06/04/2026
I am talking about how it is viewed in the west. I get asked all the time if men belly dance. Of course, those of us immersed in the community not only enjoy performances by men, but study and learn from them regularly! But it is viewed as a female dance, which also lends itself to the latent (and often overt) sexism that tells us anything feminine is not as valuable. But even that is not all. We also insist -subconsciously or otherwise- that in order for it to reach some gold standard, it must be westernized. While it is true Reda style is heavily influenced by ballet, modern Egyptian dance is more and more becoming replaced by ballroom aesthetics- as if there is no grace, athleticism, or art without these western elements.
Earlier today I was watching a video of a dancer performing Bharatnatyam, and as usual, marveling at the strength and dexterity to execute the ancient style, and I got wondering why THAT isn’t the dance style outside of Turkish and Egyptian styles we should be training to enhance our belly dance.
My Thursday morning thoughts. 💙🧿
