Dreaming of the East
This is a sentiment that may describe most Western bellydancers.
This is the title of a book by Barbara Hodgson.
It is about Western women travelers who were lured to the mystique of Eastern lands. It is interesting to note that she perceives Western Women as finding FREEDOM in the lands commonly recognized as places where women's rights are very limited, if sometimes non-existent, especially during the period of her research which would be 1700-1970s.
Seemingly contradictory- the East & liberty?
but early accounts of women travelers sent many more flocking to experience the Oriental romance for themsleves; fashioning a perspectives and trends that would forever reshape not only Western ideas of the East but Eastern ones as well, where Westernized romantic ideas became adopted by Easterners eager to meet the romanticized expectations of traveling Westerners;
making fantasy= reality (?).
I can't think of any aspect of life where this applied more than the area of dance.
That is not the main concern of this book but as dance is an area of my interests, I can't help seeing how it relates.
It begs the question: is the modern artform of bellydancing truly "Middle Eastern Dance" or something actually born of an imaginery Orient? Would that then make it a Western invention? Based upon or inspired by the East but not a genuine "Eastern" artform:
Is it Oriental dance: corrupted? or : redefined? or : re-invented?
Or a completely new creation that draws on multiple influences?
What do you think?
Stephanie B started this discussion 8 months ago. ( )
