Dance Musings Part 1
This year, prompted by wide and varied discussions within the dance community, I’ve been doing a lot of thought regarding the dance style(s) I teach and perform, particularly with regard to terminology, costume and music choices. Whilst I have always acted with the intention of love and appreciation rather than appropriation, I have come to realise that many of the choices I have made have indeed been appropriative. I have certainly not come to any final conclusions and this is going to be a long work in progress, however I wanted to share with you some thoughts on changes I am making right now.
Belly Dance?
This common name for our dance style has a number of colonialist implications and it is my understanding that many dancers of the MENAHT/SWANA region generally prefer Raqs Sharqi or Oriental Dance. That said, belly dance is still used as a common descriptor and is well-known all over the world to describe Raqs Sharqi - a dance that people outside of the culture or the scene imagine as a woman dancing in a sparkly two-piece costume (bedlah) to Arabic music.
I often wear a two-piece and I looove a bit of glitter, however the stylisation is very different, drawing from the American aesthetic that has developed over the last 40 years. My style is not Raqs Sharqi and the last thing I want to do is contribute to the erasure of source dancers by calling myself a belly dancer.
I may not always feel this way, and who knows, maybe one day I’ll consider myself a Raqs Sharqi dancer as my training develops and my influences evolve. For now I’ll be using the name Transcultural Fusion to describe my dance style (coined by Donna Mejia - her open letter is essential reading and if you want more please devour her resources page here.)
Even Transcultural Fusion as a descriptor can be problematic - if one doesn’t know what styles they are fusing. Whilst I feel confident of my knowledge of the sources of the vocabulary I dance and teach, I’m now considering how appropriate it is to use steps from a variety of cultural styles, whilst wearing a plethora of costume pieces from many different countries. I have begun the work, along with my awesome dance partners, of dissecting the movements, costuming and music we use in order to make more respectful and responsible choices with our performances.
One reason I’ve struggled with coming to my current decisions is not wanting to whitewash the cultural connections that are so important to elevate the originating styles. Although I have tried to infuse my classes with relevant cultural context, I know I could do more. I will be enriching my curriculum to develop my students’ knowledge of the roots of the dance style and provide resources for further study, should they wish.
Other things I’m working on over the next few months / years / lifetime :
* Giving back to MENAHT / SWANA communities
(Middle East North Africa Hellenic Turkish / South West Asia North Africa - the sources of these beautiful dance styles)
I will be making a donation to two charities and in future a portion of my earnings from MENAHT / SWANA dance related work will go to these or similar charities.
Bedayaa Organisation - an organization for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer and Inter-sex people in the Nile Valley Area working to promote the acceptance of homosexuality in Egypt and Sudan.
Thousand 4 £1000 - Brighton-Based community response to enforced homelessness amongst forced migrants.
* Study and travel for training with source dancers
As I have primarily focussed on American styles of belly dance, I have had very little training with source dancers. I’m going to be taking advantage of the increased opportunities for online learning to rectify this and hope to have opportunities to travel and learn as soon as we are able to!
* Promoting and elevating source dancers
I will use my platform on social media and my website to promote and elevate source dancers (and whilst I’m at it - BAME dancers too!) Please watch this space for my own resources page and source dancer recommendations,
I will recommend source dancers for appropriate performances, such as culturally-themed events.
* Offering unconditional reparative pricing for my classes and services for members of MENAHT / SWANA, BAME, LGBTQ+ communities.
My classes are a safe space for all; I am keen to encourage wider participation from these groups and remove any financial barriers for participation in this beautiful dance style.
* Updating my vocabulary
In addition to moving away from using “belly dance” (slowly… as I re-train my brain!) I will also be refraining from using descriptors such as “Egyptian” “Arabic” “Turkish” to describe just one step and keeping cultural connections where relevant - for example “Ghawazee-inspired” shimmy.
This is my first attempt to articulate what I am currently working through - “fumbling forward” - to quote Donna.
I would love to hear your thoughts and questions.