A Dance By Any Other Name...
Many modern-day dancers will use the name "belly dancing" to advertise their classes, because they realize that is the name that "the general public" of prospective students is likely to recognize. But they'll often advertise their performances as "Middle Eastern Dance" or "Oriental Dance" as a way to distance themselves from the unsavory reputation that the other term has managed to retain for over a century or the undignified connotations that the word "belly" raises in many people's minds. Rather than calling herself a "belly dancer", an individual may refer to herself as an "Oriental dance artist" to gain more respect in the academic dance community.
What If It's Not Purely Oriental?
Many artists today have experimented with blending belly dance with other dance forms such as African, jazz, and modern dance. Once movements that are not inherently Middle Eastern in nature have been added to the dance, it becomes something that is no longer truly Middle Eastern dance. People often call these blends "fusion". For example, a dancer who brings together modern dance and Oriental dance might call the result "ethno-modern fusion".
Now What?
Middle Eastern dance? Oriental dance? Belly dance? Ethno-modern fusion? Raqs sharqi? Or something else? Use the term that makes you the most comfortable, but do so from an informed perspective. Think about what response the name you select is likely evoke from others, and choose accordingly.
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This article is part of the Suite101 "Middle Eastern Dance" topic area. For the other Suite101 articles, discussion forums, and opinion polls related to Middle Eastern dance, music, and culture, see the Welcome page on Suite101. For other articles written by Shira about these topics, please see Shira's own popular web site at www.shira.net.
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