Do Men Bellydance? YES!
Feb. 27th, 2008 05:33 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
dancingleafDo Men Bellydance? YES!
Both Men and Women Bellydance, as well as people of all ages - even children and grandparents.
Bellydance has either had its origins in or evolved into the celebratory gatherings of ordinary people. So why would 50% of the population decide to sit this one out. As amateurs, men always have and continue to be enthusiastic dancers.
There is pictorial and written evidence that professional bellydancers have been of both sexes as far back as can be established. Pictured at center is a 17th century depiction of a Persian Male dancer, with wooden castanets.
The biggest obstacle to establishing the history of bellydance is the Islamic tradition of not permitting the human form to be represented in art. Further it seems that dance was never regarded as significant enough to be written about specifically and mention of it is generally as an aside in a piece of text. We do know, however, that in the early 1800's the Jannisaries (members of the Ottoman Army) wrote poetry about their favorite male dancers and had fan followings, even causing riots at performances - think rock stars. This led the Sultan to ban male performers from Turkey. Most of them then departed for Egypt which at that time had a temporary ban on female performers. Oh my!
Professional male performers fell into different categories. There were those who emphasized the feminine characteristics of the dance. Their performances resembled those of a modern female impersonators. This is particularly important in a culture where many activities were divided along gender lines. It was often considered inappropriate for the sexes to mix, and particularly for unmarried men to view female dancers, but a female impersonator was entirely permissible.
There were also those performers who brought a very masculine style to the dance and were equally popular. Among these were the traveling entertainers who may have served the additional roles of musician, manager, spokesmen for a traveling group and protectors. Just like the women members of the group, they too had a responsibility to take a turn on stage and a need to express themselves in dance.
Today many men enthusiastically embrace bellydance. It's a fun and liberating art form that allows men (and women) to express themselves in dance. There you are - it's not just for women!.
Both Men and Women Bellydance, as well as people of all ages - even children and grandparents.
Bellydance has either had its origins in or evolved into the celebratory gatherings of ordinary people. So why would 50% of the population decide to sit this one out. As amateurs, men always have and continue to be enthusiastic dancers.
There is pictorial and written evidence that professional bellydancers have been of both sexes as far back as can be established. Pictured at center is a 17th century depiction of a Persian Male dancer, with wooden castanets.
The biggest obstacle to establishing the history of bellydance is the Islamic tradition of not permitting the human form to be represented in art. Further it seems that dance was never regarded as significant enough to be written about specifically and mention of it is generally as an aside in a piece of text. We do know, however, that in the early 1800's the Jannisaries (members of the Ottoman Army) wrote poetry about their favorite male dancers and had fan followings, even causing riots at performances - think rock stars. This led the Sultan to ban male performers from Turkey. Most of them then departed for Egypt which at that time had a temporary ban on female performers. Oh my!
Professional male performers fell into different categories. There were those who emphasized the feminine characteristics of the dance. Their performances resembled those of a modern female impersonators. This is particularly important in a culture where many activities were divided along gender lines. It was often considered inappropriate for the sexes to mix, and particularly for unmarried men to view female dancers, but a female impersonator was entirely permissible.
There were also those performers who brought a very masculine style to the dance and were equally popular. Among these were the traveling entertainers who may have served the additional roles of musician, manager, spokesmen for a traveling group and protectors. Just like the women members of the group, they too had a responsibility to take a turn on stage and a need to express themselves in dance.
Today many men enthusiastically embrace bellydance. It's a fun and liberating art form that allows men (and women) to express themselves in dance. There you are - it's not just for women!.
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no subject
Date: 2008-02-27 11:00 pm (UTC)Men are the sexiest things EVAR when they're dancing.
no subject
Date: 2008-02-27 11:18 pm (UTC)Actually this is the text that I have for next to all my pictures of male dancers - for my open house.
no subject
Date: 2008-03-03 10:28 pm (UTC)