Musings About Belly Dance:
Essays, Opinion Pieces, & More

By Shira

• A Dance By Any Other Name. What should we call it? Belly dance? Oriental dance? Raqs sharqi?
• Reflections: My Friends Through Dance. Shira reminisces about the many friendships she has made over the years through dance.
• Public Perceptions: A Double Standard. Opinion piece exploring why the public accepts exposed skin in theaters but thinks belly dancers are sleazy.
• Opinion Poll: Why Do You Love to Belly Dance? Vote your opinion, and see how others voted.
• Is Belly Dancing Compatible with Feminism? Shira responds to a reader who is grappling with this question.
• Obligated to Share Music Information? When should we answer people's questions about music choices? When is it okay not to?
• Five Signs You May be Relying Too Much on Belly Dance to Solve Your Problems. Are you depending too much on belly dance to help you fix your issues?
• Good vs Great? By Shira. Thoughts on what makes the difference between a "good" dancer vs a "great" one.

By Arabella

• The Term "Belly Dancing". Arabella explores why she dislikes this common name for Oriental dance.
• Dreams Can Come True! Arabella shares one of hers.
• Why Middle Eastern Dance Is the BEST Kind of Dance. Arabella compares her experience with Middle Eastern dance with other dance forms she has studied.

By Althea Aschmann

• What do Belly Dancing and Quilting Have in Common? Althea explores how these two things she loves come together in her life.

By Amanda Niehaus

• To All Students, Regarding "Loyalty" to Your Teacher. About the dancer / teacher relationship.

By Arabella

• The Term "Belly Dancing"
• Dreams Can Come True!
• Why Middle Eastern Dance Is the BEST Kind of Dance!

By Brea Morgiane

• Yes, But Is It "History"? Tips for determining credibility of claims about belly dance history.

By DaVid of Scandinavia

• The Decline of Belly Dance? Or just bad marketing?

By Despina:

• Respect! What we can all do as dancers to heighten the public's respect for our art form.

By Diana DeMille & Friends:

• Belly Dancer Breast Cancer. Dancers share their experience with breast cancer.

By Jodi Blubaugh

• To Infinity and Beyond. Reflections on figure 8's and the mind/body connection.
• Yin (and Yang). Reintegrating our neglected feminine sides.

By Joy

• To Men Who Think They Want to "Acquire" a Bellydancer. Joy offers a reality check to the many men out there who want a belly dancer to be their next conquest.

By Juana Garcia

• Belly Dance and Cultural Appropriation: Why Does It Matter? Juana shares her perspective as a Mexican living in the U.S. on why cultural appropriation is hurtful.
• Appropriation vs Assimilation. Juana explains why it's not cultural appropriation when people from immigrant cultures straighten their hair, wear blue jeans, etc.

By Kristin Raeesi

• Presenting Dances from Somebody Else's Culture. Kristin offers thoughts for belly dancers on how to be respectful when performing dances from another culture.

By Lennie Clark

• Why Is It Important to Know What the Lyrics Mean?

By Razi

• Belly Dancers of Color: Defeating the Stereotypes. Specific stereotypes that affect dancers of color and how to confront them.

By Saqra

• Passion in Belly Dance. Thoughts about passion in belly dance performance, how trends set by high-profile dancers affect it, and cycles.
• Appearance Anxiety in Belly Dance Performance. Why your performance helps other people.
• Our Value to the Public as Belly Dancers. By Saqra. Reflections on what your performance is really worth, financially speaking.

By Setsuna

• Dancing for the Ancestors. Setsuna offers insight on how to respectfully explore dances from cultures outside of your own.

By Thea

• Hair And Home. A belly dancer's humorous tale of her adventures with hair styles and home-selling.
• To Teach Or Not To Teach. One dancer's thought process as she attempts to answer this question for herself.

By Valizan

• The Odyssey of the Lizard Boy. On the experience of being a male belly dancer.