{"id":3599,"date":"2011-12-18T19:00:05","date_gmt":"2011-12-19T02:00:05","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.gildedserpent.com\/cms\/?p=3599"},"modified":"2011-12-18T19:08:39","modified_gmt":"2011-12-19T02:08:39","slug":"shema-edward-tahia-cultural-appropriation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.gildedserpent.com\/cms\/2011\/12\/18\/shema-edward-tahia-cultural-appropriation\/","title":{"rendered":"Edward  and Tahia:"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2>Breaking Down Cultural Appropriation Myths<\/h2>\n<table width=\"300\" border=\"0\" align=\"right\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\">\n<tr>\n<td>\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"300\" height=\"233\" src=\"http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/P0tIbqDrYKo\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><br \/>\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"300\" height=\"233\" src=\"http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/PLmAqdEafcQ\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n<h3>by <a href=\"http:\/\/www.gildedserpent.com\/aboutuspages\/shema.html\">Shema\/   EmmaLucy Cole<\/a><br \/>\n<span class=\"footnotes\">posted December 18, 2011<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><em><strong>Paper   originally given as part of the Panel discussion \u201cGlobalization and the Cultural   Appropriation of Bellydance\u201d at <a href=\"http:\/\/www.gildedserpent.com\/cms\/2011\/10\/06\/heather-meiver-massraqs2011\/#axzz1gB7FCkSE\">MassRaqs 2011<\/a>.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>In this article, a paper originally presented at <strong>MassRaqs 2011<\/strong>, Shema (EmmaLucy Cole) discusses cultural appropriation with respect to two articles authored by the late scholar <span class=\"artist\">Edward Said<\/span>. Exploring the meaning of the term \u201cculture,\u201d she notes that Westerners are particularly prone to placing value judgments on what should, and should not exist in Arab dance arts \u201cand this is where imperialism exists.\u201d <\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>Discussing Said\u2019s views of the contrast between ballet and the Eastern dance as represented by <span class=\"artist\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.gildedserpent.com\/art43\/sausanTK.htm\">Tahia Carioca<\/a><\/span>, Shema notes that the author saw \u201cno relation between Western dance forms, and &#8216;Eastern&#8217; belly dance or even in the ability of artists from other cultures to appropriate the dance form.\u201d <\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>Shema does not intend her work to be the last word on the subject of cultural appropriation. \u201cI do not expect to provide answers,\u201d she writes, \u201cbut instead to lay out and consider some of the difficulties.\u201d <\/em>\n<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCultural   Appropriation\u201d has been loosely defined as the use of a group\u2019s culture in ways   that they do not approve of\u2019. <a href=\"#footnotes\">1<\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"highlight\">But   what is \u201cculture,\u201d and how (if at all) have we appropriated it? Who is the   implied speaker here, and what makes us believe that there is disapproval being   voiced?<\/p>\n<p> I intend to explore this concept in relation to two particular texts   which I came across recently, written by Edward Said, the author of &quot;Orientalism&quot;,   a   revolutionary thesis which exposed the West\u2019s relationship to the \u201cOrient.\u201d   Entitled \u201cHomage to a belly dancer\u201d and \u201cFarewell to Tahia,\u201d they both focus on   the author\u2019s evident awe for Tahia Carioca and expose some very interesting   revelations about Said\u2019s personal opinions on both the dance, and the woman. I   do not expect to provide answers but instead to lay out and consider some of the   difficulties. I should also point out that I am not a dance ethnologist, but a   literary and cultural researcher; the statements herein are simply my   exploration of this subject and I welcome comments and further discussion.   Although the use of the word \u201cbellydance\u201d is itself problematic, I have chosen   to retain it for the purposes of this article, since the title of the original   panel included it (although I will discuss this later in the paper) and when I   refer to \u201cWestern\u201d ideologies, I am predominantly referring to British   viewpoints, but many of these are of course applicable to America and Europe   also.<\/p>\n<p>What   is culture then and why is an understanding of it relevant to our discussion of   twenty-first century bellydance? \u201cCulture\u201d is used to refer to any number of   elements of how a group of people live their lives. It may include their arts,   laws, customs, knowledge, beliefs, capabilities or habits. It is a \u201cgeneric   concept\u201d which when used in theoretical discussion essentially becomes   meaningless due to its impractical catch-all nature.<a href=\"#footnotes\">2 <\/a>In his book entitled   <em>Cultural   Imperialism<\/em>,   John Tomlinson says that: <\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>\n\u201cWhat   we need to understand is not what culture is, but how people use the term in   contemporary discourses.\u201d <a href=\"#footnotes\">3<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>\nIn   Western bellydance communities, we speak in terms of dance, but of course,   music, language, dialect, fashion, politics, religion, magic, and many relics of   colonialism are not only to be found within this but are what holds the dance   together- its \u201cglue,\u201d as it were.<\/p>\n<p class=\"highlight\"> Problems often arise because Western thought   processes have placed a judgment on how life \u2013 and, thus, \u201cculture\u201d- is lived   and this is where imperialism exists&#8211;in the West\u2019s presiding over what should,   or should not, exist within an Arabic art. <\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"http:\/\/www.gildedserpent.com\/art46\/graphics46\/TahiaC.jpg\" alt=\"Tahia\" width=\"300\" height=\"297\" align=\"left\" \/>When non-Arab dancers choose not to   comprehend the language, politics and lifestyle differences which are inherent   in the dance, they are inevitably placing their own viewpoint onto not only the   dance produced outside of the countries of origin, but also the dance produced   within those countries themselves. <\/p>\n<p>\nThere   is an historical and contemporary interplay between both culture and economics   in the process of domination and consequent cultural appropriation. In our own   dance community, is our use of foreign cultures enabling economic imperialism,   or is economic imperialism itself being used to underpin the impressing of our   own culture onto that of a subjugated group? <\/p>\n<p class=\"highlight\">By this I mean that it is possible   that by using an \u201cOriental\u201d (and I use that term deliberately), or perhaps   \u201cOrientalised\u201d art to earn money, our distinctive Western values are directly   altering the dance, despite often being geographically and culturally removed.<\/p>\n<p> So, is the motivation here financial, or cultural? As dancers, do we consider   enough the consequences of portraying a dance as \u201cauthentic\u201d when it has in many   ways been shaped by our own Western values, habits and cultures? As Marilyn   Adler Papayanis says: <\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>\u201cI   have been forced to confront my own careless appropriations, my own cultural   thefts: committing acts of cultural voyeurism, exploiting the Other\u2019s difference   to enhance my own desirability.\u201d<a href=\"#footnotes\">4<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Said\u2019s   comments in the two articles claim a distinct difference between the two   cultures (and it is interesting to note that he buys into the notion of   \u201cbellydance,\u201d using the American Orientalised word despite many years spent   theorising against the use of such terms which essentially alienate the original   Arabic culture by refusing to use its language):\n<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>\n\u201cBelly-dancing   in many ways is the opposite of ballet, its western equivalent as an art form.   Ballet is all about elevation, lightness, the defiance of the body&#8217;s weight.   Eastern dancing as Tahia practiced it shows the dancer planting herself more and   more solidly in the earth, digging into it almost, scarcely moving&#8230;Tahia&#8217;s   dancing vertically suggested a sequence of horizontal pleasures, but also   paradoxically conveyed the kind of elusiveness and grace that cannot be pinned   down on a flat surface&#8230;She belonged to the tradition of the alema&#8230;that is, a   courtesan who was extremely literate as well as lithe and profligate with her   bodily charms&#8230;You couldn&#8217;t take Tahia out of a Cairo night-club, stage, or   wedding feast&#8230;. She is entirely local, untranslatable, commercially unviable,   except in those places&#8230;Every culture has its closed off areas, and&#8230;Tahia   Carioca&#8230;was, one of them.\u201d<a href=\"#footnotes\">5<\/a> <\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>\nSaid   makes it evident that he sees no relation between Western dance forms, and   \u201cEastern\u201d belly dance or even in the ability of artists from other cultures to   appropriate the dance form: <\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>\n\u201cAs   in bullfighting, the essence of the classic Arab belly-dancer\u2019s art is not how   much but how little the artist moves: only the novices, or the deplorable Greek   and American imitators, go in for the appalling wiggling and jumping around that   passes for \u2018sexiness\u2019 and harem hootchy-kootch.\u201d<a href=\"#footnotes\">6<\/a> <\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>\nThere   is a sense of \u2018purity\u2019 to his description both of Tahia and the dance, both, in   his mind, having been apparently untouched as yet by outside influences;   something which he clearly indicates would carry negative connotations. Of   course, one cannot avoid the fact that at the time Tahia was dancing, Egyptian   Baladi musicians were incorporating Western instruments such as saxophone,   accordion and trumpet into their compositions and therefore it is unrealistic of   Said to hope that the same was not happening in the dance.<a href=\"#footnotes\">7<\/a> \u00a0Toward the end of   her life, Said finally met Tahia and even his words here belie a respect   bordering on religious awe: <\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>\n\u201cAbout   10 years ago I made a special <em>pilgrimage<\/em> to Cairo to interview and meet her\u201d (my   italics).<a href=\"#footnotes\">8 <\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p class=\"highlight\">\nPurity   of culture is clearly important to Said here; indeed, following his train of   thought, without the influence of bellydancers from Western countries, would   Tahia\u2019s successors have begun wearing mini-skirts or thongs to perform   in?<a href=\"#footnotes\">9<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\n<img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"http:\/\/www.gildedserpent.com\/art55\/graphics55\/edwardsaid.jpg\" alt=\"Edward Said\" width=\"198\" height=\"255\" align=\"right\" \/>However,   the point must be made that any hegemonic [dominant] influence requires the consent of the   majority, in order to take hold. Which brings us to the question of voice; who   is really speaking when it is implied that there is disapproval? And if hegemony   requires the majority to consent, then is it a minority who are disapproving and   should they be listened to? As Tomlinson suggests, often diasporic nations   indulge in \u201cnostalgic cultural imaginings\u201d in order to define themselves and   their heritage \u2013they no longer experience the reality of everyday life which   they have left behind, and may idealise and simplify their own culture,   resulting in the rarefaction of these elements of combined cultural memory.<a href=\"#footnotes\">10<\/a>   Yet, as <span class=\"artist\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.gildedserpent.com\/aboutuspages\/karimnagi.html\">Karim Nagi<\/a><\/span> comments, on Arab presence in the dance world: <\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>\n\u201cMany   Americans, or non-natives, are participating in a huge industry, for better or   for worse&#8230;What has happened to our dance because we haven\u2019t represented it?   Many positive things; some things that we would not approve of&#8230;the cause is   our lack of participation.\u201d<a href=\"#footnotes\">11<\/a> \u00a0<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>\nIndeed,   there is far more judgment from British women towards bellydance, because it   does not fit into our own \u201cculture,\u201d our way of behaving, or what we   traditionally perceive of as \u201cart,\u201d yet it is still becoming one of the most   popular dance forms, with its classic Orientalist fantasies being confirmed   regularly by an ill-informed media. Said states that: <\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>\n\u201cTahia   seems to me to embody that beyond-the-boundary life for Arabs today. Our history   is mostly written by foreigners, visiting scholars, intelligence agents while we   do the living, relying on personal and disorganised collective memory, gossip   almost&#8230;to carry us forward in time.\u201d<a href=\"#footnotes\">12<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>\nIn   the course of writing this paper, I have wandered frequently back and forth   between being inspired by forward-thinking and talented artists (from both the   East and the West) and the urge to just give up completely for fear of   perpetuating damaging and Orientalist myths! Yet through researching some of the   more significant issues surrounding appropriation, I have definitely grown as an   artist and it has effected some changes in my own practice. <\/p>\n<p class=\"highlight\">The most positive   thing which should come out of discussions such as these is the element of   education; if we can continue the process of discussion and conversations around   the subject, maybe there can be less cultural appropriation and more cultural   collaboration.<\/p>\n<p>\nI   end with a quote by <span class=\"artist\">Robert Young<\/span>: <\/p>\n<p>\n\u201cAs   an intellectual, an artist, a consumer or producer of culture, you either   collude with the aestheticized structure that enforces apartness, or you contest   it&#8230;\u201d<a href=\"#footnotes\">13<\/a><\/p>\n<p><em>\u2018Shema\u2019s attendance at MassRaqs was supported  by <strong>The University of Bristol Graduate School and Alumni Foundation<\/strong>\u2019<\/em><\/p>\n<p><a name=\"footnotes\" id=\"footnotes\"><\/a>Footnotes:<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li class=\"footnotes\">1-<a href=\"http:\/\/www.gildedserpent.com\/aboutuspages\/Meiver.html\">Meiver De La Cruz<\/a> &#8211; from her preliminary notes for the Panel  Discussion \u2018Globalization and the Cultural Appropriation of Bellydance\u2019 at  MassRaqs 2011<\/li>\n<li class=\"footnotes\">2-John Tomlinson, <em>Cultural  Imperialism: A Critical Introduction<\/em> (London, Pinter Publishers, 1991), pp.  2-3. Tomlinson is quoting Mattelart and his exploration of how to approach the  \u2018problem\u2019 of imperialism and thus \u2018cultural imperialism\u2019. Tomlinson goes on to  state that in his own discussion, he will avoid using one single definition  (since this does not allow a full understanding of the subject) but will  instead use the <em>concept<\/em> of cultural  imperialism \u2018<em>which must be assembled out  of its discourse<\/em>\u2019.<\/li>\n<li class=\"footnotes\">3-Ibid, p. 5. <\/li>\n<li class=\"footnotes\">4-Marilyn Adler Papayanis, <em>Writing  in the Margins: The Ethics of Expatriation from Lawrence to Ondaatje<\/em> (Nashville, Vanderbilt University Press, 2005), p. ix.<\/li>\n<li class=\"footnotes\">5-Edward Said, <em><a href=\"http:\/\/weekly.ahram.org.eg\/1999\/450\/cu4.htm\" target=\"_blank\">Farewell to  Tahia<\/a> <\/em>at <a href=\"http:\/\/weekly.ahram.org.eg\/\" target=\"_blank\">Al Ahram Weekly Online<\/a> accessed  22.6.11<\/li>\n<li class=\"footnotes\">6-Edward Said, <em><a href=\"http:\/\/www.lrb.co.uk\/v12\/n17\/edward-said\/homage-to-a-belly-dancer\" target=\"_blank\">Homage to a  Belly-Dancer<\/a><\/em> at <a href=\"http:\/\/www.lrb.co.uk\/\" target=\"_blank\">http\/\/:www.lrb.co.uk<\/a> accessed 22.6.11 <\/li>\n<li class=\"footnotes\">7-More information on the history of Baladi music, including how the  presence of British, French and American military bands in Cairo influenced the  development of Egyptian music, can be found in the articles by Guy Schalom  (with Sheikh Taha) at <a href=\"http:\/\/www.guyschalom.com\/\">www.guyschalom.com<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"footnotes\">8-Edward Said <em>Farewell to Tahia <\/em>at <a href=\"http:\/\/weekly.ahram.org.eg\/\" target=\"_blank\">Al Ahram Weekly Online<\/a>  accessed  22.6.11<\/li>\n<li class=\"footnotes\">9-Here I am referring to <a href=\"http:\/\/www.gildedserpent.com\/art34\/graphics34\/slideshow\/CEBDina05f.htm\">Dina\u2019s infamous costume (of around 2009)  which featured a thong clearly visible above the top of her skirt<\/a>, and the  numerous dancers working currently in Egypt who dance in high heels and  <a href=\"http:\/\/www.gildedserpent.com\/articles23\/amayadina.htm\">mini-skirts<\/a>.<\/li>\n<li class=\"footnotes\">10-Robert J C Young, <em>A Very  Short Introduction: Postcolonialism<\/em> (Oxford, Oxford University Press,  2003), p. 63<\/li>\n<li class=\"footnotes\">11-Karim Nagi <em><a href=\"http:\/\/www.gildedserpent.com\/cms\/2011\/09\/06\/lauren-of-arabia\/\">Lauren of Arabia:Lecture by Karim Nagi <\/a><\/em> accessed 3.9.11<\/li>\n<li class=\"footnotes\">12-Edward Said <em>Farewell to Tahia <\/em>at <a href=\"http:\/\/weekly.ahram.org.eg\/\" target=\"_blank\">Al Ahram Weekly Online<\/a>  accessed  22.6.11<\/li>\n<li class=\"footnotes\">13-Robert J C Young, <em>A Very  Short Introduction: Postcolonialism<\/em> (Oxford, Oxford University Press,  2003), p. 58.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/www.gildedserpent.com\/graphics\/acommentbox.jpg\" alt=\"use the comment box\" align=\"right\" \/><\/p>\n<div class=\"ready4more\">\n<p>Have a comment? Use or comment section at the bottom of this page or <a href=\"mailto:editor@gildedserpent.com\">Send us a letter!<\/a> <br \/>\nCheck the &quot;<a href=\"http:\/\/www.gildedserpent.com\/let2ed.htm\">Letters to the Editor<\/a>&quot; for other possible viewpoints!<\/p>\n<p>Ready for more?<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>\t\t\t<!--end ready4more --><\/p>\n<div class=\"articlelist\">\n<ul>\n<li><span class=\"articledate\">5-25-11<\/span> <span class=\"articlelink\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.gildedserpent.com\/cms\/2011\/05\/25\/shema-inverting-gaze-part3\/\">The Transformation of Beauty, Inverting the Gaza, Part 3<\/a><\/span> <span class=\"articleauthor\">by Shema<\/span><br \/>\nAs women and performers, why cannot we see beyond physical representation, when we, too, are trying our hardest to achieve such beauty in our own lives? Such hypocrisy ensures that we can never escape the limitations that society and, thus, we place these same limitations upon our own bodies.<\/li>\n<li><span class=\"articledate\">3-10-11<\/span> <a href=\"http:\/\/www.gildedserpent.com\/cms\/2011\/03\/10\/shema-cultural-traditions-vs-sexual-stereotypes\/\">Cultural Traditions vs Sexual Stereotypes Part 2 of The Female Gaze or &quot;Medusa Dualities in Female Bellydance Performance and How the Gaze Continues to be Relevant Today&quot;<\/a> <span class=\"articleauthor\">by Shema<\/span><br \/>\nThere is a fine line between respecting cultural traditions and histories and reinforcing behaviours which are inherently damaging to the perception of the female body and its rights.<\/li>\n<li><span class=\"articledate\">8-15-10<\/span> <a href=\"http:\/\/www.gildedserpent.com\/cms\/2010\/08\/15\/shema-medusa-dualities-part-1\/\">Inverting the Gaze, Medusa Dualities in Female Bellydance Performance and How the Gaze Continues to be Relevant Today<\/a> <span class=\"articleauthor\">by Shema<\/span><br \/>\nThis is not so hard to understand when we consider that the representation of female sexuality has been so over-developed as to become almost a parody of itself.<\/li>\n<li><span class=\"articledate\">4-16-10<\/span> <a href=\"http:\/\/www.gildedserpent.com\/cms\/2010\/04\/16\/andrea-panel-belly-dance-feminism\/\">Belly Dance and Feminism: Different Issues, Different Perspectives<\/a> <span class=\"articleauthor\">Introduction to IBCC Panel on Bellydance and Feminism<\/span><br \/>\nFeminism embraces more than one point of view, and feminist perspectives lead to many different decisions and courses of action. Feminism is a tool for thinking \u2013 for understanding and putting a name to issues you may be wrestling with in your own dance life, and for seeing belly dance in the light of broader economic, social and political realities.<\/li>\n<li><span class=\"articledate\">5-5-09<\/span> <a href=\"http:\/\/www.gildedserpent.com\/cms\/2009\/05\/05\/shemaonehip\/\">One Hip in Each Camp, My Experience of Working in Both the Arabesque Dance Company and the Arabesque Orchestra<\/a> <span class=\"articleauthor\">by Shema\/EmmaLucy Col<\/span><br \/>\nMy dancing is fuelled by my understanding of the music and now, my playing is influenced by the emotions I experience when I dance. It is a cyclical experience which has been boosted by this incredible opportunity to work with some of the most talented Arabic musicians on the scene.<\/li>\n<li><span class=\"articledate\">12-11-11 <\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.gildedserpent.com\/cms\/2011\/12\/11\/sausan-egypts-golden-age\/\" class=\"articlelink\">Egypt&#8217;s Golden Age, Timeline and Synopsis<\/a><span class=\"articleauthor\"> by Sausan<\/span><br \/>\nFrom around 1850 to 2000, Egypt saw the birth, rise, and transformation of its cultural expression through dance.  With each period, a new energy in the dance was introduced and, with it, new dancers with new dance movements and new costumes. <\/li>\n<li><span class=\"articledate\">11-1-11<\/span> <a href=\"http:\/\/www.gildedserpent.com\/cms\/2011\/11\/01\/sausan-ballet-ification-belly-dance\/\"><span class=\"articlelink\">Ballet-ification of Belly Dance<\/span><\/a> <span class=\"articleauthor\">by Sausan<\/span><br \/>\nWhen did Ballet become a requisite for Belly dance, and why is it stated that it should be an essential part of a Belly dancer\u2019s daily regimen? <\/li>\n<li><span class=\"articledate\"> 4-14-08 <\/span> <a href=\"http:\/\/www.gildedserpent.com\/art43\/sausanTK.htm\">Taheyia Karioka, Queen of Oriental Cabaret Dance<\/a><span class=\"articleauthor\"> by Sausan<\/span><br \/>\nIn the 1980&#8217;s, the spread of Islam and its fundamental militancy proved to be a big blow for Egypt&#8217;s belly dance industry. As a result, several dancers publicly renounced their pasts and donned the Islamic veil.<\/li>\n<li><span class=\"articledate\">9-6-11 <\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.gildedserpent.com\/cms\/2011\/09\/06\/lauren-of-arabia\/\">Lauren of Arabia,The Americanization of Arab Dance in America <\/a> <span class=\"articleauthor\">by Karim Nagi<\/span><br \/>\nAn intro and premise of a video of Karim&#8217;s lecture as presented to The Arab American National Museum &quot;Diwan&quot; Conference in Deerborn Michigan in March 2009.<\/li>\n<li><span class=\"articledate\">10-6-11 <\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.gildedserpent.com\/cms\/2011\/10\/06\/heather-meiver-massraqs2011\/\" class=\"articlelink\">Dreaming in Massachusetts, Photos from MassRaqs 2011<\/a> <span class=\"articleauthor\">photos by Heather Emerson, text by Meiver<\/span><br \/>\nThe celebration of those traditions, along with the fervor of  Boston\u2019s intellectual culture, the talent of our local community of dancers and musicians, and a desire to connect that beautiful history to the global present and future of our dance drives the work we do in our event. <\/li>\n<li><span class=\"articledate\">4-16-10 <\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.gildedserpent.com\/cms\/2010\/04\/16\/andrea-panel-belly-dance-feminism\/\">Belly Dance and Feminism: Different Issues, Different Perspectives<\/a><span class=\"articleauthor\"> Introduction to IBCC Panel on Bellydance and Feminism <\/span><br \/>\nFeminism embraces more than one point of view, and feminist perspectives lead to many different decisions and courses of action. Feminism is a tool for thinking &#45; for understanding and putting a name to issues you may be wrestling with in your own dance life, and for seeing belly dance in the light of broader economic, social and political realities.<\/li>\n<li><span class=\"articledate\">12-16-11<\/span> <a href=\"http:\/\/www.gildedserpent.com\/cms\/2011\/12\/16\/antoinette-awayshak-early-dancer-los-angeles\/\" class=\"articlelink\">Inspiration and a Push from the Stars, A Dancer&#8217;s Destiny part 1<\/a><span class=\"articleauthor\"> by Antoinette Awayshak<\/span><br \/>\nAround this time, my mother was singing at Mahrajan\u2019s  when they held Arabic functions and there was a dancer by the name of Kanza Omar, who was my idol<\/li>\n<li><span class=\"articledate\">12-14-11<\/span> <a href=\"http:\/\/www.gildedserpent.com\/cms\/2011\/12\/14\/carl-mashuqa-photos-cifuentes-sommer-festival-2011-berlin\/\"><span class=\"articlelink\">Photos from Cifuentes\u2019 Sommer Festival in Berlin<\/span><\/a> <span class=\"articleauthor\">report and photos by Carl Serman and MaShuqa<\/span><br \/>\nThe idea of presenting a dance festival together with a contest is to promote talent, encourage excellence, and motivate dance artists from all over the world to come to Berlin and participate and results in this special and amazing event of learning and performance.<\/li>\n<li><span class=\"articledate\">12-13-11<\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.gildedserpent.com\/cms\/2011\/12\/13\/najia-saudis-in-america\/\" class=\"articleauthor\"> Saudis in America, Encounters of a Dancing Kind<\/a> <span class=\"articleauthor\">by Najia Marlyz<\/span><br \/>\nHowever, no. Instead, Prince X sent a drink to everyone at my table, except me, just to underscore his apparent disapproval of my offensive behavior\u2026<\/li>\n<li><span class=\"articledate\">12-12-11 <\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.gildedserpent.com\/cms\/2011\/12\/12\/edwina-nearing-ghawazi-research-part11\/\" class=\"articleauthor\">Sirat Al-Ghawazi, Part 11- 1977, Research Strengthens the Impression that Until Recently, the Majority of Professional Dancers in Mid East Were Gypsies<\/a><span class=\"articleauthor\"> by Edwina Nearing<\/span><br \/>\n&quot;She is a professional singer and dancer, being taught by her mother from her earliest youth, and with the menfolk beating the taboor (drum) and twanging the kamanga (zither) she gives turns at the Beduin encampments for which the &quot;hat&quot; is passed round afterwards. <\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Breaking Down Cultural Appropriation Myths by Shema\/ EmmaLucy Cole posted December 18, 2011 Paper originally given as part of the Panel discussion \u201cGlobalization and the Cultural Appropriation of Bellydance\u201d at MassRaqs 2011. In this article, a paper originally presented at MassRaqs 2011, Shema (EmmaLucy Cole) discusses cultural appropriation with respect to two articles authored by [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.gildedserpent.com\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3599"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.gildedserpent.com\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.gildedserpent.com\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.gildedserpent.com\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.gildedserpent.com\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3599"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/www.gildedserpent.com\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3599\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.gildedserpent.com\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3599"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.gildedserpent.com\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3599"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.gildedserpent.com\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3599"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}