Dancers You Don't Like

[Taslin]

^^^^It was definitely the overuse of a veil that i didnt like. I think veil work is beautiful, but she did strictly turns(for like 3 mins, i swear). It was different,lol.

Didem is totally got a uniqueness to her. while i dont find her to be my fav. or anything when i see her dance i think: strong, aggressive, maybe cocky. i kinda like it, but can see how she's not everyones cup. Or an acquired taste. I love the one performance where it looks like shes smacking herself in the songs intro to the beat

,lol.

 

[goddessyasaman]

As far as what I don't like while a dancer is performing would be, A fake smile, when they keep spinning for most of the performance, like ok I did two moves now spin to one end of the stage ok a move now spin again...thats lame to me, Bad sword dancing, most sword dances I have seen are so boring that I fall asleep before it's over, and ofcourse when a dancer can not dance to the beat or melody of a song they are peforming to thats just...yeah. so thats a few

 

[babalina]

I am not critical of dancers on various stages of progress, or technique, as to everything in life, there is starting point, and everyone had poor technique at some point. I am more critical of their attitudes and treatment of other dancers, which expose their "value system". I don't like a dancer that are so full of themselves on stage ( or off stage), and think they are the star of the hafla/show, or the star of the belly dance community. There is a huge difference between having a Goddess attitude when performing, and self worship, and it shows on stage. I see lots of outstanding world class dancers who I love to watch, but the ones that are self worshippers make me feel uncomfortable. Quite frankly, I do not care who/what anyone worships. You can worship a cowboy boot if you want. But when you make yourself your own idol,and I am forced to watch, that is when I get uncomfortable. Thankfully, they are few and far between. Also, Dancers who 'put down' their first belly dance instructor who introduced them to the dance in the first place on their website blogs, (they may not name names, but everyone knows who they are talking about). Dancers who after a few years of dancing, think they are advanced and on par of all the rest of the instructors in the greater region that have been dancing for 15+ years. As an example of what I don't like, there was this one woman, who was in my instructors dance troupe, and they were performing on stage, and all the other girls were walking off the stage, and this one woman, took a bow, like a conductor of an orchestra, all by herself on the stage:clap: Dancers who go down on all fours, like a dog, and do shoulder shimmies :lol: :dance: This is in bad taste, please don't call it 'art'. I don't like overlaying, and having to move to every note. In music, there are rests in music, and there is counterpoint.

 

[shiradotnet]

I don't like overlayering, and having to move to every note. In music, there are rests in music, and there is counterpoint.

Excellent, excellent comment! I wish more dancers understand that very important point!

 

[Darshiva]

Also, Dancers who 'put down' their first belly dance instructor who introduced them to the dance in the first place on their website blogs, (they may not name names, but everyone knows who they are talking about).

Sometimes it can be hard, when asked about where you learned to dance, to answer honestly. I know because I was asked after a performance where I was asked to come back & dance that same night about who my teacher was, and I had to be honest about it. I said I'd rather not give the credit to my teacher because I'd spent more time unlearning the stuff that she taught me than I ever did in her classroom, and that although I'd learned from her DVDs and not in person that the real credit should go to Keti Sharif instead.

Sometimes the 'put down' is just wanting to avoid giving credit where it is most certainly not due. That said, I agree with you wholeheartedly about the diva mentality - THAT needs to be thrown out with the bath water, tyvm!

 

[babalina]

Darshiva, I can understand what you are saying, and it sounds a little different than the case I am thinking about. In your case, it is clear that you did not want to go out of your way to give someone credit, whom you feel it did not belong to. But isn't there a difference of not giving credit versus going out of your way to be mean to someone by publishing mean spirited material about a rival, or past instructor? What does that show about someone's character to do this? For this particular situation that I am thinking of this quote comes to mind, and fits perfectly:

To speak ill of others is a dishonest way of praising ourselves. ~Will Durant

 

[Erik]

I'm a fan whose interest in the dance is an offshoot of his interest in films, and if not for films I might not give a hang about it.

Tribal and Gothic grew on me eventually, but I still am unaccustomed to a dancer (however skilled she may be) who seems to be using the dance to showcase her excess of tattoos and/or piercings. When I arrived on the Internet seven years ago I saw too many of these. Not talking about a couple of rings and a small tattoo. Talking about a pound of rings and the tattoo suit.

Hey, if I'm wrong, then I'm wrong, and someone will certainly waste no time telling me that I am wrong, but I cannot help thinking of such dancers as oddities to be located between the human blockhead and the pickled punks.

 

[Darshiva]

Darshiva, I can understand what you are saying, and it sounds a little different than the case I am thinking about. In your case, it is clear that you did not want to go out of your way to give someone credit, whom you feel it did not belong to. But isn't there a difference of not giving credit versus going out of your way to be mean to someone by publishing mean spirited material about a rival, or past instructor? What does that show about someone's character to do this? For this particular situation that I am thinking of this quote comes to mind, and fits perfectly:

To speak ill of others is a dishonest way of praising ourselves. ~Will Durant

Fair enough, but when I first came to bellydance forums it was after being horrificly treated by my ex-teachers, and while I didn't name names, I wasn't exactly quiet about it either. Since then if asked, I don't give credit (although it IS there on my resume, I don't exactly go out of my way to highlight it). So you will understand that I felt that your comment was directed at people like me, who distance themselves from their bad early education (I feel with good reason!)

I agree that a dancer needs to be very careful about what they do & say online because it can have an effect on how they are perceived even years down the line.

 

[LadyLoba]

As far as what I don't like while a dancer is performing would be, A fake smile, when they keep spinning for most of the performance, like ok I did two moves now spin to one end of the stage ok a move now spin again...thats lame to me, Bad sword dancing, most sword dances I have seen are so boring that I fall asleep before it's over, and ofcourse when a dancer can not dance to the beat or melody of a song they are peforming to thats just...yeah. so thats a few

I am with you on that...esp the fake smile. I get annoyed by the fake smile and I get annoyed when a dancer has a facial expression I can only describe as "conceited"...just that "aren't I the greatest thing you've ever seen??" face. But then, I hate that on stage no matter what the person is doing..

 

[Amanda (was Aziyade)]

In a perfect world, all teachers would be wonderful and well-trained and knowledgeable. There would be no need for negative commentary on such teachers.

In the real world unfortunately, there DO exist teachers (and dancers) who deserve to be called out for their unprofessional or inappropriate behavior. If more of the educated dancers DID this, we would be able to maintain higher standards for professionalism. Instead, we lower the bar even further to avoid hurting anyone's feelings, or to avoid looking like jealous h8ters.

Also in the real world are teachers whose style just does not resonate with a chosen student, and the student has the right to criticize that teacher based on what we could argue are community standards. (She also has the right to be judged by her peers as a catty beaatch, though, depending upon how she words her criticism. lol)

It's hard when we really like a teacher, to hear negative commentary about him or her. I know -- I used to get personally offended when people criticized Suhaila because as a teacher, she was such a big part of my life. As I grew, I realized some of the criticism was warranted. Her style is not aesthetically pleasing to some people. Her teaching methods may not represent the best practices of dance instructors worldwide. She is human and as a human she has her failings.

Mostly I listen to criticism now and either think "Well, yes, that is an issue to be aware of" or "I simply do or don't agree with that aesthetic" or "This person is just being rude." I don't give the rude people a second thought. To the others, I try to consider what is said as well as the person saying it. Sometimes the truth is a harsh mistress, and sometimes people are just jerks.

We have to remember that the world is a different place than it was even 50 years ago. People have been talking trash about each other since we climbed out of the ocean or fell out of the trees, or whatever. Prior to the internet, the only people who were party to our opinions were the people around us, maybe people who read "letters to the editor" of the local paper, or people who showed up for board meetings Nowadays, people can post one dissenting opinion on OD.net or facebook or a blog and it stays forever, with an audience of thousands.

But to address the teacher issue directly -- we have to remember that teachers are people, but they are also merchants. They are selling a product. If that product is not up-to-snuff, buyers WILL publicly complain. I wish more buyers would do so, actually. I have wasted a lot of time and money on teachers and workshops that were NOT worth the investment, only to hear later, from friends, "Oh we should have warned you against going to that one." !!!!!!

Anyway, I view teachers in the same way as I view ebay vendors. If your product isn't 5-stars, don't expect a 5-star feedback rating. Alternately, I look at the majority of the feedback to see if the complainer is one of many, or just one dissenting voice in a crowd of thousands of satisfied customers.

 

[Tarik Sultan]

I don't like it when dancers accept tips in their actual costume. I know it's a common thing to do in bd, but it would make me personally uncomfortable to do it and I don't like seeing other's do it. Just letting any random stranger, even a man, touch your body to give you a dollar... I just don't like it. I don't hate it and think it's disgusting or look down on anyone for doing it, it's just a little too close for comfort. I think if I were to dance and accept tips, I would want a little pocket or something attached to my belt that people could put tips in.

Maybe one of you ladies who does this can explain why it doesn't make you, or the many others who do it, uncomfortable? Maybe I'm just too sensitive when it comes to personal space...?

One of the reasons I like wearing a net shirt. All I have to do is pull the neck away from my body and they can put their tip in and not even touch me. I can even do it with some humor and its more fun than stuffing it i my belt!

 

[Pirika Repun]

It may related to Belly Love's statement before that dancer allow customer to tip her in he costume.

It was yesterday I go out with my Egyptian and Tunisian girl friends to the Arabic restaurant/club. Anyway, when "Belly dancer" came out she had the same moves for all different songs. Head slide, chest lift, hip locks and flutter. She did over and over again for these movement for all different songs. Of course audience was quiet. Okay I see worse, so it's fine.

Next thing she did, when she got tips from a guy (actually only one guy did), he put $1 bill in her crevasse, she put her boobs toward him to make him touch her boobs and crevasse! :shok: we all look at each other disgust. One American guy was with us, and even he said disgust what she allow him to do it. Then she took her money and put deep inside her belt (or inside her skirt). Later, when musician play sagat (zills) from behind her and in front of her boobs, again she make him to almost touch her boobs!

I was upset because dancer like her make image of this art form the same as stripping or lower art form. For receive tips, I saw some ladies turn their back to customer and ask them to put the money on their back side of bra strap. So, that case even if customer touch your body, but just a back but not boobs or inside of your belt.

When she left the stage, she went the guy who gave her tip & touch, she cover him with veil, and of course didn't forget to little bend down to make sure her boobs are in from of him.

Another thing annoyed me this dancer was, she stayed at the restaurant with costume on it and sit with her customers. Her cover up was not actually cover up like summer dress with spaghetti strap, so you can see her costume bra! This was after her performance, and just hung out with customer. She stood on the chair and start dancing, and pull up her cover up, to show her belly, and start doing the same routine of chest up, hip locks and flutter in front of one guy! It was like she did lap dance for the customer.

I felt so disgust to see the dancer like her, and she represent as "professional belly dancer"? I saw other girl in other day that she did only try to seduce male customers in other place. I just can't stand these type of people. These were not in Manhattan, it was Brooklyn, and last night was in Queens, and both places were mainly Lebanese customers. I guess restaurant owners don't care about this art form and just hire there dancers who wants to dance with cheap money and show their skin. SMH...

 

[shiradotnet]

I felt so disgust to see the dancer like her, and she represent as "professional belly dancer"? :

So did you contact the restaurant owner to complain about the poor quality of the entertainment?

If not, why not?

If customers don't complain, owners will assume that everyone likes the dancers they have hired.

 

[IsmailaGodHasHeard]

There is this one Egyptian dancer who shall remain nameless. She dances like a drunken camel and I think she has her job because she sexes it up a bit. Every time I see her on YouTube, I want to say "Put some hips into it for goodness sake!"

 

[Amulya]

So did you contact the restaurant owner to complain about the poor quality of the entertainment?

If not, why not?

If customers don't complain, owners will assume that everyone likes the dancers they have hired.

Has anyone ever dared to send in a complaint?

I have never dared to do that in case the dancer would know it was me. I haven't seen something horrible like Pirika has for a long time, that's a very good thing
But I have seen dancers I thought of they can be replaced or need some extra lessions. However not sure if that needs complaining. Sounds liek such a horrible thing to do.

 

[Greek Bonfire]

I think if you see a "bellydancer" who is sleazing it up, I don't see anything wrong with complaining. If you are afraid of being found out, you can always call on the phone. It's the same as if a waitperson gave you bad service - this is definitely bad service in entertainment. YUCK!

 

[IsmailaGodHasHeard]

I think if you see a "bellydancer" who is sleazing it up, I don't see anything wrong with complaining. If you are afraid of being found out, you can always call on the phone. It's the same as if a waitperson gave you bad service - this is definitely bad service in entertainment. YUCK!

I only saw this dancer through videos.

 

[Darshiva]

I only saw this dancer through videos.

Sweetie, they were all referring to a different post in this thread, the one Pirika posted.

 

[Amulya]

I think if you see a "bellydancer" who is sleazing it up, I don't see anything wrong with complaining. If you are afraid of being found out, you can always call on the phone. It's the same as if a waitperson gave you bad service - this is definitely bad service in entertainment. YUCK!

But a waiter will spit (or whatever) in your food, a belly dancer can't do much Unless she brings her veil with rasors....

 

[Greek Bonfire]

But a waiter will spit (or whatever) in your food, a belly dancer can't do much Unless she brings her veil with rasors....

The idea is to complain after you leave and hopefully remain anonymous. Even if they don't take it seriously at first, if they get enough of them, they will start to.