it! I am passionate in my support of men being accepted into our dance community and do my best to promote this wherever possible. I have coached many male dancers over my 30 years in the business and I am delighted to see that more and more of you are starting to get involved again, after so being discouraged by certain less enlightened parts of our dance community. Dancing is for everyone, not just an elite few!

Okay, that's me off my soap box! If you have any other questions please let me know!

Kind regards

Afra x

Just beautiful, and encouraging.

Afra has always been very supportive in this respect. Years ago in the UK in particular it seemed that lots of teachers rejected men. I put a section on my website for those teachers who were prepared to teach men in their classes to have a listing. I have never been able to understand the mindset of refusing male students in such events as MAJMA - which I do believe has since changed hands and is perhaps not so anti male anymore.

 

[Caroline_afifi]

Hi Khanjar,

That is a very nice thought for Afra to send you an email and being so supportive.

I am not aware of any festival in the UK which presently excludes men or indeed any festivals in Egypt.

As far as I am aware, all the festivals for ME dance have both great male teachers and male partcipants.

 

[khanjar]

What replies there have been, where I expected none all add to the positivety towards males who wish to dance, I hope others that lurk or seek see this.

Classes, well, those of you here are aware of my experience, before finding via Little Peach, a male friendly, accepting and seeking class, the one I have now taught by YasminMay of Bellydance Sisters

As is said on the website, belly dance is open to all, the gender bit does not even come into it, it is the desire to dance that is important.

Perhaps there are other classes out there that accept and want males, I hope and perhaps think there are, may it be non accepting classes might be a minority, perhaps classes that are not moving forward.

But despite the horror stories, we have all heard, maybe, it was an extreme minority that caused those horror stories, it may even be no more than one can count on ones hand, but bad news travels fast and adds grist to the mill of those who seek a reason not to employ equal opportunities, with undertones of sexism.

Anyways, times are a changing, lets all look to a happy positive future, where we can all enjoy this dance in it's entirety.

 

[Kharis]

What replies there have been, where I expected none all add to the positivety towards males who wish to dance, I hope others that lurk or seek see this.

Classes, well, those of you here are aware of my experience, before finding via Little Peach, a male friendly, accepting and seeking class, the one I have now taught by YasminMay of Bellydance Sisters

As is said on the website, belly dance is open to all, the gender bit does not even come into it, it is the desire to dance that is important.

Perhaps there are other classes out there that accept and want males, I hope and perhaps think there are, may it be non accepting classes might be a minority, perhaps classes that are not moving forward.

But despite the horror stories, we have all heard, maybe, it was an extreme minority that caused those horror stories, it may even be no more than one can count on ones hand, but bad news travels fast and adds grist to the mill of those who seek a reason not to employ equal opportunities, with undertones of sexism.

Anyways, times are a changing, lets all look to a happy positive future, where we can all enjoy this dance in it's entirety.

I think that some problems were caused by the attitudes of teachers, rather than students. The women only sisterhood thing was very apparent in some classes and this excluded men completely on the grounds that women could only let their hair down and relax when in female only company. The bellydance is a female only thing that is designed for women only on the grounds of it being a fertility dance philosophy was also much to the fore years ago, when the Raqs Starchy crew ruled the roost.

The rigidity of some Raqs Sharqi teachers ensured that students follow strict parameter of dance style and costuming and God forbid that a bit of sequin slipped the net or you dared to dance like Fifi. Thank God, that's changed. And this is a very signficant factor for those who parp on about keeping the dance pure. If it was up the purists of the Raqs Starchy set, you men would have been hanged drawn and quartered before being allowed into class. Perhaps some folks need to bear that in mind before they go on about how they want to keep to 'traditional' standards. As was very eloquently pointed out on the Hoola Hoop thread....'Authenticity is a moving target....'

 

[Aniseteph]

I don't think all the purists/traditionalists are singing from the Raqs Starchy songbook.

 

[khanjar]

Interesting thing now you mention fertility dances, fertility is not all about one sex, because it takes both sexes, female and male to produce others to go on into the future. One gets the idea, fertility is only about women.

The Goddess thing, does it never occur, males refer to a Goddess too, or is it a woman's equality backlash thing, about where it is assumed the Christian God is male, so the pagan goddess, is female. People should stop this grasping at straws of pseudo knowledge and just get on and do what they do, for the fun and enjoyment of it not prance about believing they are stepping in the footprints of a fluffy bunny goddess they know nothing about.

 

[Kharis]

I don't think all the purists/traditionalists are singing from the Raqs Starchy songbook.

No, but a lot of them are kicking against change. And without change, nothing grows or develops.

 

[Caroline_afifi]

Hi Khanjar,

Not sure that God or Goddesses have anything to do with the issue at hand.

Most forms of dance can be described as a mating ritual and the 'female backlash' I think is a seprate discussion entirely.

 

[chilla]

As Majma was mentioned, there has been a man come for certainly the last 2, maybe 3, years to various workshops and I haven't seen any of the sisterhood exclusionary thing going on.

Talking amongst friends, none of us mind at all if there is a man that is genuinely interested in bellydancing coming along to learn.