Beyond the Restaurant;

But I’m under no illusions. That audience wouldn’t be present if wives, daughters or friends weren’t performing. And despite people saying we’ve opened their eyes to the beauty and spectacle of bellydance, the truth is that ours is still very much a niche and hobbyist dance genre.

Mainstream dance journalists don’t take us seriously either – at least in the UK. Editors of mainstream dance magazines tell me they are not interested in featuring bellydance because they see it as a hobby dance, without any real artistic merit