How many worldwide ?

[khanjar]

Yeah a thought prompted by a post on this website regarding the number of male dancers, just how many are there, are we few or is it more than that, so has anyone got any ideas just how many male belly dancers there actually are in this world currently ?

As reading elsewhere, apparently belly dance is kicking off in China in a big way, and of those that dance, a great many are male.

But it would be interesting to get an idea just how many there are of us.

 

[Duvet]

Not sure, as never kept a tally, but a quick tot up took me to fourteen (students and pro) I've met face to face.

 

[Pirika Repun]

I think depends on definition of "male dancer"

Do you mean "professional dancer" who performing and teaching WS/ class regular base, and well known national & internationally?

Or professional wanna be dancer or just students who perform hafla, or just taking classes.

Also all depends on style of dance. I assume tribal or/and fusion are more than Egyptian, Turkish or American Cabaret/Oriental. I assume that not only for male but also for female, fusion and/or tribal are more easy to associate with for non Arabic people who don't grow up in the culture.

One thing for sure is still majority of professional & students dancers are female, and therefore when these "male" dancers always add "MALE" to emphasize/ distinguish their gender. Even we don't know how many "female" dancer in the world, so it hard to count "male dancer" as well.

 

[khanjar]

I look at belly dance as belly dance whatever it has evolved into because belly dance is not a static art, it has evolved even in the originating countries, so what is fusion to us is still at it's base; belly dance.

So, I am looking to find out how many belly dancers there actually are, but why stop at professional dancers, as all professional means is one dances for money, what makes them better than a bog standard hafla or hobby dancer, for surely by virtue of the fact that a person dances belly dance, they are in fact a belly dancer, so why not include them as well.

But for some clarity before we may consider others, how many in the non originating countries world ?

Anyone have any ideas?

 

[Duvet]

But for some clarity before we may consider others, how many in the non originating countries world ?

Are you including men with a family background in those countries - ie the dance is 'part of their culture' and so less surprising for them to participate in it (I'm talking about an outsiders view here, not their own families).

 

[Kashmir]

Well, four of my teachers were male. I've had only two male students myself but have met at least six other serious male belly dancers (probably more - my mind forgets such details such as sex). In addition I have seen a wide range of Lebanese and Egyptian men doing what most would be considered "belly dance" in informal settings - ie social occasions where there was music.

But yes, in the west, most students would be female.

 

[Zorba]

I have links to every male Belly Dancer with a website that I know of worldwide. I'm sure that's only a fraction. I'm always looking to add more links though - as long as its a real website, or at least publicly accessible. Face***k doesn't count as "real".

 

[khanjar]

Are you including men with a family background in those countries - ie the dance is 'part of their culture' and so less surprising for them to participate in it (I'm talking about an outsiders view here, not their own families).

I am thinking of male belly dancers aside from the culture, perhaps in situations like we exist in, where we go out, perhaps take a class and learn.

 

[khanjar]

I have links to every male Belly Dancer with a website that I know of worldwide. I'm sure that's only a fraction. I'm always looking to add more links though - as long as its a real website, or at least publicly accessible. Face***k doesn't count as "real".

I agree regards face book and other such locations, they are just networking places one uses as additional exposure, not primary if they are serious.

But is everyone that dances serious, do they have a web site, for I know in other areas of my life highly professional highly skilled people are not on the web and don't desire to be, as their lives are fulfilled already.

Perhaps an indication of what I asked, could be gleaned by polling all the teachers there are, but how many teachers are there, does anyone even know that ?

 

[Pirika Repun]

Tito doesn't have web site, but he is very well known male dancer world wide especially who study Egyptian style.

Yousry Sharif and Ahmed Hussien teach dance, but they don't perform. So, do you count them as "dancer"? I'm sure like them, they teach dance but not perform Oriental dance but maybe perform folkloric. They are from Egypt, but mostly teaching in the US & world wide. But they are from "culture" so you don't count them?