Your feelings with kids performing??

Mouse

Mouse

New member
My 7yr old daughter dances and I don't think that there is anything wrong with it, although in our case our teacher insists on little girls dressing like little girls (ie no bra & belt sets etc) and doesn't teach any overtly sensual movements to the very little ones - something I totally agree with.
 
Moon

Moon

New member
Unfortunately I can't watch the video clips here, but I agree with Mouse.

I've a question. Untill what age do you think children should dress like "little girls"? Yesterday, I saw a part of this stupid MTV show "my supersweet sixteen" (about very rich kids having their 16th birthday party) and this girl did a short bellydance performance (I could see she took some lessons) and she wore a bra & belt set which I think was a little too "sexy" for someone who just got 16.
 
Demelza

Demelza

New member
In Egypt, girls dance from the minute they can stand (in fact I've seem many a toddler dancing to arabic music even before they can stand !!). I think it's lovely - it's in their blood. Every egyptian woman can dance and they always make a point of dancing with their children. I must say that i havn'et seen them wearing bra and belt sets - i don't really see the point. All they do is tie the nearest peice of material they can find around their hips (even a old tea-towel) if thats all they can find at the time - and it's great. And they do ALL the moves ! The nicest part for me is that they are very rarely shy. At parties or in restaurants the children are happy to get up on a table and dance in front of a crowd.

There's nothing wrong with a young girl dancing belly dance in my eyes. I suppose it's a bit like the 'pictures of naked children' scenario. Here in the UK it was suggested that pictures of naked young children are wrong. Personally I think that it is not the pictures that are wrong - they are actually a thing of beauty, it is in fact the people who might look at the pictures in an 'untoward' manner that are wrong. In a way I suppose the same sort of theory could be put towards young girls belly dancing.
 
Amulya

Amulya

Moderator
There is nothing wrong with children belly dance dancing, but I don't like to see them in grown-ups' costumes or doing movements that are not suitable for kids, like some of the chest drops and pops they do in the clips.
 
Moon

Moon

New member
demelza said:
I think that it is not the pictures that are wrong - they are actually a thing of beauty, it is in fact the people who might look at the pictures in an 'untoward' manner that are wrong. In a way I suppose the same sort of theory could be put towards young girls belly dancing.
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Good point Demelza. I think you're right.
In my example, there were a lot of boys saying "She looks so hot, she looks so sexy" non of them said "she is such a good dancer"
 
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Michelle

New member
Moon said:
Yesterday, I saw a part of this stupid MTV show "my supersweet sixteen" (about very rich kids having their 16th birthday party) and this girl did a short bellydance performance (I could see she took some lessons) and she wore a bra & belt set which I think was a little too "sexy" for someone who just got 16.
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I saw that particular show. It was filmed here in my hometown and a few local dancers were in it for about twenty seconds (with isis wings during her entrance). I found the whole thing to be a bit *wrong* but then again, here in Miami there seems to be an epidemic of little girls dressing way too revealing and sexy for their age.
Overall, I think bellydancing is a wonderful thing for young girls because I think it helps their body image and self-confidence in a healthy way (when taught by the right instructors). Hey, it has helped myself image and I'm twenty-five! However, just like we worry about dancers who are too sexy or too 'revealed', the same goes with kids. It should be age-appropriate choreography with appropriate clothing. For example, the clip of Suhaila and Isabella seems appropriate to me (of course, it's hard to tell because of the angle and duration of the clip). The outfit is not too revealing and the choreography is not overtly sexual or anything. And the mother/daughter duo idea is very charming....
 
slinks

slinks

New member
I love it when the young girls dance earlier on in age .... imagine the GREAT dancer they will be when they become adults :) I say WOW and Kudos to them... the sky is the limit.... costume thoughts are a must, nothing too revealing..
 
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Simone min al Akariyah

Simone min al Akariyah

New member
With the exeption of the first two clips (the american fusion tribal and the impressing lebanese girl) I do not really like children on stage performing BD. I prefer them to dance spontanously on the dance floor at a wedding, at home, wherever. That's much more according to their nature and what they have to give.

I watched a children-performance at Leyla Louvana in Duisburg and was -I am sorry for being honest- I was just bored. The older girls (10-12) tried their best but were just boring. The youngest girl (maybe 4 or 5) had a cute face but did nothing but standing there. And the audience feels obliged to give much much much much more applause and appreciation just because of their age. I noticed the same reaction on 'You Tube' comments.
But the thing is: the younger you are - the easier you dance even in public. You are not shy and do not think about what others might think about you and your doing.
 
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Aaeesha

New member
I think that children performing is fine as long as it is in appropriate context and costuming. My six year performs with me with her veil and the audience just eats it up. She wears a very conservtive costume though, which IMO makes or breaks the deal.
 
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Asrari

New member
I find it just a bit odd when children bellydance simply due to the body shape.

I agree with keeping the dancing less sensual/sexual for kids.

Imagining how natural those moves will be for them when they are older makes me jealous I didn't start when I was younger. :)
 
Moon

Moon

New member
simone min al akariyah said:
But the thing is: the younger you are - the easier you dance even in public. You are not shy and do not think about what others might think about you and your doing.
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Lol, I was EXTREMELY shy when I was a young child. I'm still shy now, but not as much anymore as when I was younger.
 
Mouse

Mouse

New member
same here. I would have hyperventilated just at the thought of dancing in public as a child
 
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