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Middle Eastern Dance And The Internet

© Shira

When I first joined the wired world in 1982, women were scarce in cyberspace. The Internet was still a governmentally-funded network of information about science and technology that required its users to be proficient with the not-very-easy-to-use UNIX environment. The company I worked for, CompuServe, was one of the early pioneers in the private sector to offer an easier-to use way of access information via modem. "High-speed" modems at the time were 1200 baud, and using CompuServe at 1200 baud cost $17 per HOUR. Scary, huh? CompuServe's "chat" area, known as the "CB Simulator" because it followed the metaphor of citizens' band radio, was populated with a community of almost entirely men. When I popped in and identified myself as a "belly dancer", they all went wild with their eagerness to talk to me.

I pretty much spent all my online time in the CompuServe environment until 1997, when I decided it was time to update my skill set and get Internet-savvy. At that time, a couple of years after the Internet had been opened up to the masses and the Worldwide Web had introduced an easy-to-use point-and-click face on the Internet, women were still definitely a minority in cyberspace. And since the vast majority of Middle Eastern dance artists are women, there were very, very few Middle Eastern dance web sites. So, in July, I created mine. That was also about the time I discovered the "med-dance list", a listserver that allows about 800 Middle Eastern dance aficionados to exchange e-mail.

Just over the last few years, I've watched the Internet transform the belly dance community. The impact has been profound.

Affordable Advertising

It wasn't so long ago that the only ways a dancer could advertise her classes in her community were the local Yellow Pages, the course catalog published by the institution that sponsored her class, flyers, and word-of-mouth. It was expensive and time-consuming to get the word out.

Today, a dancer with Internet access and a little computer knowledge can quickly put up a web site that advertises her classes and performances. Prospective students frequently search the web when looking for local classes.

Whenever I begin a new 8-week session of classes, I ask my students for a show of hands to see how many found out about my classes through my web site as opposed to the course catalog published by the Adult Education program that sponsors my classes. Usually, 1/3 to 1/2 of my new students found me through my web site. It works.

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