Shashi - I have an issue with the attitude that "fat" dancers who aren't "young" anymore are bitter about that. It's rude to people who might be overweight and already have issues of self-consciousness. Yes, there are lots of older, bitter dancers out there (my teacher is one of them) and they do suck the joy out of dancing. But I always hate the types of things women say to one another, "you must be bitter because you aren't young and beautiful."
And as far as education goes, I'm still getting responses that seem to assume that I'm not interested in being educated about the origins of ME dance. Far from it. I just think that the attitude in these forums toward new dancers has been off-putting and that some people seem to think so much about being authentic that they don't think about how some people may just be starting out and have excitement about learning the origins of the dance but may just be put off by the attitudes they encounter in these forums.
I meant to say, "what if" Egypt didn't do belly dance anymore? Would we need to stop doing it because they aren't doing it anymore? I didn't mean to say they aren't belly dancing in Egypt anymore. My bad. I will say though, that I chuckled to myself a bit when my teacher said she isn't doing a particular move because it's illegal to do that move in Egypt. Well...we aren't in Egypt, are we? I can understand doing that for Egyptian audiences out of respect, but I think that's an example of taking it too far.
I have just been noticing that lots of people in the forums worry and worry about what ME audiences might think about the dances they are doing. For me, that would take away from my dancing. But again, that does not mean I am not interested in the origins of ME dance. I have been studying under someone who is well-respected by the ME community and have been reading about the history of the dance. I always make sure I am as accurate as I can be when explaining belly dance to outsiders.
And I know Egyptians are just people and that the culture might not be that much different from U.S. culture. I also know that perhaps some Egyptians might be thinking that they are in a foreign country, therefore they might not expect complete authenticity. Frankly, if I was in a foreign country watching someone do U.S. dances, I would not expect to see something authentic. Just an idea. Not meaning to shoot down attempts to educate oneself.
And as far as education goes, I'm still getting responses that seem to assume that I'm not interested in being educated about the origins of ME dance. Far from it. I just think that the attitude in these forums toward new dancers has been off-putting and that some people seem to think so much about being authentic that they don't think about how some people may just be starting out and have excitement about learning the origins of the dance but may just be put off by the attitudes they encounter in these forums.
I meant to say, "what if" Egypt didn't do belly dance anymore? Would we need to stop doing it because they aren't doing it anymore? I didn't mean to say they aren't belly dancing in Egypt anymore. My bad. I will say though, that I chuckled to myself a bit when my teacher said she isn't doing a particular move because it's illegal to do that move in Egypt. Well...we aren't in Egypt, are we? I can understand doing that for Egyptian audiences out of respect, but I think that's an example of taking it too far.
I have just been noticing that lots of people in the forums worry and worry about what ME audiences might think about the dances they are doing. For me, that would take away from my dancing. But again, that does not mean I am not interested in the origins of ME dance. I have been studying under someone who is well-respected by the ME community and have been reading about the history of the dance. I always make sure I am as accurate as I can be when explaining belly dance to outsiders.
And I know Egyptians are just people and that the culture might not be that much different from U.S. culture. I also know that perhaps some Egyptians might be thinking that they are in a foreign country, therefore they might not expect complete authenticity. Frankly, if I was in a foreign country watching someone do U.S. dances, I would not expect to see something authentic. Just an idea. Not meaning to shoot down attempts to educate oneself.