Public Perceptions: A Double Standard

This is an opinion piece.

Every belly dancer I know is tired of the question, "Belly dance -- isn't that something like stripping?" This dance form, more correctly known as Oriental dance, was heavily promoted in the United States in the 1890's as part of the Midway Plaisance at the Columbia Exposition to titillate a society that was so sexually repressed they even put lace coverings over table legs for modesty. The promoter, Sol Bloom, encouraged controversy because he knew it would stimulate ticket sales. In his autobiography, Bloom claims he was the first to call this art form "belly dance". The public was fascinated, and soon nearly every vaudeville and burlesque stage featured a sleazy "hoochy koochy" act that bore little resemblance to the real thing.

Over a century later, Oriental dance artists are still battling the scandalous reputation that Bloom attached to the dance. No matter how hard we work to present the dance as a beautiful art form, members of The General Public still wrinkle their noses and ask, "Belly dancing -- isn't that something like stripping?" Even today, belly dancers are still blocked from some performance opportunities because narrow-minded bigots who know nothing about Oriental dance don't want "that kind of thing" in their events.

That Double Standard

Nearly every professional belly dancer I know in my community is careful to choose costumes that don't show too much leg or too much cleavage. Some require their troupe costumes to include pantaloons, especially for raised stages or outdoor performances where the wind might catch the skirts. Some teachers insist on inspecting student costumes before recitals to ensure that they cover everything the teachers feel they should cover.

So why is it that ice skaters, cheerleaders, ballet dancers, baton twirlers, and dancers in Broadway musicals are all viewed as presenting wholesome entertainment in their costumes that provide a full view of form-fitting leotards, briefs, or short-shorts and often their cleavage too, while belly dancers are viewed as sleazy? Why is it okay for us to see Ginger Rogers' panties in old Hollywood movies when Fred Astaire makes her do rapid twirls, but it's not okay when we glimpse the dance trunks of a belly dancer doing rapid spins?

Within the course of a 2-week period, I went to see two musicals performed by professional traveling tours: Cabaret and Chicago. In both cases, the female dancers cavorted around stage in skimpy lingerie that showcased their jiggling cleavage and butt cheeks. In both shows, they frequently sat on chairs and spread their legs wide open, inviting the audience to be their gynecologist.

Now, I'm not complaining about the artistic decision to use such an openly sexual style of costuming and choreography. It was certainly appropriate to the "bad girl" image of the characters and the seamy world in which the stories took place -- in one case, a decadent cabaret; in the other case, a jail. I actually enjoyed both shows very much. The music, story lines, costuming, and choreography all worked together very well.

My complaint is with the theater-going public: Why is it considered "good entertainment" and "artistic" when a woman clad in black leather bra, black French-cut briefs, garters, and fishnet stockings straddles a chair and spreads her legs wide apart, but it's "poor taste" and "inappropriate" when the audience catches an oh-so-brief glimpse of a belly dancer's trunks during a spin?

So Where Did the

Double Standard Come From?

Taint of Scandal

Many people's opinions are still influenced by the scandal that tainted this dance form's reputation in the early 20th century. Any time we use Sol Bloom's term "belly dance" to refer to it, we conjure up all the baggage that goes with it. That's why many modern-day American dancers now prefer the terms "Oriental dance" or "Middle Eastern dance".

Harem Fantasies

Thanks to Orientalist painters and early Hollywood "harem" movies, the public links belly dancing with sensuous fantasies involving diaphanous fabric, naked women lolling around Turkish baths, skimpy clothing, seducing the Sultan, and sexual slavery. The public doesn't know and doesn't care that these images were largely created by Europeans and Americans.

So they start with the "knowledge", however wrong, that harems were gardens of earthly sexual delight. Then they add to that the belief that anyone representing "Middle Eastern dance" must be re-enacting the efforts of concubines to seduce the Sultan.

Salomé

Most of the "general public" don't realize that the notion of the "dance of the seven veils" was invented and brought to the stage by 19th-century Europeans (Oscar Wilde and Richard Strauss). They think the notion of stripping one veil at a time until the dancer is nude is a "real" portrayal of Middle Eastern dance. The truth is that this was done for the first time in Strauss's opera "Salomé", which made its debut in the late 19th century.

If you read the Biblical account of John the Baptist's death, you'll notice several interesting facts:

So, if the Bible doesn't mention the name Salomé, veils, or seduction, where did these notions come from? The fertile minds of the European Orientalist art and literature movement in the 19th century, combined with Victorian pornography, that's where.

Up Close and Personal

The "theatrical" dance forms such as ballet, tap, and Broadway musicals are often performed on a stage that is somewhat remote from the audience. There is no up-close-and-personal interaction between the audience and the performers.

In contrast, belly dancers often perform in restaurants, people's living rooms, and other settings where the audience can see them up close. It's one thing to view a skimpy costume and sensuous body movement from the balcony when it is presented within a "show" because there's a certain remoteness involved, including the invisible "fourth wall". It's much more threatening when an Oriental dance artist or stripper approaches close enough to be touched.

Collecting Tips

People often tuck tips into belly dancers' costumes, and many dancers encourage that. People also tuck tips into strippers' costumes. When was the last time you saw a ballet dancer with money sticking out of her bodice?

Amateurish Productions

Even amateur performances of ballet and Broadway musicals are typically performed in a theatrical setting with some attempt at professional spotlights and sound systems. In contrast, most public experience with Oriental dance falls in low-budget, dimly-lit settings without the trappings of a professional production -- often the same sort of environment in which strippers work.

Which Means....

I think we dancers ourselves are part of the problem with public perception of our dance. As long as we present the dance primarily in nightclubs, with non-professional quality of lighting, and as long as we wander close enough to the tables for patrons to tuck money into our costumes, we'll continue the association in people's minds with the other dance form that has similar properties. We need to give careful thought to how we present the dance and what impact that presentation will have on how people respond to it.

But it's not entirely our own fault, either. Public opinion is very slow to change, and people who have never, ever seen belly dance performed still believe they know what it is. Some of these people are too narrow-minded to see an actual show and learn some facts.

It still annoys me that there's a double standard that says it's okay to see a woman's underpants on cheerleaders, ice skaters, ballet dancers, ballroom dancers, and even vintage 1940's Hollywood movies and Lawrence Welk reruns, but it's not okay to see a flash of bare leg or midriff on a belly dancer. It annoys me that lingerie commercials on network television can show women modeling lingerie bras, but belly dancers who spend hundreds of dollars for modestly-cut bras encrusted with beads and sequins are sometimes viewed as unsavory.

What Can We Do to Change This?

It's not easy to change a century of misunderstanding, but it can be done. Ballet was once viewed as scandalous, and now it's a highly respected art form.

Here are some thoughts on how to overcome the public misconceptions about Oriental dance:

Think carefully about which name you use for the dance when talking to people. For example, if you are proposing that this dance form be used for the "Arabian Coffee" section of a local performance of the Nutcracker, you might use the term, "Arabic dance" when submitting your proposal to the dance company who is planning the production.

Consider Your Audience When Planning Shows

Different audiences respond well to different types of productions. Before making decisions about music, costume, and dance style for a particular show, think about who your audience will be and what type of performance will most likely lead them to react the way you want.

If you live in a conservative rural Christian community, consider producing "Dances Of The Holy Land" shows featuring folkloric music, with the dancers garbed in Biblical costumes instead of beads and sequins.

Similarly, if your community is more open-minded but still not very well-informed about Middle Eastern dance, consider producing "Middle Eastern Dance" shows with modestly-cut costumes.

Resist the temptation to be rebellious. It may be annoying to wear pantaloons and modest necklines, but one act of rebellion can destroy your chances of future performance opportunities in future events sponsored by influential members of your community.

Even though national touring dance companies such as the Joffrey ballet or Pilobolus have been known to present nude dances on stage, remember that dancers performing mainstream dance styles can get away with daring artistic statements because today's society generally accepts what they do as "legitimate". Because they're already "legitimate" they can push the envelope and be daring. However, those of us engaged in Oriental dance are still struggling to be viewed in an equal light, and we don't have the freedom to do the same kinds of artistic experimentation that they do.

When performing at a private party in someone's home, wear slightly more modest clothes than what you might choose for a nightclub show on a stage that's somewhat separated from the audience. When you're close at hand, you may seem too "available", especially if your costume is very revealing.

Educate, Educate, Educate!

Whenever possible, incorporate announcements into your show that explain the family- and community-oriented history of Oriental dance. Most audience members erroneously assume the dance started as a tool for seducing the Sultan. If you're not familiar with the story behind this dance form, please see A Dance For The Whole Family elsewhere on this web site.

Admittedly, some people will continue believing whatever they want to believe no matter how many times you tell them the facts about the origins of this dance as a social dance done at family occasions such as weddings. However, many people enjoy learning a little something new. Offer them information about the story behind the dance, and you'll soon build respect for the dance in your community, one person at a time.

Emphasize Family Fun In Your Shows

If you like to recruit audience members to get up and dance with you, focus your attention on the women and children in the audience. It's okay, of course, to invite some men to dance with you too, but emphasizing women and children will defuse the sexual innuendo.

Is Tip Collecting Really A Good Idea?

Maybe the patrons where you perform stuff lots of money into your costume that you desperately need to put food on your table and clothing on your back. Or, maybe the best you can hope for on a given night is $5 or $10.

If the place where you dance doesn't generate much tip money anyway, then why even bother collecting tips? Why encourage strangers to stick their fingers under your clothing?

And if the place where you dance does generate a lot of income for you in tips, maybe you could re-think how you collect them. What about carrying a basket with you to receive them?

I was recently watching a rerun from the second season of the television show Sex and the City. There was a scene set in a Moroccan restaurant. It showed just the waists and hips of 2 or 3 dancers clustered around Mr. Big, with disembodied hands doing snake arms in front of his face as he crammed bill after bill into the center front of their belts. Later, as he and Carrie left the restaurant, he made a comment about stuffing all his $20 bills into the belly dancer's crotch. Would you want one of your audience members describing you that way?

Preserve Your Aura Of Mystery

Some dancers like to greet the patrons after their shows. This can be charming, if you say things like, "Thank you for coming tonight," or, "I hope you enjoyed the show." But how you do this can make a big difference in the lasting impression you leave with them, so please be careful.

Before you come out, either change into an ordinary but attractive dress, or put on a lovely full-length caftan to cover your costume.

Be careful how you behave when you're around the people who saw you dance. Even if wearing your everyday dress or caftan, some people will think you look tacky and seamy if they see you smoking a cigarette, drinking hard liquor, or indelicately scratching yourself. Also, avoid using swear words where they can hear you. Many of these behaviors are associated with low-class people. Instead, behave as though you were an elegant movie star with wonderful taste.

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Public Perceptions:
A Double Standard