I have been a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints since I was eight, and hold a current temple recommend. I grew up in California and later moved to Utah when I was in high school. I started belly dancing in 2007 and I love it. I love everything about it. I love the music, the costumes, the shows, and especially the other dancers! I do not find this dance form vulgar or obscene, though just like almost any other thing, it can be made vulgar and obscene if people chose to use it that way.
In general, most people I have met have been interested and excited when I talk about dancing, but I have met some people who are not as accepting of belly dance as they are of other dances. Some of that may stem from how this dance came to America and how it was initially portrayed as ‘naughty’ and mainly taken into the seamier side of our culture—strip clubs and the like. It is too bad that people have these incorrect attitudes about such a wonderful and empowering dance, because belly dance comes from the rich culture of the Middle East, and there it is accepted as a beautiful art form. People there will go to a restaurant and watch a dancer as they eat. It is family entertainment—for everyone. This is what belly dance is supposed to be.
I like belly dance, and call it empowering, because it gives the dancer so much knowledge about his or her own body. The movements are isolated and controlled—unlike most other dances, though many other dances use some of the moves that are found in belly dance. I also feel belly dance empowers the dancer because they can dance with a group, or on their own. They do not have to have a partner, for example, a woman can dance by herself, not with a partner who is ‘leading’ her. This is one of the few dances where a woman can be dominant and strong, without the need for a male prop. A male belly dancer, contrary to some opinions, does not have to look feminine. The moves look great when men do them, too, just different from a woman because their body structure (proportions, center of gravity, etc.) is different.
I think costume is an inseparable part of belly dance, whether you are dancing in jeans and a top, a Tribal or Folk costume that may be a more muted color with coins and shells or very little decoration, to an Egyptian Cabaret costume made from a flashy material, decorated with beads and sequins. I feel the dancers needs to be free to wear what they wants to wear, what will display or enhance the dance. It seems unfair to me that public opinion will often label a female belly dancer as slutty for wearing a costume that shows her bare belly while professional ballroom dancers and ice skaters wear costumes that may be very much more revealing, but they are accepted. I have a friend who has children involved in ballroom/jazz/lyrical/ballet dance and she regularly goes to shows and has told me that the costumes the performers wear often (usually?) display much more of the performer’s body than any of my dance costumes do. Why is this acceptable and a belly dancer with a bare belly is not? I have no problem with a dancer who chooses not to show her belly—I just feel it should be her choice and her choice only, not a reaction to public opinion. Athletes and other dancers do need to wear sportswear and costumes that will not restrict their activities for their sports or dances. In the same way, I feel belly dancers, who have some of the most amazing and controlled belly movements I’ve ever seen, should not feel they need to cover their belly. This will cloud or even obstruct a view of one of the most beautiful parts of the dance. This is why it is called belly dance! Much of the effect of these subtle belly movements is lost when covered up.
I also think that it shouldn’t matter, especially for a woman, what size her belly is. If a woman is confident about her body and that she knows the movements and she has practiced her dancing and wants to perform, she shouldn’t be told by friends or family that she should cover her belly because it is ‘too big,’ or that she should forget it, she is ‘too fat’ to perform. There is not one standard body shape, despite what we see on the anorexic TV stars and the airbrushed magazine pages. One does not have to have stick arms and legs that don’t look as if she could even make it from one end of the mall to the other. Women come in all shapes. I think a woman would want to be as healthy as she can, and as part of that, belly dance can be a great starting point to increased vitality. Of course any venue hiring a dancer should be free to hire whomever they choose, and knowing the public bias, a dancer who wants to go professional will meet with less enthusiasm if she is on the larger side, which is too bad, especially if she is an accomplished dancer.
Having discovered belly dance almost four years ago, it is now an integral part of my life. I cannot imagine living without it. It is my primary exercise, my creative journey and my emotional outlet. Given the right music, I can dance any emotion I feel: joyous or despairing, gentle or angry, playful or even grief stricken, leaving me generally satisfied and confidant on almost any day instead of a repressed and cowed shell of a woman vainly seeking for something that will alleviate her despair. That is why I love belly dance.
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