Belly Dancers Are Not Strippers

Those of you who have read this blog before will recall that I am taking a beginning belly dancing class. The studio where I dance opened up shop in my little town 5 years ago. Most of the townspeople got their first taste of belly dancing in the form of the studio's float in the town Christmas parade. Now, 5 years later, the townspeople are finally beginning to understand that belly dancing is not akin to stripping.

This is an image that most belly dancers struggle with. I have a dress rehearsal coming up in a few days for my first performance in a couple of weeks. My instructor was explaining that keeping up a respectable appearance in the community is extremely important. Therefore, we either have to completely cover up or we can show one body part. For example, if you have a low cut top, you can't have your belly exposed. Also, if we wear a skirt, we must wear "harem" pants under the skirt.

Some belly dancers propagate the stereotype of belly dancing as sleazy. For example, another local belly dancing troupe showed up at a Christmas parade wearing gold wings similar to what Victoria's Secret angels wear, so they were very visible. They also wore very little clothing. The older people watching the parade turned their backs on the dancers to show their contempt. That incident was a set back to my studio's image even though we were not involved.

The Origins of Belly Dance

Belly Dance began as a dance performed by women for women. One of its purposes was to strengthen the abdominal muscles to aid in childbirth. Today it is performed by men, women, and children at weddings, birthday celebrations, etc.

How Belly Dancing Developed a Sleazy Rep

Image: "Hoochy Koochy Dancer"

Chicago World's Columbian Exposition made its debut in 1893. One of the attractions at the fair was a series of acts portraying the music and dance of various countries, including those in North Africa.
Even though the dancers of the Moroccan pavilion were fully clothed from head to toe, the fact that they moved their midriffs so easily was very disturbing to turn-of-the-century Americans. Soon a Senator was trying to shut down the act, and newspaper headlines were screaming about the scandal. After the fair was over, many Vaudeville performers eagerly added the "hoochy koochy" (the name that arose for "belly" dancing) to their repertoires. Building on the scandal that originally made the dance famous, these all-American performers emphasized its sleaziness in a ploy to draw crowds. They succeeded. Vaudeville integrated the "hoochy koochy" into the form of entertainment that came to be known as burlesque. Burlesque eventually evolved into stripping.