Sometimes, the most powerfully moving moments of a lifetime come from the most unexpected events. That’s exactly what happened to local belly dancing student, Rebecca Begonias after a nerve filled night dancing a solo for a packed crowd at “Roxy & Dukes Roadhouse” in Dunellen, NJ.
“I met my ‘dance grandma,’” she told The VOICE in a recent interview. “She hugged me and she said ‘Oh darling, I can’t wait to see the dancer you will become in four years,” Begonias stated, “It was of the most hope-inspiring and anticipatory feelings I’ve ever had….I can’t wait for four years.”
The art of belly dancing is enjoying a modern rebirth in the US and winning over skeptics here in New Jersey.
Looking for a dance that would bring technique, discipline, and guidance, Begonias says she began her belly dance journey a little over two years ago. As a beginner to dance in general, Begonias says she was initially fearful, but at the Sharqi Dance Studio at Shore Star Dance Academy she found plenty of other beginners starting the same new journey.
“I fell in love instantly,” she says.
Belly dancing has origins in Egypt, Lebanon, Jordan, Syria, and Palestine but because there are no standardized moves, it has often been overlooked as an art and form of cultural expression.
Sharqi Dance belly dance instructor and performer who goes by the name Yame says, “Belly dancing doesn’t have an official definition…Every country where belly dance was exported evolved in a bit of a different way.”
Kim Leary, another belly dance instructor, who teaches at a different studio, Drum & Dance Learning Center of Hamilton says, “In all of these cultures there are things that are similar about the movements and the dance, but then there are things specific to each region. I think of it like the food of the region; salad is salad but everybody prepares it a little differently.”
These different “preparations” of belly dancing have slowly merged together in The United States, creating a whole new invention here. However, “There are definitely a lot more misconceptions about belly dancing here in the US in particular,” Yame says.
She goes on to say that in other cultures the idea of femininity presents itself through dance more regularly, but here in The United States, “we haven’t really embraced the female body.”
She adds, “There is a lot of shame surrounding the female body and there’s a lot of shame around sexuality” in the US. Born and raised in Brazil, Yame states, “In Brazil, you don’t see that kind of taboo around belly dance…People [in the US] think it’s weird or funny…they don’t realize it’s an actual dance you have to train for and get good at.”
Because The United States as a whole is a melting pot of culture, somewhere along the lines, the meaning of foreign arts, such as belly dance, often become misconstrued.
Jen Lichtmann, dance student with eight years of belly dance experience says, “My little sweet mom for example, when she explains what her daughters do says, ‘ones a pianist, one plays guitar, and I’m the belly dancer, but not the naked kind.’ That’s her misconception.”
Begonias agrees that there is a stigma. When talking to new acquaintances she says she often leaves out the fact she belly dances to avoid the misconception that it is stripping.
“I really hate that name (belly dance),” Yame says. “It’s not ‘belly dance.’ You’re dancing with your whole body.” In fact, the United States is one of the only to refer to this style of dance as belly dance. In other countries, the dance has a different title: Raqs Sharqi.
The term “belly dance,” besides being misleading, seems to inspire negative reaction. Yame says, “‘Belly’ is a silly word. People associate it with very funny things or with things they’re ashamed of about themselves.”
She says that because The United States has a media culture that gives the message to women that if you do not have a flat stomach, you are not valuable, women take one look at belly dancing and turn their heads. However, true belly dancing does not discriminate.
Teacher Leary says, “The beautiful thing about cultural dances is that it really is for everybody.” Participation in belly dance in local studios is not dependent on age, body type or nationality. However, some are skeptical of this all-encompassing view of the dance.
Randa Jarrar, an Arab-American author, wrote an opinion article for Salon.com entitled, “Why I Can’t Stand White Belly Dancers” back in 2014. In her article she addressed her belief that those who are not native to the belly dance culture should not participate in it as they are engaging in cultural appropriation. She wrote, “Arab women are not vessels for white women to pour themselves and lose themselves in…. This dance is ours.”
Jarrar received much criticism after the article was published. Other writers accused her of being racist herself for advocating against the mixing of cultures. In response to the comments Jarrar compiled another article still supporting her beliefs. The controversy and debate rages on.
This type of negativity is one Lichtmann says is left at the door when she comes to dance lessons. “We all have stuff, no one can escape that, but we come in here and it’s like this is your time; focus on you, focus on your steps, and just let it go,” she says.
Other local students agree that leaving behind the negativity, nerves, and worries, the cultural art of belly dance improves more than just the dance itself. “My heart is like a little hummingbird…” Begonias states in reference to the nerves she felt when first beginning her belly dance journey. However, because of this dance she says, many life skills of hers improved; including having more caring conversations with strangers and asserting herself more at work.
For Begonias, “the music totally changes, all the instruments pick up, and all the tiny little worries just don’t matter at all because it is so joyful and we are sharing all the skills our teachers taught us with this really supportive community.”
