A few days ago, I had a friend, who is also a dancer commented on a rough time they were having. I thought it was unusual so I
let her know that I was thinking about her and she would be in my prayers. Later in the week she emailed me and briefly
told me what was going on. It does not matter these days where you live; you will find some sort of drama in the world
of Belly Dance. My friend was just so frustrated because there are women accusing other women of slandering and even
going as far as sueing!! My comment to her was that these type of women usually act out this way because one, they are
insecure about themselves or two, they have got such a big head that they cannot get through the door!! I realize
that this comment I have just made will make some angry but sometimes the truth does hurt. In the last 9 years of my
dance career I have witnessed a few ugly things and it just amazes me; since this dance is supposed to be women celebrating with other women our feminist side and sharing our experiences with each other that should form one of the
strongest bonds between all of us. I have another dance friend who has experienced the same thing where dancers
where saying stuff about her and they did not even know her or have met her. Why is it we belittle others when
we should be embracing each other and seeing the beauty within each one of us? Who can we trust and confide in if we cannot
trust our own dance sisters? The only way we can stop this is if we say something when it happens. We need to realize that we need to truly believe in ourselves and fight for our passion within this dance. The passion is what leads most of us to dance in the first place, but if we cannot be true to ourselves first and foremost then we cannot be true to those around us. My mentor and very good friend taught me this. As teachers, we teach our students that this dance is the oldest and most respected dance form, but if we are not respecting
others are we really respecting the dance? There is no way we can respect the dance and not respect each other. We need to fully embrace each other’s talents and passions and support each other in what we do. Be true to yourself and your dance sisters!
Photo By WG Images
I hate to see dancers discouraged by other dancers. I’ve experienced dancer drama, which is actually what caused me to stop dancing for so many years. Because of some things that one person said, I felt like all of the local dancers hated me. When enough time passed and I grew into a stronger and more confident person, I was able to dust myself off and try again. This was a great thing to write about because not only does it remind us to respect and support each other, but most importantly to respect ourselves. Thanks Najla!
Ladies, we have to stick together… how else are we supposed to take over the world!? :p
Thanks Chrissy for commenting! This is one thing that I will not tolerate with my own group. All it takes is one person to tear you down. It is important to have confidence in yourself and to be strong. This was hard for me and it was one of the reasons why I waited so long to teach due to what one person said. I am so glad that you were able to dust off your feet and get back into dancing!! We must respect ourselves 1st and foremost and respecting others will follow!! Lets go get em ladies and take the world by storm!!:)