Belly dance at the bottom of the trough?

Shanazel

Moderator
For a couple of years, I've felt like I'm sitting at the bottom of a trough with giant waves rising on each side of me, ready to come crashing down on all of belly dance. My classes hold steady at about nine participants, most diehard dancers who will get carted to their graves wearing bedlah and bling. Recently, however, I've had a couple of calls from former dancers who are thinking about coming back in the fall. This in addition to having a local RenFaire hire us for a faire in August almost gives me hope, though. Any evidence anywhere else that things may be beginning to look up?
 

Zorba

"The Veiled Male"
Don't know. Rakkasah west this year seemed - with emphasis on "seemed" to have a few more attendees than in the last several years.
 

Shanazel

Moderator
So you're saying that Rakkasha West hasn't yet gone south?

I hope when BD does come back it will feature a return to more traditional styles and not so much "anything goes if it makes ya feel good" fusion and fantasy.
 

Aniseteph

New member
I think it's picking up a little round here. My teacher is running a couple of beginner classes - dunno what the numbers are like but the fact that they happen at all is a step up from how it has been. The non-beginner group is drop in, so numbers go up and down by the week, especially once holiday season starts, but when they are up it's quite busy.

Hopefully some of the beginners will start trickling on up to that class and to workshops, and to diehard status ;).
 

Greek Bonfire

Well-known member
It's across the board. Right now bellydance is more in the valley and overall, not just classes but events too, the interest has waned, as more people have either moved to other forms of dance, other forms of exercise or the "rage" is now in another area that people are veering towards.
 

Asra*

New member
I haven't noticed a recent upswing myself - things have been barely grumbling along here for a awhile. Trends tend to come to Canada from the US, though, so I really hope there is an upward trend coming our way.
 

Zorba

"The Veiled Male"
So you're saying that Rakkasha West hasn't yet gone south?
Oh, its gone south - WAY south. Vendor count is probably half of what it was a few years back, they've abandoned the entire side halls that used to be stuffed with vendors, and not nearly as many are upstairs now either. Not nearly as many attendees either - although as I said, it "seemed" to have a few more folks there this year.
I hope when BD does come back it will feature a return to more traditional styles and not so much "anything goes if it makes ya feel good" fusion and fantasy.
WORD.
 

Roshanna

New member
I hope when BD does come back it will feature a return to more traditional styles and not so much "anything goes if it makes ya feel good" fusion and fantasy.

Amen!

My hope is that a few years in the wilderness will weed out many of the dilettantes (who will move on to other, more trendy, pastimes), and leave a hard core of more dedicated dancers, who will still be here when the next wave of interest comes around.

In my little neck of the woods, things are still quiet (some classes are quietly fizzling out, some are still chugging along, and in my town there's only a single 'fun and fitness' type beginners class at the moment), and the big UK festivals are getting fewer every year.

On the other hand, I'm spoiled for choice for workshops and intensives this summer. So that's good. I can't really tell if beginner-level class attendance is picking up, but the scene is still healthy enough to provide plenty of interesting things for the long-term dancer, so we can certainly hold out.
 

Kashmir

New member
No still low here - unless you are teaching non-belly dance belly dance (on stage with costumes and props). It may not just be belly dance. I recently heard a sports coach complaining that too many people were now signing up to teams - and expecting to play - but didn't want to do the boring stuff like turning up to practice.
But I'm hoping for an upturn - why else travel to Brisbane for teacher training with Dr Mo? (And no 8 full days of dancing is not a "holiday"!)
 
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