Belly dance: Orientalism - exoticism - self-exoticism

Article Abstract:

Belly dancing has become a key icon of the Middle East in the West and this iconic representation often causes outrage, resentment, and protest among Arabs. However, these orientalist performances or self-other discourses, are historically part of a post-Renaissance expansion of travel and communication fueled by complex technology, and Belly dancing as a mode of expression and style of performance, is an example of a genre of performance that is an extension of the process of orientalism and a contemporary discourse on power.

User Contributions:

Comment about this article or add new information about this topic:

Comment:  (50-4000 characters)

Name:

E-mail:

Security Code:

Bazi-ha-ye Nameyeshi: Iranian women's theatrical plays

Article Abstract:

Iranian women find a venue for expressing their domestic concerns through participation in the traditional improvised theater form known as bazi-ha-ye nameyeshi. These performances are held exclusively among women and involve solo dancing with the participation of the audience. Its themes include the the relative values of men according to their social rank and the relationship between a young wife and her parents-in-law.

User Contributions:

Comment about this article or add new information about this topic:

Comment:  (50-4000 characters)

Name:

E-mail:

Security Code:

The male dancer in the Middle East and Central Asia

Article Abstract:

The cherished, long-held assumptions, attitudes and theoretical stances expressed by native elites and Westerners interested in Middle Eastern and Central Asian dance and dancers are challenged in the contexts of their romantic values, homosexual environment and the individualistic improvised dancing.

User Contributions:

Comment about this article or add new information about this topic:

Comment:  (50-4000 characters)

Name:

E-mail:

Security Code: