So this is going round right now. And I totally agree with Layla Isis. However, standards are something that are variable and pertain to the individual. What stood out to me, as it does time after time, (and remember, Im talking here as an individual, I am not judging anyone) was the choice of venue. For me that is the problem from the beginning. The words hookah lounge and belly dance just do not match. For me, thats the equivalent of dancing in a pub. It is no different. Ive not seen any belly dance in a hookah lounge in the Middle East, although I have heard of it from a couple of people, I still think overall its rare - so where is the cultural appropriation coming from? And in the UK, to have a dancer in a pub, that would conjure up images of a stripper/pole dancer in a sleazy backstreet venue, with lots of men not acting pleasantly. For me, as I said above, thats the equivalent. Because in a shisha venue, the men may not be drinking, but theyre still thinking all sorts of things! In the past I was asked many times to dance in a hookah lounge, I refused every time. My ethos is to maintain the exclusivity and luxury in belly dance. And I truly believe this is the first step to addressing the issue mentioned in Layla Isis open letter. I am sure many of you will have opinions on this, and believe me, I am not here to judge anyone. I am talking about my own personal standards, and of course my own personal situation and context is being applied here.
Posted on: Tue, 29 Apr 2014 06:57:55 +0000
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