![\"Zorba](\"http:\/\/www.gildedserpent.com\/art48\/graphics48\/zorba.jpg\")
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No sooner had I discovered the beauty of Belly Dancing and started my\texploration of this wondrous and exotic world, than I became aware of rulebooks, limitations, and restrictions about what a male dancer could; and entirely more to the point could NOT, or should NOT, do.\t<\/p>\n
The big surprise to me was not that these rulebooks existed, it was where \tthey were originating from. Not so much from the vast female majority – oh no! These rulebooks mostly were created by other MEN! "We’ve met the enemy, and it’s us."<\/p>\n
These rules ranged from the ridiculous: "Men shouldn’t dance on the diagonal"; to the dangerous: "Men will injure themselves if they attempt side-to-side hip movements with a tucked pelvis"; to the nonsensical: "Men shouldn’t wear fringe over bare skin."<\/p>\n
There was a lot more: "Men should have more angle to their arms," "Men should be fierce and warlike," "Men should minimize hipwork and concentrate more on footwork," "Men shouldn’t elevate their arms above shoulder level," "Men shouldn’t expose the belly, but wear\tshirts instead," "Men shouldn’t wear coins or other tinkly\/jingly\tbits," "Men shouldn’t do floorwork" and my very favorite of all: "Men should NEVER do veilwork"!<\/p>\n
Leaving aside the biggest one of all, "Men shouldn’t Belly Dance period";if I were to take all these admonitions to heart, there wouldn’t be any dancing, or beauty, left for me!<\/p>\n
From the female side came far fewer restrictions. Although there is the occasional female who detests male dancers and thinks we shouldn’t exist,
\nthey are in a tiny minority – I’ve been warmly welcomed by virtually all my sisters in dance. Most of the gals say pretty much the same thing: "I
\n want a male dancer to dance like a MAN, not a woman."<\/p>\n
I’ve thought long and hard over this latter concept over a period of years. My first thought was "Would someone give me a definitive answer as to what this means?" I slowly came to the realization that there is a difference between what I call "femininity\/masculinity" (with quotes), versus femininity\/masculinity (no quotes). Semantics aside (I detest semantic arguments)…<\/p>\n
I recognized that "femininity\/masculinity" was an entirely artificial construct, and femininity\/masculinity was based on reality, i.e. biology.<\/p>\n
![\"Zorba](\"http:\/\/www.gildedserpent.com\/art48\/graphics48\/zorbaskirt.jpg\")
So what does this mean to me as a dancer? I feel that it pretty much means that I am free to develop my own interpretation of the dance, and costuming- just like any female dancer is! I shouldn’t wear a bra, as that’s feminine (no quotes) being based in biology – but I can wear a skirt if I desire; as that’s "feminine" (with quotes) being based on cultural norms \tfor part of the, but certainly not the entire, world. <\/p>\n
The entire movement vocabulary is available to me, as I’m a human being with the same muscles and bones as anyone else – if I’m capable of a given movement, why then it’s a masculine movement as I’m a guy and I’m doing it!<\/p>\n
Our dance is powerful, yet soft and flowing – the very things that attracted me to it in the first place. Attempts to "adapt" the dance to a so-called "’masculine’ form" causes the loss of the very essence of our artform. The all too frequently seen "stupid male tricks" (which have little to nothing to do with actual dancing), employed by some male Belly Dancers, make the performer look like a parody of "masculinity" –\tNOT a beautiful dancer!<\/p>\n
As I continue to grow in the dance, my audiences, as well as my sisters in dance, all tell me one thing over and over and over again. They tell me that "despite all the pretty costuming, the flowing veilwork, the (occasional) skirt, the glittery earrings and jewelry, that I came across as totally masculine."\tYet I ignore all the rulebooks! <\/p>\n
I can only conclude it’s because I’m a guy, and I let the "real Zorba" show in my performances, instead of trying to hide behind artificial and very\tmuch relativistic culture. <\/p>\n
My masculinity, my soul, my quest for beauty, is there for all to see.<\/p>\n
This belies a cute bit of nonsense I once encountered. Something about "when a male is Belly Dancing, he is considered a female for the duration of his dance!" Fascinating, I haven’t spontaneously sprouted breasts onstage yet! If I had, no doubt every male to female transsexual on the planet would be flocking to Belly Dancing to save the costs of hormone therapy and surgery!<\/p>\n
All this is really nothing more than common sense. I’m frequently asked by males, interested in our art, questions about the how, what, why and where they should approach the dance. My advice is simple: Find your own road, ignore the rulebooks, forge your own place according to YOUR inner soul, YOUR definition of self and ignore those who would attempt to place limitations on you or force their version of "masculinity" upon you. By and large, the audiences will accept you when you come across as the genuine YOU. Just like any female dancer. <\/p>\n
The audience wants REALITY, not a parody of so-called "masculinity," or "femininity".<\/p>\n
Stay tuned for part III: A bit of humor helps!\t<\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n