kids bellydancing- how appropriate is it

[KuteNurse]

At a recent belly dance performance I attended, there was a mother/daughter dance that was adorable. There was not any seductive dancing on the mother or child's part. The costuming was age appropriate as well as the dance moves. They seemed to be having a fun time as it should be for both of them. After viewing some UTube clips on young girls belly dancing, I came to the conclusion that young girls should learn to dance, but not to perform. After watching the mother/daughter dance, I have realized it is ok for a young girl to perform, it is the way the dance is delivered that is important. This is just my opinion and my experiences. What does everyone else think about young girls performing as well as belly dancing?

 

[CurlyBellyGirl]

Chelsea wasn't belly dancing, but she sure the heck was doing some kind of dance and I loved every second of it. Thanks for the link, SBG!

No, she wasn't strictly belly dancing being that she was at Tribal Fest and all , but I loved her fusion and thought it was very cute and age appropriate and that her example can translate well into how younger kids can do all forms of dance. I'm glad that you enjoyed it!

 

[RioDancerCO]

Holy Crickies! These little girls can dance! I don't find myself horrified by costuming or moves but that may be because it's not my little one out there... Anyone else's thoughts?

 

[gisela]

I'm not a mother and I do realize that I live in quite a safe country and that the risks could be bigger in the USA or other countries, so my opinions might be different in another context.

Here I have several times seen childrens troupes belly dancing at student recitals and also a 4-year old girl performing solo (improvising!) in a public performance. They all did quite well actually apart from being maybe not so interesting dancewise.
The only time I was a bit concerned was when I watched 5 teenage girls performing melaya lef in VERY short dresses. They were all so clearly insecure in the roles of cheeky, flirty meleya girls with attitude, that I was uncomfortable watching them dance. I think the teacher should have had better judgement but she must have thought otherwise.

If you must forbid young girls to perform you have to forbid the young boys as well. Don't make it all about just the girls.

 

[Jet Phoenix]

Wow! Those girls can dance!

I think the reason I didn't feel yucky is they didn't seem to try to be 12 year olds going on 22. They "felt" like (to me anyway) kids who just love to dance and move.

I have only seen a couple of little girls dance. One was really good techniquely, if a bit flat--I think she had been dancing so much she was burned out a little bit.

The other one...well, I kept fearing her top was going to ride up to her neck! I was pretty tense watching her dance. I guess mom had seen her dance in it before, and was confident the shirt wasn't going anywhere...the rest of us were not quite so confident. She kept doing this camel movement over and over, and that shirt would get shorter and shorter. *shudders*

So I think it is great for kids to dance....any type of dance, but I don't like the dances (or "beauty pagents" for that matter) that make little kids look like adults. It always makes me think of that poor Jon Bennea (sp). The pics of this child made up like some 20 year old just made me sick.

 

[KuteNurse]

The first dancer Rio posted was quite an awesome dancer. However, I feel it was age inappropriate. Her costuming was nice. But some of her moves struck me as being too seductive. Such as swinging her hair and looking over her shoulder while swinging her hair. Overall, I feel it was inappropriate in parts...I would not let my daughter dance like that.

 

[KuteNurse]

Rio's second video, She was not as technical as the first dancer, but still quite an impressive dancer. However, the music at the beginning was not appropriate for her age...She should have chosen a fast beat for her whole dance...Also, the hair swinging...I just do not see that as age appropriate...Although, the second video was more appropriate than the first dancer. My question is...Why do we have to have these girls dressed like they are grown women, doing adult moves when they are still children. Children grow up way too fast the way it is...Why not let them be kids for as long as they can be. There is no rush for them to grow up. I do see movements that are just too "Adult" for these two young girls.

 

[da Sage]

Wow! Those girls can dance!

I think the reason I didn't feel yucky is they didn't seem to try to be 12 year olds going on 22. They "felt" like (to me anyway) kids who just love to dance and move.

The first one didn't read as a child at all. On the other hand, I got no "sexy" feeling from her, either. What an amazing dancer she is!

The second one did come off as young, and also not "sexy". She is MUCH better than I am, but not professional-level like the first one.

If we see this dance as a real art (and I do), we need to be OK with kids and teenagers performing it (and I am).

The costumes were OK for a BD competition, maybe even for a mixed-dance competion. But for a "general public" performance, I would not be OK with the costumes in the United States. Maybe other countries, it would be OK. Here there are too many unpleasant assumptions that might hurt the girls.

 

[Shanazel]

I tend to agree with you, da Sage, especially about the first dancer. I forgot early on she was so young and was simply caught by the way she danced. The second little girl made me wonder if she had a serious stage parent somewhere in the background- something about her costume or presentation said "beauty contestant" instead of dancer, despite her skill. I can't explain why- I am not sure myself at this point. My reactions mystify me at times. If I figure it out, I will let you know- but, please, don't hold your collective breath. .

 

[Midoria]

I posted the first video in the YouTube thread when I first joined.

I really liked it and think don't find anything inappropriate about it.

 

[Yasmine Bint Al Nubia]

I think that it depends on the style of clothing the children wear. A lot of cultures have dances that involve the hips and the way it's viewed also depends a lot on the culture. Children in different forms of African dance will do many dances that in American culuture we may find offensive. My MIL lives in Cote D'Ivoire (Ivory Coast) and we have quite a few Ivorian videos that have kids doing dances that involve butt bouncing, undulations, etc. and NONE of them are done in a sexual or inappropriate manner and they all look like kids, but I could totally see a Westener judging them or looking at it as a more sexual dance when it's totally not and no one from that culutre sees it that way. Again, this is where I think cultural sensitivies come into play.

There is a very cute video of a girl age 10 at Tribal Fest that I just adore. I hope the link will work: YouTube - Chelsea performs @ Tribal Fest 6
I have shown it to my son, who is 9 and loves to dance. What I love about the video is that she is dressed like a kid and the movements are very age appropriate even with her hip and chest popping.

I think that we live in such a highly sexualized culture with MTV and pop stars dressing like porno stars that we sometimes get oversensitive forgetting that some folkloric and some cultures dance in ways that are perceived differently than they are here.

That said, I am a mother of a daughter as well and don't think it's appropriate for young girls to dance around in bras and such, but I don't really see the harm in learning belly dancing. I mean, if kids put their feeling it in, then theoretically the dancing should be done in a sweet and innoscent way. It is adults who sexualize things and relate it to sex. JMHO...

i agree 100%. I have posted elsewhere on the forum, that my daughter hs been dancing since she was 9. I'm usd to seeing children dance in a social setting and didn't think it all inappropriate that she wanted to learn bellydance. Too many adults transfer their grown, overtly sexualized ideas on to children. I think it's something wrong with the adults not the kids.
As for Chelsea, that was superb!!! That girl had it really going on...the moves, the attitude...just awesome(plus I Love Sean Paul)
Yasmine

 

[Farasha Hanem]

I agree with you guys - I don't like seeing kids performing bellydance in public. Like Aniseteph said, if they want to take lessons for fun, that's great. I know people say that girls in the middle east learn from a really young age from watching their mothers etc, but you don't (or I haven't, at least) see them out in two piece costumes for the general public to ogle!
My first teacher got really into doing kids classes and started a kids troupe, and although she was always pretty careful with the costuming and choreography I never felt comfortable watching it. Having said that, I've been to watch my friends' kids performing in a dance school concert (jazz, tap, singing, etc) and I thought some of the kids were presented really inappropriately for that too. Maybe I'm just an old prude!:

Yes, I've seen some very age-inappropriate Western dance performed by kids, and also some highly inappropriate cheer routines done by 11 and 12-year-old girls. You're not an old prude, Hyacinth; you're a wise woman with good sense. :clap:

Frankly, I'd rather see kids bellydance than to watch Britney Spears clones.

 

[nightdancer]

My youngest loves to dance. Last night, when we were performing, I let her come out with me for a moment. She is obviously un-taught and just sort of wiggles and turns in a circle. She was not in the middle, just on the edge. She was also in street clothes; it was cute. The venue we were in made it okay, and it meant the world to her.

However, in the back room, I learned that not only does my daughter have a better belly roll than I do (this I knew) but she can do a turkish drop!! Just poof!! I asked her if she'd been sneaking my Delilah videos when I wasnt looking. (I did explain that it could be unsafe, etc, and that it was not considered a "children's movement".) But the point is that she can do it, and it looks far nicer than mine I also told her that hers was nicer than mine, too.

Yes, this is the "tigerstripe" kid.

 

[da Sage]

My youngest loves to dance. Last night, when we were performing, I let her come out with me for a moment. She is obviously un-taught and just sort of wiggles and turns in a circle. She was not in the middle, just on the edge. She was also in street clothes; it was cute. The venue we were in made it okay, and it meant the world to her.

However, in the back room, I learned that not only does my daughter have a better belly roll than I do (this I knew) but she can do a turkish drop!! Just poof!! I asked her if she'd been sneaking my Delilah videos when I wasnt looking. (I did explain that it could be unsafe, etc, and that it was not considered a "children's movement".) But the point is that she can do it, and it looks far nicer than mine I also told her that hers was nicer than mine, too.

Yes, this is the "tigerstripe" kid.

That's awesome! She might as well keep it up though...it's hard to relearn something once you stop doing it. A kid is my belly-roll inspiration, too...I figured if she could learn that in 3 or 4 years, I should be able to learn (eventually) too!

 

[bellyqueen]

i think belly dance should have no age limites and there is child costumes. if you think about it belly dance is just a dance like anyother everyone dances you dance when your happy you dance when your exited you dance all the time. i am very younge myself barely into my teens yet, and i think every one has the right to dance the way they want to dance.
bellyqueen .

 

[Missybell]

It's certainly not a bellydance only thing... there's a kids troupe at my school and they're cute and can do a few moves without being inappropriate at all. One of the older girls mothers is also in the advanced troupe and has taught us on occasion, the two of them did a beautiful veil dance together at our Harem night.

On the other hand, the last few basketball games I've been to... just wow, I've seriously had to look away or cover my eyes watching some of these little kids (4-10) in tiny crop tops, hot pant style shorts, fishnets etc doing moves that only a professional could pull off without looking totally inappropriate. The normal cheer leaders are quite a turn off (except for a couple who are great dancers and look like they're just having fun) and now they're training up the local (apparently) jazz/hip hop kids to do it. I should really make a comment about it and suggest they try something different like... gee I don't know... bellydancers! Not every game but once in a while it would wow the crowd for sure.

 

[jenc]

many of the clips of child BDs show them doing complicated CHOREOGRAPHED moves, not with the music. I think children should grow up with the music, experiment for themselves, learn how to feel the music. Then they naturally fit moves into the music and do all sorts of thngs that they didn't know were supposed to be difficult. I think that some of these children in clips will grow up thinking that they have to bee told what to do. I only wish I was young enough to learn the natural way, but it's probably too late at 57!!
Congrats De Sage, you could be the mother of a future living legend.

 

[Chani]

I am the mother of young daughters and I didn't find these girls dancing in any way inappropriate. I presume that they were supervised by their parents and as such being protected from anybody acting inappropriately towards them. There were no plunging necklines, their skirts weren't see through or with spits and they could really dance well. I never considered the hair tossing anything other than a move commonly seed in belly dancing. It was hard to see but if you look closely when the first dancer looks over her shoulder at the judges her expression was cheeky but not sexy and I thought it was a good way of engaging them.

In general I've never really agreed with the idea that short skirts, midriff tops, halter tops and baby doll dresses are inappropriate for children. I actually think they look lovely on little girls who shouldn't need to worry about covering up because they are young and should be free with their bodies (and should always be appropriately supervised). It's actually when I see adult women wearing these things that I cringe. I think grow ups wear these clothes to try to appear young and girlish so in a way they are dressing up as children and that is where the idea that these clothes are sexy comes from. I've heard the comment that watching at the gates of the local high school is any guys dream but surely that is something created by women in the sex industry dressing up as little girls including wearing versions of school uniforms. However, having said all that because women have used these clothing items to be seductive they have ruined things for girls who now can't wear them without risking looking too old. My girls are bound by genetics to have ample busts so I encourage them to wear halter tops and boob tubes now while they can since they love them so.

Chani

Chani

 

[Azrael]

Im new to the forum - just excuse my 5cents worth..

I've often discussed younger kids bellydancing with my friends and family, and personally, I dont like the idea too much. The bellydance classes that I attend here (Cape Town, South Africa) have an age limit of 16.
I dont mind children dancing - but I think it shouldnt be anything too advance. Sticking to the more simple moves is ok. -- Simple moves in which you teach discipline, which is something children now-a-days need.

I think if you send your child to dance classes its a good way of teaching discipline. Although I think bellydancing is slightly too sensual for a young child.

Like I said, my 5cents worth!

 

[Samiyka]

Hi all,
it is my kids gruppe

YouTube - Samiya dance children