Busting the 8 Biggest Myths about Belly Dance

If there’s something strange in your neighborhood, who you gonna call?

Here are 8 great modern day myths about oriental dance that need to be blasted away by hardcore reality. I am sure you have heard of some of these myths, if not all of them. Not for the faint of heart, these myth busters are bold and direct. The intention is for dancers, both new and old, to keep their heads out of the sand dunes and see things as they really are.

• MYTH #1: Anyone born in the Middle East knows best how to perform oriental dance. REALITY: Just because someone is Middle Eastern doesn’t mean they know anything about oriental dance. They may never have had any dance training at all. They may not even know their left foot from their right. In fact, you may be surprised to learn that many contemporary oriental dance instructors who are of Middle Eastern descent have never once actually set foot upon a stage as an oriental soloist! How can they teach you to do something they themselves have never experienced or done? To master this dance takes a ton of practice, coaching, and performance experience, along with hours of studying music, culture, and history. And even then it’s not uncommon for oriental dancers of Western descent to be dismissed when told that only Middle-Eastern-born dancers have the right ‘feeling’ for this dance. What nonsense! Oriental dance is international, and some of the very best dancers were NOT born in the Middle East. We can look to the Middle East as the source of origin, but not all dancers who are from there or who perform there are about quality or artistry. We must look globally if we want the dance to grow as a respected art form. Bottom line: Never assume that anyone’s heritage automatically makes them an authority.
• MYTH #2: You should always try to copy whatever you see a dancer in the Middle East do so that you look authentic.  REALITY: Do not assume that everything you see is authentic or even in good taste. Use common sense to judge before you decide to adopt a version yourself. For example, just because someone who is performing in Cairo (as seen on the internet or in person) and performs with their thong hanging out, doesn’t mean you need to enhance your costuming in the same fashion. Or let’s say you see a Middle Eastern dancer lift her leg out to the side like a dog at a fire hydrant. Um, do you think you won’t look authentic if you decide to keep steps more elegant than that? Just because something is new and done by someone in a Middle Eastern country doesn’t mean it is great. Ugly dance movements are just plain ugly. Costumes that are too sexual upstage your dance technique with sensationalism. A dance style that is not artistic does not do our dance any favors as an art form. Bottom line: Copying trash only perpetuates trash.
• MYTH #3: The only way to get ahead in the business of belly dance is to rub the right elbows and make friends with influential people.  REALITY: On the surface, this myth may seem to work occasionally, at least to open a few doors, but it is not the way to really get ahead and be somebody. Your personal and professional integrity lowers when you kiss backsides and try to make deals to win that competition, get invited to perform in a dance convention, or be sponsored to teach at a workshop somewhere. Beware that those who are ‘dealmakers’ are not about making you a star. They only seek to line their own pockets in one way or another. Make it a priority to value your integrity and put it ahead of anything you do in this dance. Pass on the opportunities that look too good to be true (they usually are). If you want to be recognized as a great dancer, then you need to find a way to dance every day and perform a lot! With experience, your talents will blossom and will speak for themselves. Don’t buy into promises that someone else will make you a superstar. Bottom line: Trust in your own talents and make them the best you can be.
• MYTH #4: When you see a dancer on the internet frequently, she/he must be great. REALITY: Just because someone is skilled at internet marketing, doesn’t mean they are any good. The internet is a great source to view dancers from all over the world, past and present. However, too many newcomers to oriental dance turn to the internet to ‘study’ technique and learn how to dance. Because of their lack of knowledge, they cannot tell if what they are seeing and being told via the internet is actually correct, artistic or even safe to do. To learn belly dance, no amount of internet footage can replace a good in-person coach. Also, be aware that some of the best artists that you could study with are the last ones to advertise heavily on the internet. Why? Not only are they too busy being full time artists, but many are from a generation that doesn’t focus on computer marketing tools. Bottom line: Posting oneself on the internet is so common, whenever you go there to see belly dancers, you must bear in mind that “Quantity does not mean Quality.”
• MYTH #5: Only the most beautiful, youthful and slim dancers will ever get ahead. REALITY: Just because someone looks pretty and has a great figure, doesn’t mean they are a better dancer. Sure, for a moment they are candy on the eyes but when you look past their surface beauty, they might not be the greatest in ability or charisma. Of course, beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but learn to put more value on a command of the audience, understanding of the music, emotional expression, skill of body isolation and excellent control from head to toe. In fact, the most revered dancers are the ones who are well over 40 years old and don’t have the most perfect bodies! Bottom line: Life experience is more important than looks, youth and being slim.
• MYTH #6: There is no need to study for a long time before daring to audition for a gig and becoming a paid professional. REALITY: Those who are in a hurry to call themselves professional dancers usually take short cuts that hurt themselves, other dancers, and the business of belly dance overall. If you are eager to perform in public, your ambition is commendable. However, don’t let your ego get ahead of yourself. True professionals know they must train their skills constantly and should never stop studying their dance. Rushing to get a dance gig before you are well-trained and before you are well-acquainted with the pay scale and expectations of performers in your area will serve to lower the standards of what is viewed as a professional belly dancer. Anyone can finagle their way into getting a dance job. I can list you several dancers who I know who slept their way to the stage and others who lowered their fee enough that the owner of a restaurant could not pass up the opportunity to hire them. You must practice patience and respect the lineage of your art form so that you maintain the quality of professionalism in your area. Why care about that? Bottom line: If you are a quality dancer, you command a better rate, get better dance jobs, and in turn, you raise the bar for what your area will pay good dancers and provide better conditions in which to perform.
• MYTH #7: Participating in dance competitions is the best way to gain recognition and prove that you are an excellent dancer. REALITY: Just because you compete and even place doesn’t mean you are ‘great’. There are 5 elements you need to research before your consider entering any competition. First, find out who will be the judges. A competition is only as good as its judges. I’ve seen contests where the judges include the sponsor’s husband (an overall nice guy who has absolutely no rhythm and can’t dance his way out of a cymbal bag) and the owner of a nearby local Middle Eastern restaurant (see Myth #1). The judges need to have credentials that bear witness to their expert experience and knowledge about what they are judging. Secondly, competitions are only as good as the rules. Those rules must be fair and clearly explained. They must present a comprehensive structure where you can present your talents and knowledge in various categories. Thirdly, the contest depends a lot on WHO is in it. For example, decades ago I witnessed a popular west coast competition. In the category of Best Male Belly Dancer, there was only one contestant. He did not appear trained or even fit and did not even wear a nice costume, but he won hands down because he was the lone competitor. Was he really the Best Male Belly Dancer in America? Fourthly, the competition is only as good as its prize. What is point of the contest? Do you win anything of value, such as funding to study dance abroad? Or do you only win an overly inflated title? Lastly, there are a lot of dancers out there who are busy working, performing and/or teaching who don’t have the time to worry about placing third in some contest that will barely pay them back their entry fee! Bottom line: If you really have dreams to win a dance competition, do your homework before trusting that any contest out there is worth investing your time, money and energy.
• MYTH #8: It’s better to be an ‘eclectic’ belly dancer. REALITY: An oriental dancer can only bring real value to her art by knowing her roots. There are a lot of belly dance who don’t take the time to study the history, music, rhythms and traditions of oriental dance. They call themselves ‘eclectic’ because they derive their style from a diverse range of sources. They do not belong to any recognized school of thought and prefer instead to follow no specific doctrine except to blend various ideologies. A true artist knows thoroughly about her art form, loves to learn more about it, and in fact, can’t get enough of it, past and present. Once they have a solid background and much dance experience, they can explore evolving their dance by blending in new concepts. However, starting out by declaring that you are “eclectic” gives license to skipping your studies and doing anything you want to any music with any prop in any costume. Bottom line: Call it fusion if you want, but don’t make it Confusion.

These myth-busters are not meant to be offensive. Ignorance is often innocent and exists because someone has simply not been exposed to the truth. Those who truly love belly dance constantly crusade to keep the standards high, earn respect for an art form, and help other dancers who have yet to be enlightened. So next time you encounter a myth, who ya gonna call? Myth-busters!
I ain’t afraid of no myth!

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