As a Belly Dancer, and a Feminist, I frequently find myself in a situation where I want to speak my feminist mind on the topic of Middle Eastern Dance and our attitudes about it. And then I tend to second guess myself and keep quiet because they feel like two separate worlds. If I engage in Middle Eastern Dance, then I do so in part as a cultural homage, because I want to convey the history and the culture behind the dance. So then I feel that I have to be able to quantify the dance’s original purposes according to its history before I can offer any criticisms.

I suppose the issue is that as a westerner performing Middle Eastern Dance, I want to do so respectfully and I’m aware that my perspective is that of an outsider. For that reason I want to be true to its roots and not paint over or taint parts of it with my western perceptions. So I tend to talk myself out of questioning anything about the performers’ culture that has built itself around Middle Eastern Dance.

I think the time has come to stop doing that. We can be dancers as well as feminists. When we assert that Middle Eastern Dance is not about tease or titillation, we’re taking a feminist stand. But then someone winks and says, “but it IS sexy, right?” it feels confrontational to continue the argument. It’s also hard to argue with people who may be a part of your clientele. If an audience member jokingly inquires as to how many camels it would cost for him to take you home, it’s easier to smile and try to take it for a compliment than to tell him he’s being not only offensive in the context of the western culture, but offensive and inaccurate in the context of the near east cultures.

There is no denying that Belly Dance is a very positive thing for women in general. From its historical and contemporary benefits in childbirth, to its emphasis on accepting and dancing with the body you have. The problems come when we don’t actively deny the titillation attitudes and the mysogynist cultural jokes.

I don’t intend to ignore these issues anymore. The contention that women are human beings with the right to perform physical arts without being harassed or objectified is an argument that can and should be pursued in every venue, even one where you feel like a cultural observer. And it has to be possible to do so with an attitude of historical and cultural respect, because it is the parts of a culture that don’t oppress women that deserve our respect. And asserting one’s right to perform without being treated like an object for male titillation hardly smacks of cultural insensitivity. Rather, it’s the other way around.