other peoples perceptions

[Recnadocir]

Hey Mouse,

You can feel free to share this dance with them: http://cobrajazzdance.com/LaTentation.html

Not to glorify me as a choreographer, but for them to see a dancer, Sarah Romanowsky, who has amazing balletic extension, leaping ability, etc. and can also move fluidly and well in belly dance. Sarah was able, in just a couple of rehearsals, to connect all the choreographic dots and make the dance her own, one of the quickest studies I've ever worked with. She is an exceptional talent, for sure, but also invests her dancing with gravitas, commitment and passion.

Her sister, by the way, is a highly regarded belly dancer in San Francisco, which I think is where she got much of her own belly dance training.

 

[Gabi]

Hey Mouse,

You can feel free to share this dance with them: http://cobrajazzdance.com/LaTentation.html

........

I could not get those to load but I'd love to see them. Any suggestions?

 

[Moon]

Being called a bicycle or the town bike is saying that everyone has had a ride on you, in other words you are a slut or tramp and sleep around with all and sundry.

That is awful! Thanks anyway for explaining.

 

[Sara]

Yea Not nice really. And it's not true btw lol- just thought I'd tell you.

 

[Aniseteph]

Yes, people do re-act with the *woo woo* at best but I think some of you (I'll exclude myself since I have done both) maybe protest too much at the erotic aspects of the dance and it might be easier and more disarming to just go half way with it.

Good point. Depending on who's asking, I might well say no-it's-not-stripping and leave it at that . The mystique of not quite knowing, and their perceptions that I'm doing something wildly erotic will intimidate a lot of them. It is a very powerful dance form and blokes are easily scared - I think that is at the root of a lot of the name calling.

 

[Mouse]

Hey Mouse,

You can feel free to share this dance with them: http://cobrajazzdance.com/LaTentation.html

Not to glorify me as a choreographer, but for them to see a dancer, Sarah Romanowsky, who has amazing balletic extension, leaping ability, etc. and can also move fluidly and well in belly dance. Sarah was able, in just a couple of rehearsals, to connect all the choreographic dots and make the dance her own, one of the quickest studies I've ever worked with. She is an exceptional talent, for sure, but also invests her dancing with gravitas, commitment and passion.

Her sister, by the way, is a highly regarded belly dancer in San Francisco, which I think is where she got much of her own belly dance training.

Hi Rico, thank you! I don't know what their reaction will be, but I really enjoyed watching the clip.

 

[Shanazel]

Sometimes I think the best way to enlightenment for the hard to convince is this: 1) show them an excellent dvd of your favorite belly dancer in the whole world, beautifully gowned, elegantly trained, and marvelously gifted; 2) follow it up with the most tawdry dvd you can find of pole dancing by a ragged bleached blonde with a bad perm, black roots, and six inch fingernails. Ask them if they understand the difference NOW???

 

[Suhad]

So, Shanazel, got any video titles or videos you'd like to share for that comparison?

 

[Gabi]

Hi Rico, thank you! I don't know what their reaction will be, but I really enjoyed watching the clip.

For those who couldn't get the clip to come up it's on You Tube under Sarah Romanowski - she's lovely.

 

[Gabi]

Sometimes I think the best way to enlightenment for the hard to convince is this: 1) show them an excellent dvd of your favorite belly dancer in the whole world, beautifully gowned, elegantly trained, and marvelously gifted; 2) follow it up with the most tawdry dvd you can find of pole dancing by a ragged bleached blonde with a bad perm, black roots, and six inch fingernails. Ask them if they understand the difference NOW???

Actually I'd recommend the documentary film "Stripper" which features some of the most excellent strippers/dancers/performers beautifully gowned, elegantly trained and marvelously gifted and have them compare THAT with your excellent, beautifully gowned, elegantly trained and marvelously gifted belly dancer.

I think they'd still see a difference if they have a brain in their head and perhaps in the process find out that not all "strippers" are tawdry, pole dancing, ragged bleached blondes with bad perms black roots and six inch fingernails.

Just sayin'

 

[Shanazel]

Gabi. your point that not all strippers are tawdry is well taken, but the problem here seems to be that some folks don't get the differences between burlesque and belly dance given just basic explanations and need something far more graphic. It would be interesting to show the same folks the tacky vs. the classy strip dvds, too. Hmm, wonder how that would go over on a movie night for one of my classes?

Suhad, my choice for belly dancer would be one of Samia Gamal's old vidoes. Haven't a clue for a stripper video, but perhaps Gabi's choice might work well enough to convince the uninformed that there is a difference.

 

[Gabi]

Gabi. your point that not all strippers are tawdry is well taken, but the problem here seems to be that some folks don't get the differences between burlesque and belly dance given just basic explanations and need something far more graphic. It would be interesting to show the same folks the tacky vs. the classy strip dvds, too. Hmm, wonder how that would go over on a movie night for one of my classes?

Suhad, my choice for belly dancer would be one of Samia Gamal's old vidoes. Haven't a clue for a stripper video, but perhaps Gabi's choice might work well enough to convince the uninformed that there is a difference.

I think one of the problems is that some people insist on going all smirky or sanctimonious anytime body areas are bared and hips and chest are moved. Think of what the missionaries did to the Hawaiians . So, I'm thinking that if dancers refuse to indulge them with outrage maybe it will take the fun out of it for some of those people

 

[Moon]

I thought strippers were supposed to take their clothes off? I've never seen bellydancers do that during a performance.

 

[Gabi]

I thought strippers were supposed to take their clothes off? I've never seen bellydancers do that during a performance.

That won't make a good arguement as it's a matter of degree i.e., the veil vs. the famous Gypsy Rose Lee who frequently never got down to more than the equivalent of a swimsuit with a prop covering most parts ..... however, the difference is in the purpose - in stripping an intrinsic part and the focus of the act is taking off of clothing no matter how much or how little, there can be dance or no dance and just performance.

In dance taking off of items of clothing is of no relevance unless it's planned into that particular dance. The focus is on dancing (hopefully).

And this is where you find the usual confusion - dance can be taken down to a minum of dance and become performance - performance can be taken up to a maximum of dance and become DANCE.

A performer can have a purpose and fail in that purpose to the view of some.

My take is don't worry about it, decide what you are doing and do it with integrity

 

[Safran]

Gosh, it is so sad to read the stories where the people close to you don't even make an effort to understand. I have been blessed in this department - my mother is my great fan (even though you wouldn't recognize that when she is in the audience - she really looks mean, but that is just her way of concentrating ), my friends think that I have a cool hobby and every now and then sigh "maybe I should try out a class as well" (and some have actually gotten to that), and even my grandmothers approve of it and have learned a move or two from me!

 

[Asheba]

Peoples perceptions are soooo way off the mark at times, a lady in my class said her husband was telling everyone at work that she was learning belly dancing and of course some of their responses were, oh she'll be stripping for you next.....if anybody has the wrong perception in my life...I show them a
dvd clip of the dance art form.....they soon change their minds.

 

[Michelle]

Peoples perceptions are soooo way off the mark at times, a lady in my class said her husband was telling everyone at work that she was learning belly dancing and of course some of their responses were, oh she'll be stripping for you next.....

OHMYGOD, does that burn me up!
First off, why in God's name do men think that everything is about pleasing them??? (guys of this forum excluded of course) Well, I guess a lot of us girls go ahead and support that conclusion (girls of this forum excluded of course). But seriously, it ain't always about makin' 'em drool.....

When I first started dancing, my husband asked me to "dance for him." You know what I mean. I was so offended and so adamant about my refusal that he actually felt very badly. I explained to him why it was something so far removed from what he thought it was and took him to see performances by some professional dancers in our area. He became a convert and has never mentioned that again..... ThanK God.

Ignorance is a driving factor in peoples' attitudes towards things they don't know about. Much more so than we would like to admit. It really sucks how people will react badly to something even though they really have no idea of what it is....

 

[Moon]

LOL, Michelle, my boyfriend just read your post (he's sooo curious) and said I should just dance for him more often, so then he knows what I'm doing at dance classes

 

[Michelle]

LOL, Michelle, my boyfriend just read your post (he's sooo curious) and said I should just dance for him more often, so then he knows what I'm doing at dance classes

LOL! Tell him that he'd better be careful with the way he says that because belly dancers can be dangerous with canes! Nah, just kidding... tell him it's very nice of him to be interested in something that you love!