FEMINISM IN BELLY DANCE AND ITS PORTRAYAL IN THE MEDIA

Meghana B.S Registered Number 1324038

A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of

Master of Science in Communication

Christ University Bengaluru

2015

Program Authorized to Offer Degree Department of Media Studies

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Authorship Christ University Department of Media Studies

Declaration

This is to certify that I have examined this copy of a master‟s thesis by

Meghana B.S Registered Number1324038

and have found that it is complete and satisfactory in all respects, and that any and all revisions required by the final examining committee have been made.

Committee Members:

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Date:______

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Abstract

I, Meghana B.S, confirm that this dissertation and the work presented in it are original. 1. Where I have consulted the published work of others this is always clearly attributed. 2. Where I have quoted from the work of others the source is always given. With the exception of such quotations this dissertation is entirely my own work. 3. I have acknowledged all main sources of help. 4. If my research follows on from previous work or is part of a larger collaborative research project I have made clear exactly what was done by others and what I have contributed myself. 5. I am aware and accept the penalties associated with plagiarism.

Date: Signature

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Abstract

Feminism in Bellydance and its portrayal in the media

Meghana B.S MS in Communication, Christ University, Bengaluru

Bellydance is an art form that has gained tremendous popularity in the world today. There are different kinds of bellydance such as folk, tribal fusion, cabaret etc. In a world and time where women‟s rights and respect has been the foremost of most people‟s concerns, bellydance with its barrier breaking techniques and methods have created controversies yet have also resulted in a form of dance that is beautiful and helps a woman celebrate herself. A feminist analysis of belly dance gives an insight into different viewpoints that gives belly dance its extreme contrasting reactions. Certain feminists believe belly dance is empowering whereas others believe that it degrades women and is a set-back for women‟s rights. Media disseminates information and has an influence over what people perceive. Various theories have provided an insight into the power of media and its impact on society. This paper takes a look at bellydance from a general feminist perspective and also forays into the media‟s portrayal of this dance form by using a qualitative method of analysis.

Key words: Belly dance, Feminism, Media, stereotypes

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

The author wishes to express sincere appreciation to the Department of Media Studies for their extended long-term support and especially to Professor Suparna Naresh and Professor Sushma Murthy for their vast reserve of patience and knowledge. This thesis would never have been completed without the encouragement and devotion of my family and friends.

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DEDICATION

To my family and friends

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Chapter 1 INTRODUCTION ...... 1 Chapter 2 REVIEW OF LITERATURE ...... 9 Chapter 3 METHODOLOGY ...... 13 3.1 Research Problem ...... 17 Chapter 4 ANALYSIS ...... 19 4.1 Expert Interview ...... 24 4.2 Focus Group Discussion ...... 44 4.3 Content Analysis ...... 50 Chapter 5 CONCLUSION ...... 59 5.1 Expert Interview ...... 61 5.2 Focus Group Discussion ...... 64 5.3 Content Analysis ...... 65 Chapter 6 WORKS CITED ...... 68

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Chapter 1 INTRODUCTION

According to feminist theorist Bell Hooks, feminism is a not an anti-men movement but one that seeks to go against sexism, its exploitation and oppression. (Hooks, 2000) The belief that feminism is about anti-men creates dissonances and problems in the whole hearted acceptance of feminism by everybody. A simple belief about feminism is that it is simply is about having equal rights and opportunities for men and women and the prospects for a woman to whole heartedly follow her choices and desires. A theory that covers various aspects such as politics, race, gender, the human body and so on, feminism is a vast and interlinks various other thoughts and disciplines such as psychology and literature. Belly dance is one of the oldest dance forms that have been recorded. The word „belly dance‟ itself brings to mind various images, most of them stereotypical, some of them true and others that are an insult to the art form. Most of these images include a skimpily clad woman moving her hips sensuously while reality is much beyond this. Belly dance has not been seen for the art form that it is but more as a means of titillating others and sexually attractive rather than sensual. Women who practise this art form in most cases have been looked down upon and have been thought to be a little too „free‟ or in some extreme cases, „shameless‟. There are people who see belly dance for what it is, a dance form that lets a woman express herself in various ways. It requires a certain level of comfort with the body and this in turn helps in liberating her. Apart from keeping a woman physically fit, belly dance also has a positive impact on self-esteem and body issues and helps a person become more comfortable and accepting of herself. Contrary to popular belief, belly dance is not restricted to just women, there are certain dance schools that involve men as well and there are various famous male belly dancers as well. Dance, on its own is a subjective art form. The beauty of it is that it allows everyone to have their own personal way of connecting, interpreting and expressing themselves.

Bellydance is a subject whose history is highly contested and hence, has led to conflicting theories. There are many plausible theories regarding the history. Many believe that it is the oldest form of dance. Many believe that it originated in Egypt; some believe that it was spread by gypsies travelling from India. Bellydance is known by a lot of names for example, “dance du ventre” is the name given by the French which means “Dance of the stomach”. “Cifte telli” which is also the name of Turkish rhythm is the name given by the Greeks and in Egypt it is called “Raks/Raqs Sharki”. In order to distinguish it from “baladi” or country dance,the middle easterners called it “dance orientale”. It advanced through the influence of various areas and is still developing today as well. Some also refer to it as “Eastern dance”, “Indian Dance” etc. Bellydance has a lot of haziness associated with it mainly due to its history where it was allied to both erotic and religious elements. Many believe that it has origins linked to ancient fertility cults and rituals. Fertility rituals have existed in several ancient cultures. These ancient cultures also had a representative Mother Goddess under different names such as Ishtar, Aphrodite, Venus, Bhagvati and Isis. The main function that was represented by these Goddess was reproduction and in terms of the entire planet and not just human beings. These beings guaranteed that cycle of seasons and the growth of crops were steady, perpetuation of race and increase of livestock. The fortune of these cities and civilizations were based on the benevolence and happiness of their mother deities. None of these divine beings were celibate nor were the priestesses expected to be celibate as it went against their purpose. This was one of the commencements of temple prostitution which was hailed in its day and time. There is evidence of these practises in the writings of Plautus, Socrates etc. Sacred dancing was also a part of the ritual especially a particular form that placed emphasis on the abdomen which was the source of fertility. Even today in Egypt, custom dictates that the wedding could hire a bellydancer and to later capture an image with their hands on the belly dancer‟s stomach. This practise is no doubt a reference to fertility rituals. The Berber tribal birthing ceremony is evocative of these ancient rituals. A hollow is dug in the ground where the mother-to-be sits; she is surrounded by women who dance with repetitive abdominal movements while the woman gives birth. This dance was considered sacred and was not meant for the entertainment of men. Bellydance is traditionally performed barefoot, primarily because it connects the dancer directly to the Earth. This form of dance developed from traditional Eastern 2

music. Although today, various dancers perform to music from different parts of the world, the musical influences of middle-east still hold a prominent position. Many dancers made use of certain rhythmic instruments as part of their dance routine, either accompanying the music or on its own. Bellydance developed from people, it was an ethnic dance but it has also evolved into a professional form of dance. From folk dancing it developed into different forms such as the Oriental which required more training and more sophisticated moves which was either performed solo or in troupes, either improvised style or a full-fledged choreography. This dance form progressed from a religious purpose to entertainment, among other aspects(Harding, The World's Oldest Dance:The Origins of Oriental Dance) Dance as always been an important part of Arabic culture and one of the oldest dances that has been performed by all age groups and sexes is Raqs Beledi which means „folk dance‟ or „dance of the country‟. Traditionally, in Islamic culture men and women led separated lives and men who were not immediate family members, were not allowed into their quarters. Europe, through a series of invasions, gained a deeper insight to the culture of North Africa and the Middle East. Napoleon organized a military campaign in 1798 in Egypt and this generated Europe‟s interest in the Arab world. This Egyptian expedition included various scientists, mathematicians, chemists and geologists and although the French were not successful in occupying Egypt, Algeria was annexed in 1830 and in 1878; Tunisia was taken over following which the French influence was extended to Syria and Lebanon. However, in 1882, Egypt was occupied by the British and established control over the Gulf. Eastern countries such as Persia, Egypt, Asia Minor and Mesopotamia, until the mid-1800s was collectively called the Orient. Various European writers and painters in the 19th century such as Eugene Delacroix, Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres, were enamoured by the exoticism and mystery surrounding these areas and came to be known as Orientalists. Paintings on these subjects were generally of highly erotic scenes such as semi-naked concubines lounging on pillows with swaying peacock fans, dancing for the pleasure of men. These works were from fantasy and imagination and hardly true to reality and to the role dance played in the Middle-Eastern culture. This movement had contributed to highly convoluted idea of bellydance. As mentioned before, because of the segregation of sexes, women danced only in the company of other women among friends and family and sometimes professional musicians and dancers are invited to the 3

gatherings. Today however, gender segregation is not practised as strictly and both men and women dance together at social dos. In 1893 at the Chicago World Fair, an exhibit was included known as “The Streets of Cairo” where Middle Eastern dance was first presented to America. Authentic dancers from various Middle Eastern and North African countries such as Turkey, Algeria, and Syria were featured but it was dancers from The Egyptian Theatre that gained a lot of infamy. Victorian sensibilities were at play during that time and the hip movements and un-corseted dancers stirred up a hornet‟s nest. In fact, many prominent public figures attempted to close the act. But, in an effort to promote the fair, Sol Bloom, who was the promoter, is supposed to have invented the name “bellydance” which was to be used in his advertisements. As revealing or exposing any part of the human body was socially not acceptable at that time, this term attracted a lot of attention and created quite a scandal. Due to these promotion techniques, bellydance was not given its due respect and was only looked at as burlesque or carnival shows. It was distorted as an erotic or sexual dance form meant to titillate viewers which in turn gave bellydance a notorious image in society.(Aleenah) Although it gained notoriety, it started becoming well-known and various film makers tried to capitalise on this, various short films were made followed by big Hollywood productions. On the flip side these productions made use of the false and erotic idea of bellydance which only reinforced the negative stereotypes about it. For example, the only major roles that were available for bellydancers were that of a slave who would be saved, as a background dancer or as a sinful character that is manipulative. Despite all this, there was significant contribution made by Hollywood to the bellydance costume. Traditional costumes covered the body with only a scarf to be tied around the hips in order to highlight the movements. But these movies, inspired by burlesque or vaudeville outfits, created a beaded, sparkling bra and belt set which was first taken up by Egyptian dancers in the 1930s and was later taken up by the Middle Eastern dance community. Badia Masabni, a Lebanese dancer, singer and actress is given the credit for adopting the new costume. In 1930s, she opened a night club in Cairo which was named Casino Opera. Badia began to transmute Raqs Baladi which was a Middle Eastern folk dance into a performance art. For this purpose, she also collaborated with various choreographers and dancers from the west. However, with time there were many 4

variations that came about such as Raks Sharki which is an Arabic name for the form of bellydance that westerners call bellydance. Badia and her company extended the traditional dance language. While folk dance mostly involved earthy moves that focused on hip movements, Raks Sharki used a lot more stage space and various other travelling steps and chest and arm movements which engaged the audience further and increased its popularity. Apart from Hollywood, even the Egyptian film industry produced movies and musicals that prominently featured bellydancers. Samia Gamal, Tahiya Karioka, Naima Akef and others were fabled dancers who rose to fame internationally within this time period. These dancers commenced their careers at the Casino Opera Club. Not surprisingly, many religious figures and other public figures in Egypt, North Africa and Middle Eastern countries who took offence to bellydance and deemed it objectionable. The government representative in 1952, Dr Rageb banned Raks Sharki on the grounds that it was lewd and morally objectionable. But bellydance, by then was becoming one of the biggest tourist attractions and was a vital part of Egyptian culture and in 1954 this ban was lifted but with certain restrictions such as; the stomach had to be covered, floor work was forbidden. Raks Sharki was quickly adapted and many distinct styles emerged. People from Turkey, Iran began to move to New York in the 1940s and dancers from these countries started to perform various styles of bellydance and this fusion began to be known as American Cabaret bellydance. This form continues to evolve even today into various different styles. Some of the styles that are popular today include Tribal fusion, Lebanese, Turkish etc. Bellydance is now a part of international culture and is multi- faceted. Although it still remains somewhat controversial, it has been gaining a lot of positive reviews and encouragement.(Aleenah) Many ancient cultures and civilizations were matriarchal in nature but the situation started changing. Most societies became patriarchal and thus began the oppression of women and they began to have restrictions placed on them. They were regarded as being mediocre than men and someone who had to be submissive both mentally/intellectually and physically. They were not allowed to own businesses, properties, make their own choices and so on. The first recorded feminist document was Vindication of the Rights of Women in 1792 by Mary Wollstonecraft. Code Napoleon extinguished a movement by women‟s republican clubs for liberty, equality and fraternity for women during the French revolution. 5

The feminist movement in North America dates from 1848 when Lucretia Coffin Mott and Elizabeth Cady Stanton with others, in a convention in Seneca Falls, New York, dispensed a declaration of independence for women and claimed full rights. This movement began to spread rapidly and then extended to Europe. Soon, many of these rights that were demanded were met, such as higher education, right to vote, rights to property and so on. The Status of Women was established by the UN Commission in 1946 in order to ensure equal rights in terms of politics, economic and educational opportunities for women all over the world. There was a rebirth of feminism during the 1960s especially in the United States of America. Formed in 1966, The National Organization for Women had over 400 local chapters. This and other such groups fought for changes in various rights that were previously denied to women such as child care support systems, abortion rights, economic and political power for women and others.(Feminism History) Feminism is most commonly divided into three phases, the first second and third wave of feminism beginning with the late 19th and early 20th centuries although movements that fought for women‟s rights had commenced long before that. Certain scholars believe that feminism had its roots in ancient Greece. Apart from that various advocates of women‟s rights such as Mary Wollstonecraft, Jane Austen and others were the foremothers of women‟s movement. But a clear-cut movement per say was seen during the 19th century. The first wave arose out of liberal and socialist politics and also urban industrialization. This part of the movement began at Seneca Falls, New York in 1848 when many women and 300 men as well, organized rallies for equality for women. The Seneca Falls Declaration was drafted by Elizabeth Cady Stanton in 1902 and outlined the movement‟s ideology and political strategies. The aim of this movement was suffrage and to increase opportunities for women. Discussions and conferences about suffrage and women‟s role in politics were viewed, contested and debated. The second wave continued from the 1960s to the 1990s and was during the time of anti-Vietnam war and various civil rights movements and those organized by many minority groups around the world. The dominant issues that were spoken about were reproductive and sexual rights. The movement focused on passing the Equal Rights Amendment which assured social equality regardless of sex. One of the first protests that were organized during this wave was the one against the Miss America pageant as they believed it was a competition that degraded and parodied women without respecting their individuality. A group called Redstockings presented a counter pageant where they 6

crowned a sheep as Miss America. This second wave gave an increased importance to theory and was based on a fusion of neo-Marxism and psychoanalytic theory. Sex and gender were differentiated, the former being of biological origin and the latter a social construct which varied based on the idea that was extrapolated by society. The first wave was put forth by middle class white women largely, but the second phase had women of colour and from developing nations who were involved, seeking solidarity and sisterhood. Thy claimed that gender, class and race oppression were all interlinked. One of the worries of this complex and diverse "wave" was the expansion of women-only spaces and the idea that women working together create a special dynamic that is not conceivable in mixed-groups and that would work for the furtherance of the entire planet. Women, whether due to their long "suppression" or to their biology, were thought by some to be more humane, collaborative, inclusive, peaceful, nurturing, democratic and holistic in their approach to problem-solving than men. The term eco- feminism was coined to capture the senses that, because of their biological connection to earth and lunar cycles, women were natural advocates of environmentalism. The third phase began in the mid-1990s and was influenced by post-modern and post-colonial thinking. In this phase many ideas were deconstructed or broken down including those of body, gender. The first two phases observed beauty products to be accessories of male oppression but this phase embraced that. One feminist articulated this new position when she said; "It's possible to have a push-up bra and a brain at the same time." The internet has had a significant impact on these notions and ideas and has also contributed to the entire idea of gender being refuted. This wave broke boundaries. It transcended classic or oft-repeated ideas of ethnicity, class and where difference is celebrated. Feminism is a vast topic that incorporates many different views and is ever- changing and ever-evolving.(Rampton, 2014) In any democratic country or otherwise, media has an extremely important role to play. It disseminates information, acts as a mediator and communicator between the government and the people, performs the function of a watchdog and creates awareness. It is rightly referred to as the fourth estate. The role of media in influencing the public has been discussed time and again and various theories have also come up regarding the same such as the Agenda Setting theory and others. This is also an important part to discuss because of the time, effort and investments spent on mass media and advertisements throughout the world. These effects are not on individuals alone but on 7

society as a whole. Controversial topics such as bellydance and feminism which invite opinions from various corners of the world, mostly differing ones are usually one of the earliest subjects that are prone to being judged and dissected. A medium as powerful as mass media today would have had a significant influence on the way society perceives understands or even knows about topics such as bellydance and feminism and this paper is an attempt to understand the same through expert interviews, a focus group discussion and content analysis. Considering the controversies and popularity of both feminism and belly dance, this paper seeks to interpret belly dance from a feminist point of view, focusing on body issues, the struggle for acceptance in society and male interpretation of belly dance from a viewer‟s perspective. The scope for this topic is immense as it not only looks into the idea of belly dance as a liberating factor but also liberation of women as a whole. It will also be relevant to communication in general as dance is seen as a form of communication and today with various atrocities being committed against women, these perspectives and ideas will help give an insight.

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Chapter 2 REVIEW OF LITERATURE

Feminist theorist and cultural critic Bell Hooks gives this definition of feminism- “Feminism is a movement to end sexism, sexist exploitation and oppression”. The definition is apt because it clearly states that feminism is not anti-male but the biggest problem here is sexism and we are all conditioned to follow this idea of sexism and we live our lives in a way that goes with this belief. In her book, „Feminism is for Everybody‟, she talks about different perspectives of and various places and thoughts where feminism can be applied in such as politics and where women stand in that field, feminism as an academic discipline and its stand currently, education, the right to our bodies with respect to reproduction, sexual exploitation and also self-esteem issues and acceptance of their body image. Global feminism is another issue that is touched upon. (Hooks, 2000) Theoretical literature of dance provides very little information on the apt definition for dance. A broad definition that encompasses both human and non-human motion, describes dance as the movement of waves or heavenly bodies. Traditional theories of art as imitation and expression, gives us a better understanding of dance. According to Aristotle‟s influential work Poetics, art is thought to be an imitation of nature. Art is also a form of expression, not just with the respect to the work itself but also the emotions of the creator of that art form and the experiences of the receiving audience. The philosophical ideas of dance have not been very satisfactory. Some critics‟ attribute it to the fact that dance is primarily seen as a woman‟s domain and philosophers feel reluctant to venture into these fields because of patriarchal prejudices. (Copeland & Cohen, 1983) Dance and movement styles are diffused across various boundaries such as class, ethnicity and nationality. There is also an influence of media and migration on the way dance is produced and received (Appadurai 1996). Gender is another aspect that has been looked into. Compared to other performances such as theatre, dance is one of the few

forms which allowed women to perform in public without much backlash. Dance is one of the ways in which cultural ideas of gender differences is produced. (Reed, 1998) As researchers of dance and movement and dancers themselves understand new ways of thinking and visualizing dance, various notions will be challenged and will also give a new perspective of looking at dance and its importance today. (Holling-Morris, 2003) In the article titled „Unlimited Partnership: Dance and Feminist analysis‟, Ann Daley believes that dance is an art form that originates and is an intrinsic part of the body and gender differences at its most basic level arise from the body itself. And since feminism also deals with the body, its movements and interpretations, it is natural that dance is connected to the studies of feminism. During the 60‟s and 70‟s, feminism was generally concerned with the culture, history and social situation of women but today the situation is different. The difference between man and woman has no longer been accepted or glorified in as before but the entire idea of difference is being questioned. Also today, the focus is more on the process of representation which also focuses on the viewer and his/her point of view. Also the question whether women can represent their beauty without being influenced by or dependent on the standards of men is addressed. Various other questions and thoughts are also looked into such as „why modern dance was almost exclusively invented by women?‟ or „can dance be a universal emotion or is it influenced by gender?‟ and many more. This feministic analysis of dance has a lot of value and can contribute in various ways such as how the idea of representation can give a deeper insight into the meaning produced by dance and a more cultural view of dance can lead to its wider acceptance and many more.(Daly, 1991) There has not completely organized and proper evidence of the history of belly dance since it was mainly seen as a woman‟s dance and in traditional Arabic society, women were not very valued. There was a dearth of written historical documents and most of the evidence and notes were given by travellers and their journals.(Paul, 2006) According to belly dance instructor Jasmin Jahal, belly dance is the oldest recorded form of dance. It has been depicted in hieroglyphics on walls in Egypt dating back to 4000B.C. It was danced by women mainly for religious and wedding purposes.(Mauro, 2002)

The term Belly Dance as has been derived from various terms, one originates from the translation of the French term danse du ventre which was put forth by Sol Bloom, an entrepreneur in the 1890‟s. Another came from the Arabic word Beledi which 10

is an Egyptian term for common people. Another term that is used is Raks-al-arabi which means Arabic Dance.(Paul, 2006). A research conducted on body image in belly dancing presented survey data from a sample of 103 belly dancers in Salt Lake City, Utah, addressing issues of body image and gender identity. While research on various forms of dance has emphasized unhealthy body image influences, belly dance offers a counter-example, indicating broad and inclusive body image norms, lack of pressure for body image conformity, and high levels of body satisfaction among dancers. Data also indicated that those norms are linked to more generalized challenges to gender roles and structures. Explanations for the maintenance of alternative collective norms focus on two institutional influences: processes of socialization to collective values, and the free space provided by a gender segregated activity.(Dennis J. Downeya, 2010) Feminism sought to change the world for both men and women and their relationships in order to move to a better place and direction. Both belly dance and feminism underwent an insurgence during the 1970‟s. Feminism pushed for better job opportunities for women, more personal and sexual freedom and belly dance seemed to epitomize these aspects. It encouraged women to be freer with themselves, confident with their bodies and better self-expression. It also pushed them into taking centre stage and freed them from the necessity of having to be demure and submissive. It was liberating for them and increased their confidence. Most dancers believe that they are dancing for themselves and because they love it rather than for others or to please or seduce men and many feel that this is a very feminine form of dance. Belly dance has been associated with the fertility rituals and goddess worship so there is a sense of divinity and beauty connected to this. Feminist critique can help dancers bridge the gap between what they desire and how they are perceived. (Deagon) A study conducted by Virginia Keft-Kennedy brings the belly-dancing body into focus as a legitimate object of analysis that exposes how social meanings are shaped through performance, and how dancing bodies are and read through race, sexuality, and gender. In examining the politics of gender and race in the representation of belly dance, the study uses three key theoretical formations: feminism, Orientalism, and the grotesque. It is concerned with the convoluted ways in which belly dance has been mythologised, represented, and constructed in a range of texts such as colonial travel writing, fiction, and images from popular culture. In addition, the thesis also explores the

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connections of (neo)colonialism, commodification, consumer culture, sexuality, and notions of female embodiment in representations of belly dance. (Keft-Kennedy, 2005).

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Chapter 3 METHODOLOGY

Research is a process that can be understood or explained in many ways. It is a systematic inquiry used to explain, predict, and control the observed phenomenon. Various methods such as deductive and inductive methods are used in research. When the observed phenomenon is analysed and the general structures are, principles are identified, then it becomes inductive reasoning. Deductive reasons, on the other hand, verify hypothesized principles via observation. Explanations are developed through one and the validity of explanation is tested through the other. One thing that we have to pay attention to research is that the heart of the research is not on statistics, but the thinking behind the research. How we really want to find out, how we build arguments about ideas and concepts, and what evidence that we can support to persuade people to accept our arguments. Gall, Borg and Gall (1996) proposed four types of knowledge that research contributed to education as follows:

1. Description: Results of research can describe natural or social phenomenon, such as its form, structure, activity, change over time, relationship to other phenomena. The descriptive function of research relies on instrumentation for measurement and observations. The descriptive research results in our understanding of what happened. It sometimes produces statistical information about aspects of education. 2. Prediction: Prediction research is intended to predict a phenomenon that will occur at time Y from information at an earlier time X. In educational research, researchers have been engaged in: o Acquiring knowledge about factors that predict students' success in school and in the world of work o Identifying students who are likely to be unsuccessful so that prevention programs can be instituted.

3. Improvement: This type of research is mainly concerned with the effectiveness of intervention. The research approach includes experimental design and evaluation research. 4. Explanation: This type research subsumes the other three: if the researchers are able to explain an educational phenomenon, it means that they can describe, can predict its consequences, and know how to intervene to change those consequences. There are various purposes of research. Patton (1990) pointed out the importance of identifying the purpose in a research process. He classified four types of research based on different purposes: 5. Basic Research: The purpose of this research is to understand and explain, i.e. the research is interested in formulating and testing theoretical construct and propositions that ideally generalize across time and space. This type of research takes the form of a theory that explains the phenomenon under investigation to give its contribution to knowledge. This research is more descriptive in nature exploring what, why and how questions. 6. Applied Research: The purpose of this research, is to help people understand the nature of human problems so that human beings can more effectively control their environment. In other words, this type of research pursues potential solutions to human and societal problems. This research is more prescriptive in nature, focusing on how questions. 7. Evaluation Research (summative and formative): Evaluation research studies the processes and outcomes aimed at attempted solution. The purpose of formative research is to improve human intervention within specific conditions, such as activities, time, and groups of people; the purpose of summative evaluation is to judge the effectiveness of a program, policy, or product. 8. Action Research: Action research aims at solving specific problems within a program, organization, or community. Patton (1990) described that design and data collection in action research tends to be more informal, and the people in the situation are directly involved in gathering information and studying themselves. Dissertation is a piece of writing that is structured and has an argument in response to a central question. It is a very detailed examination of the subject matter. It is developed over various paragraphs and is substantiated. The argument has validation based on the evidence gathered during the research 14

process. Various processes and methods can be used by the researcher to validate his/her argument. Quantitative method involves gathering and organizing data in a quantitative format, which is subsequently subjected to rigorous quantitative analysis. This method is subdivided into inferential, experimental and simulation methods. Inferential approach to research is to create a database from which relationship between population constituents is assessed. Experimental approach involves controlling the research environment to observe effects of certain conditions on a given population. In a simulation research, an artificial environment is created wherein data can be assembled and conclusions can be drawn. Qualitative methods produce information only on the particular cases studied, and any more general conclusions are only hypotheses. Quantitative methods can be used to verify which of such hypotheses are true. The majority tendency throughout the history of social science, however, is to use eclectic approaches-by combining both methods. Qualitative methods might be used to understand the meaning of the conclusions produced by quantitative methods. Using quantitative methods, it is possible to give precise and testable expression to qualitative ideas. This combination of quantitative and qualitative data gathering is often referred to as mixed-methods research. Multi methodology or multi method research includes the use of more than one method of data collection or research in a research study or set of related studies and mixed methods research is more specific in that it includes the mixing of qualitative and quantitative data, methods, methodologies, and/or paradigms in a research study or set of related studies. One could argue that mixed methods research is a special case of multi method research. All of these approaches to professional and academic research emphasize that single method research can be improved through the use of multiple data, methods, methodologies, perspectives, standpoints, and paradigms.Qualitative research is a method of inquiry employed in many different academic disciplines, traditionally in the social sciences, but also in market research and further contexts. Qualitative researchers aim to gather an in-depth understanding of human behaviour and the reasons that govern such behaviour. The qualitative method investigates the why and how of decision making, not just what, where, when. There are various methods under qualitative 15

research that provides a greater understanding of the study. Some of these are Expert Interviews, Focus group discussion and Content Analysis. Expert interview is a tool used in a qualitative research as a method of sharing knowledge. It was spoken about by Neill McKee and Dr Hermann Tillman and Dr Maria Salas in their manual titled Visualization in Participatory Programs Manual published in 1993. This method is ideal as it encourages those who have a vast knowledge in the required field to share their knowledge in a relaxed and informal setting and encourages greater participation.(Expert Interview). Focus group discussion is a method of assessing and gathering semi- structured data wherein a selected set of participants who have been nominated based on certain parameters meet to confer on issues and concerns related to a particular topic and based on a set of themes chosen by the researcher (Kumar 1987). This technique was initially developed to give researchers a better understanding of their surveys and this is shown to be a cost effective technique for gathering and understanding topics and phenomena.(Escalada & Heong) Content analysis is a research procedure used to create replicable and binding extrapolations by understanding and coding textual material. By thoroughly appraising texts such as documents, oral communication, and graphics, qualitative data can be transformed into quantitative data. Although the method has been used frequently in the social sciences, only recently has it become more prevalent among organizational scholars.(What is Content Analysis?)

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3.1 Research Problem The researcher intends to use qualitative method for her dissertation which will include content analysis, expert interviews and a focus group discussion. According to feminist theorist Bell Hooks, feminism is a not an anti-men movement but one that seeks to go against sexism, its exploitation and oppression. (Hooks, 2000) The belief that feminism is about anti-men creates dissonances and problems in the whole hearted acceptance of feminism by everybody. The researcher believes that feminism simply is about having equal rights and opportunities for men and women and the prospects for a woman to whole heartedly follow her choices and desires. A theory that covers various aspects such as politics, race, gender, the human body and so on, feminism is a vast and interlinks various other thoughts and disciplines such as psychology and literature. Belly dance is one of the oldest dance forms that has been recorded. The word „belly dance‟ itself brings to mind various images, most of them stereotypical, some of them true and others that are an insult to the art form. Most of these images include a skimpily clad woman moving her hips sensuously while reality is much beyond this. Belly dance has not been seen for the art form that it is but more as a means of titillating others and sexually attractive rather than sensual. Women who practise this art form in most cases have been looked down upon and have been thought to be a little too „free‟ or in some extreme cases, „shameless‟. There are people who see belly dance for what it is, a dance form that lets a woman express herself in various ways. It requires a certain level of comfort with the body and this in turn helps in liberating her. Apart from keeping a woman physically fit, belly dance also has a positive impact on self-esteem and body issues and helps a person become more comfortable and accepting of herself. Contrary to popular belief, belly dance is not restricted to just women, there are certain dance schools that involve men as well and there are various famous male belly dancers as well. Dance one its own, is a subjective art form. The beauty of it is that it allows everyone to have their own personal way of connecting, interpreting and expressing themselves. Considering the controversies and popularity of both feminism and belly dance, the researcher seeks to interpret belly dance from a feministic point of view, focusing on body issues, the struggle for acceptance in society and male interpretation of belly dance from a viewer‟s perspective. Today we see rampant atrocities committed against women, rape, murder and the general mistreatment of women especially by those seeking to assert their superiority over „inferior creatures‟ i.e. women. Also belly dancers are more 17

likely to be looked at as bar dancers or strippers or in the classic Bollywood terms „item girls‟. With this study, hopefully the researcher will be able to interpret belly dance in a way that is for women, giving a perspective that will portray belly dance in a more positive light, its advantages and also to develop a greater understanding and provide a greater insight into this art form and to question certain stereotypical notions of belly dance mentioned above and also to find out if belly dancing can be interpreted in various way. The media has a significant influence on the perception of people of certain issues. The amount of coverage given to issues can determine the amount of importance given to those subjects by the medium and therefore impact audiences‟ insight about the issue at hand.

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Chapter 4 ANALYSIS

This paper traces a general evolution of Belly dance and tries to interpret the dance form from a primarily feminist perspective with influences from orientalism and gender studies. A concept that has been debated and discussed and has seen various interpretations, feminism, in a nutshell, seeks to impart equality and give an equal status to men and women, though this idea can be contested. A theory that covers various aspects such as politics, race, gender, the human body and so on, feminism is a vast and interlinks various other thoughts and disciplines such as psychology and literature. Said writer Rebecca West in 1913, „I myself have never been able to find out precisely what feminism is, I only know that people call me a feminist whenever I express sentiments that differentiate me from a doormat or a prostitute‟. (Walters, 2005) Feminism is a term or idea that provokes strong reactions, either positive or negative and occasionally neutral. Usually generalised as an idea that is anti-men, feminism is a movement that looks to end oppression, sexism and sexist exploitation (Hooks, 2000). This idea opens whole new vistas of interpretation and ways of looking into diverse ideas that are influenced by feminism. An art form that originated many years ago, belly dancing has its origins in Egypt. Contrary to popular belief where belly dancing is mainly for entertainment, previously it had other ritualistic significance such as in fertility rites, worship of the mother goddess etc. Belly dance is one of the oldest dance forms that has been recorded. It has been illustrated in hieroglyphics on walls in Egypt dating back to 4000B.C. the main purposes it was danced for was usually religious and wedding purposes. The term Belly Dance as has been derived from various terms, one originates from the translation of the French term. One originates from the danse du ventre which was put forth by Sol Bloom, an entrepreneur in the 1890‟s. Another came from the Arabic word Beledi which is an Egyptian term for common people. Alternative term that is used is Raks-al-arabi which simply means Arabic Dance. The word „belly dance‟ itself brings to mind various

images, most of them stereotypical, some of them true and others that are an offense to the art form. Most of these images include a skimpily clad woman moving her hips sensuously while reality is much beyond this. Belly dance has not been seen for the art form that it is but more as a means of titillating others and a dance form that is sexually attractive rather than sensual. Women who practise this art form in many cases have been looked down upon and have been thought to be a little too „free‟ or in some extreme cases, „shameless‟. Certain feminists or those working for women‟s rights also may find this art form offensive as they feel that „exposing‟ themselves like this (evokes an image of the scantily clad, stereotypical image of a bellydancer) and subjecting themselves to a voyeuristic gaze can actually hinder the position of women in society today. However, there are people who see belly dance for what it is, a dance form that lets a woman express herself in various ways. It requires a certain level of comfort with the body and this in turn helps in liberating her. Apart from keeping a woman physically fit, belly dance also has a positive impact on self-esteem and body issues and helps a person become more comfortable and accepting of herself. Contrary to popular belief, belly dance is not restricted to just women, there are certain dance schools that involve men as well and there are various famous male belly dancers as well. Dance, on its own is a subjective art form. The beauty of it is that it allows everyone to have their own personal way of connecting, interpreting and expressing themselves. Gender differences are, at its most rudimentary level, associated with the body and dance is a form of art that arises from the body. Dance and feminism are natural cohorts, both dealing with the human body, its beauty, forms, expressions and interpretations. The aspects being dealt with feminism has changed over the years, while in the early 60‟s and 70‟s it dealt with the history, social situation and culture of woman, but today the spectrum has widened. For any idea to be questioned or adjusted, the most basic notion should be questioned and understood, in feminism, the entire idea of gender differences is being questioned, rather than accepting or glorifying the differences uncritically. The focus has also shifted today; it incorporates a spectator‟s point of view and on the entire course of representation. Various other questions have also been looked at, such as – whether a woman‟s idea of beauty is influenced by men‟s standards and choices, the reasons why modern dance was almost exclusively invented by women, is dance influenced by gender roles or is it independent of it and so forth. This feminist interpretation of dance has a lot of worth and can contribute in various ways to the ideas 20

of representation and can generate a deeper insight into the meaning produced by dance. The increased cultural idea of dance can also contribute to its wider acceptance. We live today, in a world were sexism and its subsequent complications have made matters quite difficult for men and women, especially for women who bear the brunt of gender stereotypes and roles. In order to move to better place and direction where women‟s roles and lives weren‟t determined by gender inequalities, feminism was a movement that wanted to change the world. During the 1970‟s both feminism and bellydance underwent a revolution. Feminism focused on providing or ensuring better job opportunities for women. Sexual freedom has always been a hotly debated topic with women bearing the brunt of hypocritical notions of sex, such as the one that makes it ok for men to indulge in pre-marital sex but for women, it would result in their becoming „impure‟. Feminism focused on abolishing these stereotypes and also tries to ensure more personal freedom. (Deagon) Bellydance seemed to exemplify these aspects, a dance form that breaks stereotypes. Apart from encouraging women to be free-er with themselves and embrace their personalities, bellydance also contributed to increase in confidence and express themselves better. Women are „supposed‟ to be or „asked‟ to be demure and submissive, but bellydance went beyond these notions and encouraged women to be true to themselves. It increased confidence and was liberating. Rather than dancing or performing for someone else, bellydancers danced for themselves solely because they loved it and dancing for oneself is more liberating than anything else. Contrary to popular notions, bellydancing is not performed for men or to seduce the audience, it is a highly feminine form of dance which embraces a woman‟s feminity and individuality. Most dancers believe that they are dancing for themselves and because they love it rather than for others or to please or seduce men and many feel that this is a very feminine form of dance. It has also been associated with fertility rituals and worship of the mother goddess so there is an added sense of beauty and divinity and makes the dance form sacred. Belly dance has been associated with the fertility rituals and goddess worship; hence there is a sense of mysticism and beauty linked to this. Feminist critique can aid dancers bridge the gap between what they yearn and how they are perceived. Belly dance is seen as one of the most feminine dances around. It is a personification of the female body wherein the dancers completely tend to accept themselves and dance in a way that limits inhibitions and allows them to express themselves. A lot of dancers talk about feeling a sense of sisterhood with their fellow dancers and many also believe that it enhances their self-esteem as well. However this 21

dance form has usually been misunderstood as being sexual and leads to objectification of women. In a nutshell, objectification refers to viewing people as objects without regard to their abilities and their emotions (Papadaki). It is an idea that is central to feminism. In a patriarchal society such as ours, especially in a country like India where belly dancing is still taking its preliminary steps into our contemporary culture, objectification is an issue that many women face on a daily basis and even more so for belly dancers. There are of course, cases wherein women learn bellydance solely to feel „sexy‟ or to please someone but this is not the true purpose of bellydance. It would only result in wrong ideas. (Nadia) Luckily, however, these circumstances are far and few in between as most people who come to learn do so both for fitness purposes or other physiological benefits and for the psychological benefits. Some also learn it for leisure or to feel the bond of a „sister- hood‟ and so on. Over the past thirty years, Western belly dancers have come to an interpretation of their art that builds on these early liberating self-discoveries. Many bellydancers or those practising any other dance form believe that they are dancing for themselves and not for others or to please anyone. They feel that bellydance is particularly feminine and a valuable source of self-expression for them and their group. While many individual philosophies of dance exist, and while there is often heated discussion about them within the community, on the whole dancers take a more or less feminist view of what they are doing. Most dancers feel that they are dancing for themselves and for a wide audience, rather than to please and seduce men. Many dancers, while conscious of occasionally experiencing unpleasant competition from other performers, they still experience a sense of sisterhood with their fellow dancers. (Deagon) Although common myths such as that of harems and slave dancers still dominate the mind set of audiences or non-dancers, bellydance is discussed by those practising it in terms of childbirth rituals and goddess worship. The experience of dancers tends to support the notion that bellydance is good for women; as a form of self-expression, that reflects a woman‟s skills, power and aura. But, no matter how well and true the intentions are, a dancer does not have much control over her audiences‟ reactions and perceptions. Some are confused as to whether bellydance is empowering for women or is it degrading. According to Virginia Keft-Kennedy, in her article mentioned that bellydancers were looked at with distrust and were looked down upon, whether the classical form or 22

contemporary versions. (Keft-Kenedy, 2005) During the 19th century in Europe and America, bellydance or similar dance forms were condemned and were also banned. For example, The Chicago Tribune wrote a report where-in it was mentioned that Bellydance as a dance form was too objectionable a dance form to be comprehended by those with „refined taste‟ or upper class people. It also reported that such a dance form could not be called as dance. (Dancing Masters Enter a Protest, 1893) Although times are changing today and people are becoming more open minded, viewers are not exactly keeping pace with a feminist image of dance. A professional bellydancer may still have a hard time being taken seriously, and belly dance is still marginalised. Dance forms such as Ballet, Modern dance are all seen as high culture while bellydance still continues to be ostracized and is not given its due. Andrea Deagon, a dancer and an associate professor who teaches Classical studies and Women‟s studies at the University of North Carolina says that, when bellydancers perform in certain venues, they are hardly taken seriously. She believes that social occasions are volatile for dance performances. While she performs in utmost joy and abandon, attempting to take in and exude positive energy, most likely in clubs or parties, she may be hardly taken seriously and is just looked at with amusement and titillation. She may seem like a source of sexual energy, an indiscreet one and it would be hard for her to break through perceptions of people regardless of what she truly wants to portray. Various reactions towards bellydance include –ignore because patrons might be embarrassed by the performance, teasing or joking with sexual innuendos interspersed in between because most are ignorant about the dance form and so forth. (Deagon) There is a vital failure of communication. The dancers exudes a sense of positivity and is empowered by her dancing and shares the same with the audience, but due to the impositions of a patriarchal mind-set that women have to face everywhere, it seems as though she is against society‟s norms. Instead of staying meek and submissive and „hiding‟ her body, she brings out sensuality and commands attention and is in the forefront. Since these actions are not what audiences are used to seeing, they fail to see the dance form as expression or art. As they are used to dancers expressing, perhaps, shyness or coyness, being bold is an expression most fail to understand. Belly dancing is seen solely as a women‟s domain which has underlying significance in itself but there are also various male belly dancers who have made names for themselves, some coming up with their own versions of Belly dance. The researcher also conducted a

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focus group discussion and expert interviews with people directly connected to the dance in order to gain a deeper understanding of the subject.

4.1 Expert Interview Expert Interviews are conducted with an idea to garner a deeper and clearer understanding of a particular subject from the point of view of someone who has a lot of prior experience or expertise. These interviews help streamline the entire discussion and provide a basis for the researcher to further explore his/her topic in a correct and concrete direction. The researcher chose people who are experts in the field of belly dance both from India and abroad and both men and women. The questions were based on feminism and media‟s portrayal of bellydance. The questions slightly differed for male and female bellydancers and also for dancers based in India and abroad. The questions were divided into sections, one which dealt with the feminist analysis aspect and the other that dealt with the media aspect of it. The first expert chosen was Ms Payal Gupta, a professional bellydancer who hails from Bangalore, Karnataka. Ms. Payal Gupta comes from a very diverse cultural background wherein performance and arts is given vast importance and therefore has been very passionate about dance since the age of seven. She holds a Bachelor‟s degree in Engeneering and attended dance classes all through her student life. Her love and passion for dance made her opt for change in career.After many years of teaching and learning, she has gained tremendous experience in teaching and performing while learning from some of the best in the world of dance such as Aziza (Canada), Sadie Marquardt (USA), Leyla Jouvana (Germany), Silvia Salamanca (USA), Nika Mlakar (Slovenia), Nadia Nikishenko (Russia), Queenie (Belgium), Arati sunawala, Prithvi and Ree and the NATYA institute (India). She specialises in Egyptian, Arabic, fusion, folk, tribal and modern belly dance, contemporary and freestyle and also holds a record in the “INDIAN BOOK OF RECORDS” in the field of belly dancing.

SECTION 1 1) How did you first hear about Bellydance? Once, on television my mother and I watched a live Belly dance performance by a Russian dancer and we were amazed by the beauty and the complexity of this art. It

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was then that my mother decided to have me learn Belly dance at any cost and seriously pursue it. 2) What was your first impression of it before learning, how have perceptions changed after learning bellydance? (Common stereotypes that you have had before and after learning belly dance) My first impression was that it was insanely difficult to be able to isolate like that and so intricately move your muscles to sync with the music. Also the common first impression everyone gets is that this dance is all about just moving your belly or hips, and I was under the same impression too. But after I began taking lessons, I learned that to isolate „one part‟ of the body, you need the power to control the rest as well, to either remain still or to move differently but independently of the first „part‟, therefore making it a full body exercise. Also it gave me better understanding of the various range of movements I can have with every single part of my body. 3) Do you think belly dancing empowers women? If so, how? Yes, most definitely. Firstly, Belly dance movements/ techniques were created by women, keeping in mind the voluptuous shape of a woman. Therefore this dance form looks best when it is danced by women since they enhance the beauty and sensuality of it. I believe that Belly dance makes a woman feel comfortable of her body type making her feel special about herself and that helps to improve confidence, grace and posture. Also belly dance can be done by women even upto the age of 60 and who doesn‟t want to be able to dance as gracefully at that age? I don‟t think any other dance form can offer this! 4) How has it empowered you? Belly dancing for me has been my strongest form of expression. I have learnt various other forms of dance before belly dance could hit me and I can now say without doubt that no other dance form as been more challenging and intriguing. I have been able to grow immensely as a dancer and understand my body to make it groove to the most intricate of rhythms, sounds and beats. I have been able to create sequences, combinations and choreographies that have never seen or attempted before. The freedom to be able to do this has been the most empowering for me. 5) What is your idea of feminism and how would you relate dance to it? Feminism for me is a very strong tool for a woman. After all men don‟t have any such term exclusively for them. There are a lot of things that define feminism, be it 25

clothes, art work, dance, colours, expressions etc., and dance being the most powerful of them all. 6) How would you relate bellydance to feminism? Continuing the answer to the previous question, Belly dance especially is one of the most femininely expressed art since as I mentioned earlier, it is a collection of dance moves created by women to suit their body structure. Therefore the connection here is very clear. Also the costumes a woman wears for belly dance is to display feminine expressions and also such that the movements are enhanced and seen clearly and is the best suited for a woman‟s body type.

SECTION 2 Media is one of the most important sources of information and says a lot in terms of how people perceive a particular thought or idea- the following questions will shed some insights on this. Media here refers to any published form-print, broadcast or online. 7) How is bellydance portrayed in the media today? Well since „media‟ is a broad classification I would like to break it down. Firstly, the print media has contributed by writing about various belly dance teachers, techniques, benefits, workshops, performances, history, style, facts from time to time all mostly in favour and good will of belly dance. This is mainly because they have made efforts to get first-hand information from the Belly dancers themselves. Secondly, in the „broadcast‟ media-largely talking about television here- there have been several instances where there have been attempts made to exploit this art form. By this I mean, reality-shows and cinemas. Belly dance has mostly been portrayed to be something to be looked up as -a less respected dance form, a dance done only for the purpose of showing off skin, a dance for the entertainment of men, a dance with no technique! These perceptions are everything that belly dance is really not! Lastly, the online media is probably the most widely used medium to get info from, watch videos, take lessons etc. and is therefore an open platform to various audiences. Generally people will watch, study or read about topics that interest them and can chose to even dislike anything that does not and therefore he online media will only influence a person as much as he/she chooses to get aware of. 8) How has the media portrayed bellydance in India/in the west because it is not inherently an Indian dance form? Are there any differences? 26

The media in India is pretty much catching up with the way the media in the west portrays belly dance nowadays except for the broadcast media (as mentioned in the previous answer) since the broadcast media in the west does not include „item songs‟ or erotic dance moves in their movies and hence the question of using belly dance there does not arise which is unlike the movies in India. In India, any new art form or upcoming talent is exploited to a great extent in order to make it a commercial business out of it, whereas this is not the case in the west. If you are a belly dancer in the west, you can popularise it by various other means like dance festivals, showcases, competitions etc. which are not so commercial, whereas the case in India is otherwise, where the most popular route to fame is the appearance of your talent on television via reality shows or the movies. Therefore the possession of the knowledge of belly dance then becomes secondary and the skill to sell it becomes primary. 9) Do you think today the portrayal of bellydance in the media is empowering to women? I definitely think so, since the print media has really helped me get my career in belly dance to a great height. My views and thoughts have been printed and taken quite well with the people of India and this has been helpful in generating a good foot fall for my classes. But speaking in general, the media has been doing good to the belly dance community mostly through good editorials, pictures, videos etc. and hence the growth of the community. Women are ready to let go of their inhibitions and try out activities that support their health and well-being and a great contribution towards this change is made by the media and women are not shy anymore to try out belly dancing. 10) Crimes against women are rising and stereotypical notions of belly dance don’t exactly help either (sensual, scantily clad women etc.) do you think being a belly dancer or teaching it can be a disadvantage? Being a belly dancer in India especially has been a great struggle actually since the orthodox and traditional perceptions of the Indians don‟t generally accept change very quickly. I have had a good number of students coming to classes whose parents were supportive enough luckily but ive also had an equal number of students who have had to fight with parents or go against the typical society barriers to pursue a course in belly dancing. So somewhere there has been a disadvantage I can say but being in India and knowing the Indian mentality I was prepared for this and I knew that the process of change is going to be painfully slow. I will always stand by my principle of showing the true art form that belly dance is and people can choose to either open their minds and 27

learn a culturally rich dance form or just look at it as another obscene form of entertainment. 11) Classical dance forms such as bharatnatyam has always seen more acceptance, are there differences in the portrayal of dance forms such as bharatnatyam as compared to belly dance by the media? If so how? (It could be in terms of quantity of information that is given, quality of reporting for that particular dance form etc.) Portraying any Indian classical dance form has always been so important to Indians as we believe in keeping the culture alive by whatever means. But clearly the acceptance of belly dance has not been taken to the same level yet. Some of the issues I have faced is that I would never find sponsors to fund my belly dance festival, just because its “Belly dance”, I have always had to answer a million questions to the more orthodox community whenever I needed to hire a place for a belly dance event or when acquiring licenses for conducting such events, I‟ve always been looked down upon as someone who must have dropped out of college or is a rebel to be a belly dancer etc. whereas the case wouldn‟t have been such if I was a classical dancer organizing classical dance events. 12) What according to you would be the ideal portrayal of bellydance by the media? According to me the ideal portrayal of belly dance by the media would be to create a balance between commercialisation of Belly dance and promoting it as a cultural and performing arts subject. Considering the power that the media has, it would be best appreciated by the dance fraternity if this power is channelled through the right sources to bring out the proper appearance of belly dance. (Gupta, 2014) The next expert who was chosen was a male belly dancer who goes by the stage name of „Zorba‟. He has been a performer his entire life and is trained in classical music from a very early age. He was also a fixture in many local bands and orchestras such as the well-known Watsonville Band. In early 1996, dance caught his attention, and he joined The Greek Village Dancers of the Monterey Peninsula, starting to perform with them after a two year apprentice. He then became interested in Bellydancing after watching a performance and under the guidance of Janette Benedon-Brenner, Jamaica Sinclair, and many other teachers and workshop instructors; he began to specialise in this dance form. Male bellydancers are very rare but even amongst this rarity, Zorba is unique. He specialises in veil word and exudes grace and a smooth dancing style which is not 28

common amongst his male peers. "I didn't know men's hips could move like that!" is a comment that has been heard more than once in reference to Zorba. "I don't let a minor detail such as mere gender stand in my way" he says. Owning both of the legendary Nadia Gamal's two dance canes, Zorba dances the Raks Assaya, which is a traditional Middle Eastern cane dance. He also specializes in Raks Al Shemadan, the traditional Egyptian Candelabrum dance. But his favourite is veil dancing, both single veil and double. "Veil dancing is as much fun as you can have with your clothes on!" he likes to say. (Zorba, Zorba's Bio) Questions were slightly tweaked for Mr Zorba as he is a male belly dancer and resides in the United States of America. Mr Zorba‟s answers were short and to the point. They were short sentences that carried a lot of depth and meaning. SECTION 1 1) How did you first hear about Bellydance? I saw several Belly Dancers over the years, thought they were very pretty! 2) What was your first impression of it before learning, how have perceptions changed after learning bellydance? (Common stereotypes that you have had before and after learning belly dance) Didn‟t think much about it one way or another - thought the women and their costumes were pretty. 3) Do you think belly dancing empowers women? If so, then how? I think it empowers anyone who will give it an honest try. It builds confidence, body acceptance, and empowers the dancer to be herself. 4) What is your idea of feminism and how would you relate dance to it? As a male, I say I‟m a “masculinist” - which would be the same as a “feminist” in that I‟m all for equality between the genders - both ways! 5) How would you relate bellydance to feminism? It is empowering, and to reverse the question - it allows men to be equal to women. It lets us (both genders) own ourselves, be in touch with ourselves, and be true to ourselves. 6) Belly dancing is usually seen to be more of a women’s domain, how does belly dance fit in to a male’s perspective/domain? Have you had to face any complications by being a male belly dancer? I did face a few complications. The situation here on the west coast of the USA isn‟t as problematic as it is in many places of the world, including some parts the US. 29

Britain in particular is well known as being hostile to male Belly Dancers, although the situation there is apparently improving slowly. I was once asked to leave a class because the women there were uncomfortable with me. 7) Do you think belly dancing is empowering for men as well? If so, according to you, how has it empowered you? Absolutely! As I have mentioned before, it empowers anyone who give it an honest try. I approached this dance form with a lot of passion and integrity and today this dance has made me who I am. (Zorba, Feminism in Bellydance and its portrayal in the Media, 2014)

SECTION 2 Media is one of the most important sources of information and says a lot in terms of how people perceive a particular thought or idea- the following questions will shed some insights on this. Media here refers to any published form-print, broadcast or online (These questions are for all experts) 8) How is bellydance portrayed in the media today? Do you think today, the portrayal of bellydance in the media is positive or is does it seem to be degrading? Here in the US, usually either kind of neutral, or a bit salacious - “nudge-nudge, wink wink”. But not exactly terrible, like it would be in say, Egypt. 9) Classical dance forms such as ballet has always seen more acceptance, are there differences in the portrayal of dance forms such as ballet as compared to belly dance? If so how? (It could be in terms of quantity of information that is given, quality of reporting for that particular dance form etc.) Ballet et al are presented as very hard to learn, high-brow entertainment - although even there Ballerinas are suspected of having a male “Patron”. Belly Dance isn‟t regarded as difficult, although anyone who has ever tried it will tell you that it is - including Ballerinas! 10) What according to you would be the ideal portrayal of bellydance by the media? A bit more respect would be nice, a social folk dance which is what it is! The third expert consulted was Sruthi Kulkarni, again a Bangalore based professional dancer. Sruthi has been dancing since she was a three years old and has been giving stage performances right since her school days and has been a part of various dance teams. She completed a diploma course in movement arts and mixed media with distinction from the reputed institute Attakkalari and was awarded with „student of the 30

year‟ and worked with the company for six months as a repertory member. She is also trained in bellydancing and has been a member of the Bangalore based bellydance troupe „Isadora‟s Muse‟. She has been featured in the Academy Award winning singer Tanvi Shah‟s single „Call it love‟ and is also a freelance dancer for various dance groups. She is currently representing India in the 22 International Bellydance festival in Germany She is trained in dance forms such as ballet, contemporary, kalaripayattu, bharatnatyam and kathak. is trained in various forms of dance such as Bharatnatyam, freestyle etc.

SECTION 1 1) How did you first hear about Bellydance? I first saw the belly dancers from the Banjara school of dance perform on a reality show. 2) What was your first impression of it before learning, how have perceptions changed after learning bellydance? (Common stereotypes that you have had before and after learning belly dance) I was extremely impressed with the form, for the very fact that it was so feminine and so graceful. The isolations the form demanded blew my mind away and once I started practising, I completely fell in love with form as it enhanced my inner beauty as a woman. 3) Do you think belly dancing empowers women? If so, how? Undoubtedly! The very posture of belly dance where we teach the students to always have the chest and chin lifted gives us an inevitable strength and energy to feel beautiful as a woman. The isolations of art form demands gives me a hope to achieve things that seem impossible as the isolations aren‟t natural to the body which is what reminds me that nothing is impossible. 4) How has it empowered you? I started belly dancing at that point of my dancing career when I was shattered with my dream of pursuing dance and when I lost all hopes as a dancer. So belly dancing has definitely brought back hopes in me as a dancer and made me fall in love with myself and made me believe that I‟m blessed to be born as a woman and a woman with purpose, purpose to change people's mentality towards dance and performers. 5) What is your idea of feminism and how would you relate dance to it? My idea of feminism is respect, equality and recognition to women and their strength and talent. I definitely feel dance is one medium that lets women lose 31

themselves and express themselves while they are up on stage performing. I also feel dance by itself has many qualities of a woman, like, patience, elegance, grace, strength, expressions etc. which moulds a woman into who we are. 6) How would you relate bellydance to feminism? Belly dance is not easily accepted by the society and there are innumerable woman out there struggling hard to get this form the recognition it deserves, which shows that we demand the right and respect and acceptance of our choice.

SECTION 2 Media is one of the most important sources of information and says a lot in terms of how people perceive a particular thought or idea- the following questions will shed some insights on this. Media here refers to any published form-print, broadcast or online. 7) How is bellydance portrayed in the media today? Back then, media was one of the reasons for the misconception regarding this beautiful art form but I have to admit that even media has taken efforts to change the idea of this art form to general public. I have seen constant updates and articles about belly dance and the artists and how much more this art form has to offer. 8) How has the media portrayed bellydance in India/in the west because it is not inherently an Indian dance form? Are there any differences? There definitely is a difference as belly dancing is also done in restaurants and private parties in the western countries and the audience very much appreciate the art form and respect the performers which I don‟t really see in Indian audience. Other than a handful of people I don‟t really see people appreciating the art form specially the men who still think belly dance is all about exposing! 9) Do you think today the portrayal of bellydance in the media is empowering to women? Very much! As I mentioned earlier this is one form which strengthens the woman physically and mentally so the more the form gets focussed the more women who would develop interest in the art form and the more beneficial going get. 10) Crimes against women are rising and stereotypical notions of belly dance don’t exactly help either (sensual, scantily clad women etc.) do you think being a belly dancer or teaching it can be a disadvantage? Definitely not! In fact I feel very blessed and honoured to be able to spread this knowledge that I know. And the more people I teach and the more people I perform for

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have all accepted that it indeed is a very beautiful and challenging form so I feel very honoured to be representing the bellydance community. 11) Classical dance forms such as bharatnatyam has always seen more acceptance, are there differences in the portrayal of dance forms such as bharatnatyam as compared to belly dance by the media? If so how? (It could be in terms of quantity of information that is given, quality of reporting for that particular dance form etc.) I feel off late that bharatnatyam and other classical forms are, unfortunately not getting the importance and the lime light that it deserves. In fact, I see belly dance being more popularised which is why there are a lot more women who want to pursue it, a lot more men who want their wives to learn this form. I now feel that this generation is a lot more broad minded and is taking things differently. 12) What is according to you would be the ideal portrayal of bellydance by the media? According to me, if they could just highlight how much more the art form has to offer than just the costumes and how much technique is involved in putting up a show for just 5 minutes, then people would not of think of belly dance the way they do as of now and their notions will definitely change. (Kulkarni, 2014) Another expert consulted was Ms Meher Malik, a professional bellydancer based in New Delhi, India. She is one of the leading promoters of this Egyptian art form in India having spent more than 15 years in training and mastering, and now teaching bellydance and evolving through her „Banjara School of Dance‟, in Delhi. Known for her strong and evocative performances, Meher blends Egyptian belly dancing with Bollywood moves and songs to whip up an intoxicating concoction. She has carved a niche for herself in a relatively short time. Meher received huge recognition after her appearances on Indian reality shows such as India‟s Got Talent season 1 and Just Dance. (some of the questions have been clubbed together as they expert preferred to answer them together)

SECTION 1 1) How did you first hear about Bellydance? Dancing had always been a part of my life (as a hobby). I started learning Bharatnatyam at the age of seven. When I was in school, I went on a trip to Egypt where I went for a cruise in the river Nile. There was a belly dancer performing there and she asked me to dance with her and surprisingly, I could do it pretty well. All of my folks were shocked because I used to be the tomboy in school. And I think that stayed with me 33

forever and when I quit NIFT(National Institute of Fashion Technology), I travelled all the way to London to attend my first Belly Dancing festival. And then I just wanted more and more of them, basically, I just travelled for one whole year and learned belly dancing. 2) What was your first impression of it before learning, how have perceptions changed after learning bellydance? (Common stereotypes that you have had before and after learning belly dance) I did not learn bellydancing or hear about it in a very traditional sense. Although I lived in Oman for about 17 years, even in the Middle East where bellydance originated from, it is seen to be against Islamic culture by many and is not very much encouraged. However, on the other hand, in Egypt it was accepted and celebrated as well and I could not help make the comparison as to why these dance forms very rejected in two different countries with similar cultural backgrounds. As I was away from India at that time, I did not have the typical stereotypical notion of bellydance. Bellydance is a controversial topic in many countries. But from what I have noticed, even girls in the western countries which are generally perceived as liberal have to get through various prejudices in order to start learning bellydance because they believe that it is supposed to be performed mainly in bachelor parties or so. 3) Do you think belly dancing empowers women? If so, then how? Yes, I do but in a very different sense. To be able to be comfortable in their own body is what I look at. We see so many young girls with body image issues and the drastic steps they take in order to mould their body into something that is not healthy or within their idea of the ideal body. For me empowerment through this dance is being able to be comfortable in your own unique body. In Banjara, which is the dance academy that I run, there is absolutely no discrimination based on body type, we just want those are ready to be disciplined. We accept people for who they are. I have attended a lot of dance classes, various dancing schools and I have been told that my „size‟ isn‟t perfect and I have been told to lose weight before dancing. I have also seen this in ballet; where the ballerinas need to completely focus on their body, have the right weight and height according to the required standards and so on. In the world of bellydance, we are women who love to eat, dance, travel and do what we want without being answerable to the world or follow whatever is dictated to us so I think that has made a huge difference in the way women perceive themselves and this I think, has made women feel empowered. Also since bellydancing has a sensual element to it and 34

you are playing around with your sensuality, which is a very very important thing that a woman should be comfortable with, I think that has also led to woman becoming more comfortably both sexually and sensually because they feel like I‟m comfortable in my own skin and I don‟t need to change for anyone and I don‟t need to shy about being a „sexy woman‟ because a lot of times a woman‟s dressing is under scrutiny, her manners etc. but I think we have reached a point in the belly dancing world where, if you want to conform to stereotypes then you would not be learning belly dancing so we are not very worried about what people think about us or what they have to say about us. 4) How has it empowered you? The lineage that I come from, my teacher who is Leila Hadadd, is a stage performer and she was this really strong woman and she is much older than us, perhaps late 50‟s so when she started her career, I am sure she must have seen hard times but she is a very tough woman and I can tell that she has gone through a tough time because she has such strong opinions about everything and when she was a bellydancer, it was only being performed at nightclubs and she would say „No, I‟m not going to perform at a nightclub, I want to perform this on stage‟. She was one of the pioneers to bring bellydancing to the stage and something that I really respect about her and has really impacted me because I had a teacher who taught like that and was bold enough to fight the world to teach me those values and made me think that if she, at that time when it was much harder, could be bold enough to do something like that then it would be a piece of cake for us because things are much simpler for us. To be very honest, bellydance as a taboo or problem, I don‟t exactly see these anymore; I don‟t deal with this anymore. Now if anybody talks or makes any comment like that then I just ignore it and I don‟t deal with it. We have a choice to accept things the way we want to and honestly I don‟t care about people‟s reactions anymore. Prejudice is not something that impacts my school anymore, it is passé, and it is gone. I know a lot of people who respect our work and of course there are challenges that have to be faced but you choose to look at the good and ignore the bad, you don‟t have to take it seriously. 5) What is your idea of feminism and how would you relate dance and bellydance in particular to it? To be very honest, I don‟t know if I have put myself in the category of being a feminist per say, I don‟t know where I stand in this concept because I truly feel that the way women are treated, to a very strong degree if bad are the fault of women. Today a 35

woman is doing what she wants to do or she has the choice to do what she wants to do. I think a mother is very responsible for the way her children turn out, I feel today‟s women will do a good job in bringing up both boys and girls equally and not discriminate based on gender and the women that allow themselves to be treated in a certain fashion, are the ones to blame. I was in a situation many years back where people would look down upon bellydance and me as a dancer and I could have just allowed that and not done anything about that but I did not allow it, I did not let it get to me. I don‟t let people treat me the way they want to and I‟ll live life the way I want to. I am not a sufferer or a victim. Even if people have tried to hurt or oppress me, I have not let it happen. I feel feminism is a very individualistic subject and people will talk about it based on their life experiences and I don‟t feel like a whole bracket of feminism applies to all women. I see the way men behave women but I have also seen that women have a choice. This is my point of view, there may be people who want to debate this but this is what I think. I have gone through a lot to come to the point that at the end of the day it comes to our choices and feminism is a very subjective topic of discussion and I think bellydance represents all of the above and has made me who I am.

SECTION 2

Media is one of the most important sources of information and says a lot in terms of how people perceive a particular thought or idea- the following questions will shed some insights on this. Media here refers to any published form-print, broadcast or online. 7) How is bellydance portrayed in the media today? I do feel like Bollywood for example, still has a very stereotypical image of Bellydance. It is still girls in a nightclub, it is still men drinking, it is still entertainment, it is still bar dancing. To a very large extent, this is still what people think about bellydancing. For example recently, my students and I were supposed to be on this reality show called „Dil se nache Indiawale‟, the pre promotion show for the movie called Happy New Year, the production house requested for something really silly. It seemed as though they did not want serious dancing per say so I asked them why they were requesting for our troupe if they wanted dancers purely for entertainment, and the one person from the production house actually went to the extent of saying that “But bellydancing is not serious no ?”. According to her only jazz, contemporary and so on were „serious dancing‟ and I obviously did not bother talking to her again as I don‟t want 36

to deal with that small mindedness. So Bollywood and the television industry still think that bellydance is some sexy dance that girls do when they are in a good mood and it some fairy-tale like „not serious‟ dance. That is the bad part but the good part is because at the end of the day they also want to show bellydancing because they are enamoured by the exotic aspect of the dance and the sensuality, they still want to put it in movies, they still want to put it in reality shows and multiple times on television and that helps us. At the end of the day when the curiosity of the people is raised, they want to know about it and when they want to know about it, they want to come and learn it and when they come and learn it, they are educated about it in the right way. Some of them choose to leave because it is too serious a path for them but a major chunk stays because they realise that this is the real deal and they feel like a woman, so media has a dual role in it. In its larger role, it still portrays bellydance to be a bar dance but it is also bringing the right kind of market to us, the market that is curious and we do with that curiosity is in our hands. Newspapers and magazines have also changed in terms of the way they portray bellydance. A few years ago there would probably be stories like „Bellydance as a taboo but it is a changing trend‟, then it went on to „Bellydance- A great way to lose weight‟ then to „Bellydance as a serious and more accepted form of dance‟ and highlighted the efforts of famous actresses who were learning this form of dance and now it is focussing on stories and bellydancers and how it is impacting people and so on. We even had a dance critic who wrote for us recently and these critics generally only write for classical dance forms like Kathak etc. and she had very good comments for us. She said that she saw purity without kitsch or aggression and not a cut throat situation cause the classical dance environment is very competitive. This situation is definitely changing in the media. 8) Crimes against women are rising and stereotypical notions of belly dance don’t exactly help either (sensual, scantily clad women etc.) do you think being a belly dancer or teaching it can be a disadvantage? I have reached a point where the respect for our work is a lot and I am not in this phase where people say something against my choice of profession and I have not exactly come across things like this. I have only heard people say that woman get raped because of the way they dress and that it is their fault but nothing related to bellydance per say 9) Classical dance forms such as bharatnatyam has always seen more acceptance, are there differences in the portrayal of dance forms such as bharatnatyam as compared to 37

belly dance by the media? If so how? (It could be in terms of quantity of information that is given, quality of reporting for that particular dance form etc.) I don‟t think so actually. In North India, we have probably seen acceptance with Kathak but not so long back, maybe about 60 years back girls from good families were not even supposed to dance Kathak because these girls were called mujras. Renowned Kathak dancer Uma Shankar had written in one of her books, that when she wanted to learn Kathak at the age of 18 and her mother completely disapproved so North India has faced similar situation with Kathak as with Bellydance perhaps because both of them have such similar histories. Kathak was first the dance of the story tellers and only now has been inculcated as a classical dance form and similarly bellydance today is having a similar up and down situation in India so I think the Northern part of India has been less hard on bellydance and I can‟t exactly comment on its status in the South because I am not too familiar with it plus India is such a diverse country so it would differ in every part of the country. 10) What is according to you would be the ideal portrayal of bellydance by the media? I think the best thing would be not to focus on celebrities working for just three days in order to learn bellydance and instead focus more on dancers who have spent their lives to learn and understand bellydance. They should also talk about the current situation of bellydancing and this would be the most helpful way in which the media can portray bellydance. (Malik, 2014) The final expert consulted was Ms Moria Chappell, one of the most well-known dancers of the Tribal Fusion form of Bellydance and one of the members of the prestigious troupe „The Bellydance Superstars‟.She is an acclaimed performer and teacher who revolutionised costumes, make-up and stage choreography. She began her career in Atlanta, Georgia in 2001with Awalim Dance Companyand later moved to San Francisco to join The Suhaila Dance School and Bal Anat where she began to learn more about muscle control and isolations required for Tribal Fusion style of bellydance. She then joined The Bellydance Superstars and has also appeared in various DVDs such as "30 Days to Vegas", "Babelesque: Live from Tokyo", "Tribal Fusions" (Vol. 1 and 2), "Tribal LA: Live in Los Angeles", "The Art of Bellydance: Live from Shanghai", "Tribal Superstars", "3D Superstars" (Vol. 1 and 2), as well as the new "Bombay Bellywood: Live from Los Angeles" DVD. She is also featured in two instructional DVDs, "Tribal Fusion Fundamentals" and "Introduction to Bombay Bellywood".

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Section 1 1) How did you first hear about Bellydance? My mother belly danced when I was a small child so one of my early memories is throwing her finger cymbals out the window to hear them clink on the sidewalk below and then my big sister had to go collect them because I was too little to go alone. It was my naughty game I discovered put my sister under my control ;) She hated it. But my mother would invite her friends over and they would all dance together in the house in beautiful skirts and flowing veils. I ran through all the fabric while they spun and swirled. Later, when I was in university, I went to a medieval themed camping event with my father and a woman was dancing at night around the fire with drummers all around and the moon and stars lighting the sky above. She stole my heart. Her movements were so free and sensual and strong and fun, I just thought, “What is that and how can I do that?!” I went to the dance pavilion the next day and began actually learning the craft; I haven‟t stopped since. 2) What was your first impression of it before learning, how have perceptions changed after learning bellydance? (Common stereotypes that you have had before and after learning belly dance) I always perceived belly dance as a mystical movement. For me that has shifted to an understanding of it as a muscular discipline, but the movement does evoke a sense of mysticism because of its use of sacred geometry, so maybe it‟s more my understanding has deepened more than it has changed. Belly dance is one of the oldest dance forms dating back to Mesopotamia. There was a vast trade system in place during the spice route between Mesopotamia, India, and China. This fascinates me. It means that old classical Indian dance forms such as Odissi had a shared history with ancient Bellydance and both had an influence on the dances that developed in China and Indonesia. I love to study the history and lineage of these various branches and take part in each of their various disciplines as they sometimes shared and at other times evolved completely different ways of moving the body. So I don‟t know if any of my personal stereotypes matched what common stereotypes are. I‟ve heard what some other people think belly dance is and it doesn‟t match anything I‟ve ever thought about the discipline. But then again my parents have always loved old methods of body mind and spiritual growth and practice, so maybe I come from a unique position of observation. 3) Do you think belly dancing empowers women? If so then how?

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Belly dance has huge potential to empower women. For a long time women have suffered abuse, neglect, exploitation, and sexism. We are either allowed to be intelligent or sexy or respectable, but never all three at the same time or any at all if it is seen as threatening. Belly dance can allow women to reclaim the strength of their bodies, the control over their own muscles and thus the power to define for themselves who and what they are. This is incredibly powerful as an aid to creating stronger mothers, wives, sisters, businesswomen, crafts women, negotiators, lawyers, artists, counsellors, researchers, teachers, and politicians. Giving women strength and comfort in their own body allows them a voice in knowing themselves, protecting themselves, standing up for themselves, and as a result the society around them improves. Because Bellydance is low impact, if done correctly, a woman can dance her entire life and the dance can have such a therapeutic effect that she will have fewer injuries and recover more quickly form injury she may sustain. Further, when learning together as a group, women learn to trust and admire each other‟s strength. This can be a beautiful tool to reduce jealousy, competition, fear or judgement that can sometimes arise between women who don‟t often interact. Women crave support and community and in an increasingly technocratic world, we see increasing isolation and depression. Dance and movement are highly effective ways of combating both of these modern diseases. 4) How has it empowered you? I think belly dance saved my life. I graduated with a degree in English from The University of California and everyone expected me to go to law school. I graduated among the top of my class and was the speaker of our graduation ceremony. Despite this success I felt empty. I had a yearning for more in life, to tap into something alive and old and deep. The books weren‟t answering my questions and I just felt lost. When I started to belly dance around that time I felt alive. It‟s the only way I can describe it. I had felt like my inner world was on pause while my brain worked during school, but then what? When I danced my mind body and spirit were all fully engaged at once and I felt a joy welling up within that gave me such a precious gift. As I‟ve progressed in my field I‟ve only found more joy in the research of the art, teaching and sharing what I‟ve learned to other women who light up and shine when they experience that same inner joy and expression. I love the costuming and make-up art that goes along with performances and I love the community that has grown around this deep love of the art. Many of my friends from university confess that they now feel 40

empty in their jobs and family and ask me how I‟ve maintained enthusiasm and drive throughout, and my answer is always belly dance. I encourage them each to discover for themselves something that gets them moving and expressing. Each person has a body and a perspective that yearns to be addressed. Any suppression of this primal urge can only lead to frustration, sadness, and ultimately a feeling of emptiness from disuse. 5) What is your idea of feminism and how would you relate dance to it? Feminism is just a yearning to be recognized as a full human. Women are subject to judgement and scrutiny under a variety of social stigma. We are often allowed to be a cartoon version of a small section of ourselves: selfless mother, supportive wife, loyal daughter, beautiful girl, above all we must be beautiful or else we are repulsive, evil, fallen, wicked, crazy, opinionated, pushy or psychotic. These are two extremes ultimately: the virgin vs. the whore. When a woman is allowed to be variation of a complex mix of all human archetypal and psychological variations then we are a complete person. Feminism is about expressing one‟s self as a complete person. Dance allows a woman to explore the various aspects of archetypal expression in a safe environment so that she can discover for herself who and what she is. When she understands and accepts exactly who she is, she becomes a better mother, sister, daughter, employee, boss, friend, and member of society because she knows what her strengths and weaknesses are and can be more realistic about what to do with them. 6) How would you relate bellydance to feminism? Belly dance in particular addresses many of the negative stereotypes women have to contend with: we aren‟t supposed to be fat, and if we are it isn‟t beautiful, we aren‟t supposed to be wild, ugly, free, publicly sensual, physically aggressive, or play with weapons. Belly dance goes right to each of these taboos and breaks them. We move from our belly, from our core, from our hips and our centre. Our dance celebrates the curve and variation among bodies. It is soft and strong, sweet and fierce. By being publicly sensual inside of our own bodies, we allow an audience to watch but do not intend to serve. We are comfortable with ourselves, with our mind, body and soul. There is strength enough inside to be soft and sensual without the need to seduce. We dance with swords balanced on our heads and hips rather than fighting with them; we balance fire on our hands and heads but burn nothing. We take on an aspect of ourselves and perform it whether it is all black, all pink, or some variation in between, and since our dance form does not require any particular age, weight, or proportion, no one has to cut off any part of themselves to participate. As a result Bellydance subverts societal 41

norms in a nurturing way, as a woman making the use of belly, fat, weapon, and sensuality to break stereotypes and confining taboos. When the audience falls in love with a belly dancer, they are subconsciously accepting all that is typically avoided: groups of women, sharp and soft movement, cultural mixing, and weaponry.

Section 2 Media is one of the most important sources of information and says a lot in terms of how people perceive a particular thought or idea- the following questions will shed some insights on this. Media here refers to any published form-print, broadcast or online. 7) How is bellydance portrayed in the media today? Social media portrays Belly Dance really well from what I can see. Many belly dancers find community, expression, and inspiration on Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, Instagram and Issu. Social media has also made it easier for these formerly niche groups to connect with likeminded artists around the globe. I think social media has had a huge effect on the rate at which Bellydance has grown internationally and in particular fusion Bellydance because as the discipline finds roots in every country, each society has a unique dance and musical preference to contribute to the mix. However, in film and television belly dance is still widely misunderstood and over sexualized. Often, film directors hire a dancer trained in another discipline, usually modern or ballet, to portray a bellydancer and then wear something they think looks like a belly dance costume and that‟s as far as it goes. For television, I‟ve been interviewed many times on news stations and morning shows and almost each and every time, the female co-host tries to mimic a belly dance move and the male co-host says something insinuating sexual arousal. It‟s humiliating. No co-host would ever think to just try on a point shoe and spin around during an interview with a ballerina, and it would be viewed as sexist and crass for a male host to say something sexual about a ballet performance. So, mainstream media still has a lot of growing up to do, when it comes to the portrayal and discussion of Bellydance. And inevitably, the only way any discussion about belly dance becomes valid in their eyes is to relate it to pregnancy and birth, as thought that is the only job the belly and hips have on this planet. Yes, belly dance during pregnancy can be very healthy for the mother and child, but that is neither the only thing nor even the primary function of belly dance.

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8) Do you think today, the portrayal of bellydance in the media is empowering to women? I think Social Media empowers women to have support and community even if they live in a small town with no teachers or fellow dancers. Online classes and YouTube performance videos allow global access in unprecedented ways. However, film and television use of belly dance continues to portray the art form as a means of seduction, and I think that particular portrayal not only misrepresents the discipline but also isolates women who love the dance for the health benefits and artistic expression that belly dance is meant to serve. 9) Classical dance forms such as ballet has always seen more acceptance, are there differences in the portrayal of dance forms such as ballet as compared to belly dance? If so how? (It could be in terms of quantity of information that is given, quality of reporting for that particular dance form etc.) Personally I think there is something of a racist mentality behind why ballet and modern dance is portrayed as superior to ethnic dance. Ballet developed popularity via European court dances and came from Royalty down to the people. Ethnic dances are typically born in the streets or desert or forest or village and then brought up to the stage. So although the history of Belly dance, Hula, Apsara, Javanese, Native American dance, Indian classical dance, etc. far out dates ballet, none of these disciplines are funded nor globally supported as important cultural arts as much as ballet and modern dance are. In fact in America only one university allows a student to achieve a terminal degree in dance without requiring ballet, modern, or jazz dance focus. For me, this is shocking. Of course ballet is an incredible art form in which few can even claim to have achieved a mastery of, but it also promotes a culture of anorexia, competition, and youth which for most dancers ultimately ends when their bodies can no longer maintain the amount of physical impact the art requires of their joints and ligaments. I strongly believe our education system needs to revisit the emphasis it places on ballet over ethnic dance and stop forcing ethnic dancers into anthropology departments. Dance in all its forms is a science of movement and performance is an artistic expression across the board. Acceptance of ethnic dance into university programs would quickly shift the perception of such niche disciplines as belly dance from being perceived as inferior or apart from performance. 10) What according to you would be the ideal portrayal of bellydance by the media?

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I would like for the media to stop forcing belly dance into the role of seductress. Of course a woman moving beautifully is sensual, but seduction implies an invitation for sex that I simply never have seen in the 13 years of public performance that I have been involved in globally. Media needs to first allow women to be portrayed as whole people and then dance as an art that is to be watched and appreciated with the same portrayal as music, sculpture, painting, haute couture, and theatre. When watching a symphony, the audience goes into another world and simply experiences it. I‟d like for belly dance to be allowed that same opportunity. Come to a performance and simply experience it without prejudice or expectation. You may like it, you may hate it, but such is art in all its disciplines. (Chappell, 2014)

4.2 Focus Group Discussion Apart from the expert interviews there was also a focus group discussion conducted. There were six participants and all females (chosen so, keeping the questions in mind). This was conducted in the Payal‟s Dance Academy studio in Bangalore on the 28 of October 2014. The participants ranged from the age group of 20 to 28 and from different backgrounds. There were students of literature, economics, journalism, IT professionals, an entrepreneur, a Kannada film actress, and a Chartered Account student. The tentative questions were similar to the ones asked to the experts, however as the discussion progressed, the researcher who also moderated the discussion, also directed the talk in the right direction and went based on the kind of answers given. The answers were recorded and important points were noted down with consent of all the participants. They were all familiar with bellydance in some way or the other, some more than the others. The reason the researchers chose female participants with a general knowledge of bellydance was to get a deeper and more intricate understanding of the topic which otherwise would not have occurred at the hands of a total novice. The questions were based on certain parameters that were general and prior definitions or thoughts were not given as the researcher wanted to completely understand and note the respondents‟ point of view. The questions ranged from women empowerment to feminism to belly dance and its portrayal in the media. The first question dealt with sources, that is, the participants were asked as to where they heard about belly dance from. This question has a lot of significant relevance as sources indicate the platforms which have the maximum penetrating power.

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The discussion began with the respondents revealing to have varying sources of awareness about bellydancing. The dance form is not indigenous to the country, so the penetration and effectiveness of these sources determine its propagation. Primary sources were observed to be social media sites like Facebook and YouTube, where exponents of the dance form posted videos of their performance. These sites also provided means for the interested to get in touch with experts and instructors who would later train them in the art. Witnessing bellydance performances at competitions and festivals (for instance, Hipnosis in Bangalore) had also gotten a few respondents enthusiastic. Workshops, demo-classes and other promotional events about bellydancing at school and college level were also a source of appreciation for the art. Popular tracks like „Hips don‟t lie‟ that showcase bellydancing also caught the eye of a few respondents. Television has also played its part with significantly watched shows such as „Shimmy‟ on TLC. In response to how perceptions about bellydance were prior to actually learning the dance, participants in the discussion seemed to agree that the foreign nature of the dance was a factor whilst gaining approval of family members to step into the craft. Certain stereotypical lines of thought like “it is a dance designed for the leisure of men” and performed only “by those dwelling in the desert” came up. A common misconception was that bellydancing looked „easy‟, as it initially seemed to be nothing but shaking of the hips. Moreover, the unique nature of Bellydance costumes did not appeal to those who came from orthodox families, and questions were raised about the dance form not conforming to traditional Indian values. These perceptions took a more acceptable turn towards bellydancing among the respondents and their kith and kin when the former actually delved deeper into the dance form. All respondents agreed that bellydancing was significantly more difficult to perform than what they had initially thought, and that a lot of effort went into each performance. A few respondents suggested that while several outsiders still do not get the aesthetics of bellydance and judge it through a highly streamlined lens; their perceptions have been completely overhauled. Not only did they realize the dance was an expression of joy as much as any other, the dance itself had a positive effect on their personalities. It made them more confident of themselves in body and mind, and even as their journey through learning the various nuances of bellydance was as tough as it was satisfying, parents who shed their uninformed perceptions supported them wholeheartedly.

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There is, however, a lot left to be desired with regard to how popular perception about bellydancing exists in India. Several respondents remarked that the growth rate of this art form in the country has been slow. Even as an increasing number of ceremonial gatherings, weddings, parties and even commercial shows showcase bellydancing today, popular perceptions are changing at a steady but slow rate. Greater appreciation can only come from increased exposure of people of all age groups to bellydancing. The oft-discussed concept of bellydancing as a tool of women empowerment was unanimously agreed upon by all respondents. In a country as deep-rooted in tradition as India, training and performing bellydancing for a woman is an act of courage, one respondent said. Others agreed that even as performers keep sidestepping and tackling those around who keep casting aspersions on bellydancing, they become stronger more confident individuals. Negative comments and taunts seem insignificant when practitioners start believing in themselves, which is a direct consequence of the practice of bellydancing. Most respondents were in consensus that the dance made women „fall in love with their bodies‟, and once this higher level of self-acceptance was achieved, it was easy to stand up for yourself. One respondent suggested that bellydance is unique in the effect it has on women- it gives them recognition in the society that is at once bold and individualistic, and also boosts her own internal individuality and self-assurance. The respondents came up with their own personal experiences to underscore how bellydancing had empowered them. The first respondent had chosen bellydance over the more conventional option of hip-hop at a crucial juncture, and her parents had given their consent. However, her grandmother and aunt expressed dissent. Over time, the respondent‟s grandmother has grown more accepting, but the aunt abstains from coming to the respondent‟s performances, noting that bellydance is a „non-cultural‟ form of dance that is „vile, vulgar and lacking of character for a girl‟. This criticism and the constant complaints of her aunt to a lot of family members have not stopped the respondent from loving or practicing bellydance. Another close friend of the respondent seemed to support her training for bellydancing but raised questions about her performing in shows. The respondent was firm in her stance that it had taken her a lot of effort and energy to learn what she had, and that it was her desire that people recognize it. The second respondent had a background in the movie business, and said bellydancing helped her come out of her shell in a big way. Initially, she had been 46

apprehensive about the nature of costumes worn by bellydancers, but even as she began to train in the dance form, she found a strength building within her, accompanied with a sense that she was a “strong individual” who could “come out with this form of dance and it isn‟t a bad thing at all”. The judgement and skewed perceptions of outsiders didn‟t seem to matter as much anymore. She wanted an audience that acknowledged how much more difficult bellydancing actually is than it looks, and the extraordinary amount of hard work that goes into it. Respondent 3 said she had always been crippled by an inferiority complex, but bellydance has since changed the way she looked at herself. She was more confident and comfortable with herself than she‟d ever hoped to get, and a session of bellydancing always has the effect of making her day feel better. Another respondent said that bellydancing made her love her body despite having a “plump” figure, and the dance itself seemed to make her more graceful and feminine. To all those who were critical and patronizing, she found the strength to say “I love this dance and I want to do it.” She said she didn‟t miss a single day of bellydancing, for the dance had become a kind of meditation for her that rejuvenated her body and mind, and a day without dancing was like taking a step back. Bellydancing was the first act of defying criticism for one respondent, who said she used to be the sort who shied away from the slightest criticism in other respects. She had firmly decided to go with the dance-form that she had grown to level no matter how much criticism piles up. Bellydancing has made her confident about standing for what she believes in. Every respondent had a unique perspective on Feminism and how the art of bellydancing can be related to it. For one respondent, Feminism was acceptance, love and comfort with one‟s body, and be gracious and graceful in thought and action. Another respondent voiced out about every woman‟s right to lead a life of dignity and have society‟s respect and acceptance, and that includes her physical attributes. She spoke about the increasing crime against women as is prevalent today, and said that once a woman is respected, any form of art she pursues will also be looked upon and appreciated for what it is- an aesthetically fulfilling experience. Respondents also asserted how feminism is about being strong, calm and rooted in high values regardless of one‟s environment. Bellydancing is a medium of channelling feminine energy-which is attractive in nature. She observed most people seemed to be attracted to the nature of the costume-however, the costume is designed in such a way that it complements the

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movements of the dance form, and hence, as in the case of feminine energy, bellydancing should be viewed as attractive aesthetically. A respondent remarked that bellydance enhanced feminism more than any other form of dance. Our society has shaped up in such a way that men have unlimited liberty to do as they please and achieve what they aspire but a woman has to overcome a lot of obstacles to do the same. To her bellydance was defiance against such stigma, and standing up to her dreams and aspirations. Yet another respondent asserted feminism wasn‟t just rebelling against an established norm for the sake of it, but doing what is in the best interest of your own self-respect and believing in your potential to overcome hurdles-something bellydancing has taught her. It is not a way to show off a few dance moves, but to understand the basic emotion and passion that fuels the movements. Dance is more than a sequence of moves and costumes; it is the manifestation of an unrestrained, uninhibited soul that is free to soar. None of the respondents had a comment on Bell Hooks idea of feminism as equality for men and women. The discussion turned to how contemporary media portrays bellydancing, and most responses were positive. Far from the derogatory label of an „item number‟, bellydancing is a subject handled with due reverence and appreciation. One respondent claimed to have seen media project bellydance as a physically empowering activity- a stress-buster as well as a fitness regimen. She said Colombian pop-icon Shakira‟s chart- topping track „Hips Don‟t Lie‟ provided a significant thrust towards the awareness about bellydance i the country. Another respondent stated that while the media has always painted a positive picture about this dance form, the Indian film diaspora, most notably Bollywood had got it wrong. Hindi movies are the main reason bellydancing has been painted in the same brush as „Item numbers‟, and this has had an adverse effect on the image of bellydancing. Media has always had the power to influence conventional thought-processes and notions, and the discussion turned to whether the respondents thought there was a difference between the portrayal of bellydancing in Indian and Western media, especially because bellydancing was not a dance form indigenous to either. One respondent observed that the west is far more relaxed and comfortable with the idea of bellydancing and views it on par with their conventional dance forms. The Indian media, catering to an audience that is “narrow-minded”, imbibes some of that inhibition into itself. Another respondent commented that a shift in the insecurity people have about their culture being 48

contaminated by Western influence is imperative- for bellydance is seen as an example of „Westernization‟ and loss in traditional values even though bellydance itself has no roots in the west. Merely because a costume exposes the woman‟s tummy does not mean it is a loss of virtue. One respondent had a more optimistic outlook, and suggested that though a lot is left to be desired in people‟s ethical perception about the dance form; there is a visible rise in the awareness about bellydancing because of commercial shows and its coverage by the media. However, it is still bewildering why people seem to focus on the costumes and exposure of the body rather than the dance itself- for there are other forms of dance that have the same-if not greater-degree of bodily exposure. This is a notion that the Indian media needs to take cognizance of. Bollywood was once again criticized for its inaccurate skewered portrayal of bellydance as a „vulgar‟ activity, and that the Western media gives it a more fitness-oriented outlook that is at once beneficial to one‟s health as well as an aesthetically enriching experience. A question that was raised was if the media had any hand in the current portrayal of bellydance as signifying „low culture‟, while other dance forms such as Bharatnatyam and Kathak signified “high culture”. The respondents argued that it was the people who made judgements of this nature, and the media, if at all, only catered to this audience. One respondent said that a dance form such as Bharatnatyam had an outfit that was quintessentially Indian, and the dancer was adorned with jewellery, flowers and other finery- an appearance easily relatable to the average Indian. Bellydance-owing to the nature of the dance itself and its origins mandated a kind of costume that is not in keeping with the orthodox and conservative Indian. Another respondent observed the discrimination against bellydance has more to do with the lack of awareness about the dance form- bellydance is still a relatively new phenomenon in this country compared to traditional Indian dance forms, and hence, the older generations are unaware of its aesthetic value. It will require more time to gain acceptance in the mainstream. It was argued that even Bharatnatyam had gained notoriety in its infancy as a dance form practiced by devdasis, and had required years of will and dedication of exponents for it to be revered the way it is today. There are times when the artist has to fight for the art to be respected. Perception can be influenced if people are forced into realizing the intrinsic value of bellydancing and how it is not degrading, but enriching culture. Media has to be the bridge between two cultures rather than keeping them separate. One respondent compared bellydancing in India as marrying a girl from another caste or community- acceptance, if at all, takes time and perseverance. 49

Finally, the respondents were asked if the practice of bellydance- and the sense of liberty it grants women- could in any way be related to the increasing frequency of crimes against women. Respondents were vehement in their denial of this correlation, stating that crimes occur because of lack of respect for women, and that no dance form could possibly have anything to do with it. One respondent argued that if crimes had anything to do with costumes, then there wouldn‟t be “3-year olds who are sexually assaulted”. Respect for women is something that needs to be inculcated in a child at home. Bellydancers deserve as much respect as any woman. Another respondent said that the visible disdain for bellydance is not exclusive to India alone. Bellydance is no longer on the high pedestal it was in its countries of origin- the Middle East. When she informed a friend in Kuwait that she practiced bellydancing, she was asked to dance at a bar.

4.3 Content Analysis The topic also deals with the portrayal of Belly dance in the media and the pre- eminent way of gathering information and understanding the portrayal of bellydance in media would be to conduct a content analysis of it. The researcher chose print media as the medium to analyse as print media is the oldest and most enduring form of media we have today. Although there are reports of various newspapers shutting down abroad, the case is not so in India. Newspapers are still thriving in India and will continue to do so for a long time. The biggest reason for the decline of newspapers elsewhere is due to the advent of digital media which has increased the accessibility to news by tenfold and there are various platforms available online as well. But despite all of this, the biggest advantage that newspapers have is credibility and has in-depth and well researched articles. Due to these factors the researcher has chosen to base her research on articles found in print media. The two countries that the researcher compares, is India and The United States of America. The study is based in India and the other country, U.S.A is chosen due to the large amount of influence it has on the rest of the world in terms of media, communication, movies etc. Although in slightly different contexts, both India and America are countries with a lot of diversity. The American culture can be described as a „Melting Pot‟ culture where people emigrate to the U.S.A from all parts of the world and each immigrant can be compared to a new ingredient in the pot. Each immigrant brings in the flavour and diversity from his/her own country all of these flavours blend together

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harmoniously to form a melting pot full of abundant essences. The first immigration occurred in the town of Jamestown in 1607 and is going on since. (Waters) India on the other hand is extremely diverse but in a different way. While „Melting Pot‟ refers to a society that start off by being heterogeneous but „melts‟ to form a homogenous society, „Salad Bowl‟ refers to a culture where different cultures and ethnicities mix harmoniously yet retain their individual elements, distinctions and „flavours‟ (Dandavate, 2014). Apart from this, both countries are cultural hubs with a lot of history and scope for dance. Although newspapers are not as widely read or popular today, as in India, they have not completely disappeared but have taken the form of an e-newspaper. U.S.A also has a number of highly respected and well known belly dancers such as Sadie Marquardt, Rachel Brice, Zoe Jakes and many more. Although Europe has a number of famous bellydancers as does other Middle Eastern countries, the researcher chose to compare analysis in India and U.S.A as per the reasons mentioned before. The researcher has analysed articles on Bellydance and Bharatnatyam in India and Bellydance and Ballet across newspapers in U.S.A. Bharatnatyam is a classical dance form which is widely popular all over India especially in the Southern region of the country and is one of the oldest dance forms in the country. Ballet is also seen as a classical dance form and is popular in U.S.A. Although Ballet is not native to America, it is still seen to be a strong symbol of culture and is highly respected. Belly dance is relatively new to both the countries and unlike the other two dance forms, is not very highly respected or so it seems. The researcher intends to compare newspaper coverage of both these dance forms for a period of three months, 1 July 2014 to 1 October 2014. The newspapers were chosen purely based on their circulation numbers and two English language newspapers with the highest circulation numbers were chosen. From India, the newspapers chosen were The Times of India and The Hindu and from U.S.A, the newspapers chosen were The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal. Articles in both these newspapers were analysed and compared; articles on bellydance and bharatnatyam from The Times of India and The Hindu were compared and likewise articles on bellydance and ballet were analysed and compared from The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal. For the sake of convenience, e- versions of the particular newspapers were consulted. Comparison was made based on certain pre-set parameters. These parameters are:  Number of articles on each of the dance forms 51

 Number of words, size of the articles  Pictures accompanying the articles (if, any )  Words(recurring key words used), purpose of the article Media is known for the enormous influence it exerts over its audience. Also known as the fourth estate, media has enormous responsibilities to uphold. Apart from giving out information, it also acts as a watchdog and the common link between the government and its citizens. According to the Agenda Setting Theory, media has an enormous influence on the perception of people in terms of deciding one particular piece of information as more vital than the other. In other words, the more importance media gives to particular information or gives it additional coverage, then the audience observes it to be more important. Hence the number of articles or the amount of coverage given to a particular dance form determines the amount of importance that the newspaper gives that particular dance form. Apart from this, the number of words or the size of the article also gives an insight into the importance given to the article. Other indicators include- if the article spoke about solely that dance form per say or was it a placed together with another dance form, how much in-depth does the article go into etc. are all factors that determine the importance given to the topic. Pictures always add another dimension to an otherwise plain and „bland‟ looking article, especially if the article is long and descriptive. Usually most feature related articles contain images but some of them do not. The researcher intends to compare the number of bellydance articles that were accompanied by pictures and the number of bharatnatyam/ballet related articles that were accompanied by images. Certain topics have certain words always associated with them which create or perpetuate ideas about that particular topic which people use to identify the particular topic with. These words, when used frequently create a set idea with which the topic is branded or recognized. Generally a word such as „sensual‟ is used to describe bellydance. The researcher intends to discern if this truly is the case and also observe the kind of words and terms used to describe more commonly „accepted‟ and less „controversial‟ dance forms like bharatnatyam and ballet and also compare the two. The Indian Newspapers chosen are The Times of India and The Hindu, two of the largest circulating English dailies. The Times of India is one of India‟s leading daily newspapers with a circulation of 7.2 million as of September 2014. (Top 15 Newspapers in India) It was started in 1868

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on November 3 as The Bombay Times and Journal of Commerce. It is a broadsheet form of newspaper and is owned by The Times Group. Mr Jaideep Bose is the editor-in-chief and its political view is conservative. The Hindu was founded on 20 September 1878 in Chennai, where even today, it enjoys a strong readership base. It is also a broadsheet newspaper and is owned by The Hindu Group, Kasturi and Sons Limited. N. Ram serves as the publisher whereas Malini Parthasarathy is the Editor. N. Ravi is the current Editor-in-chief. Where The Times of India is more liberal in its outlook and lot less serious, The Hindu is known for being conservative. Although it was considered as liberal in its outlook initially, currently it is left leaning. The Hindu was also the first newspaper to start its e-newspaper version. As of September 2014, its circulation figure is 5.1 million. (Top 15 Newspapers in India) The Wall Street Journal is an American newspaper with which also places emphasis on business and economic related issues. It has a circulation of 2,101,017 which makes it one of the top circulated newspapers in the country. (Top 10 U.S.A newspapers) It follows a broadsheet format ad is owned by News Corp via Dow Jones and Company. It was started on July 8, 1889 in New York. The newspaper has won 34 Pulitzer prizes. The current editor is Gerard Baker. The New York Times, a newspaper with a circulation of 1,133,763 is one of the top newspapers in America in terms of circulation. It has won 114 Pulitzer prizes which is the highest for any newspaper. It was started on September 18, 1851 in New York City by The New York Times Company. The format is Broadsheet and the founders are Henry Jarvis Raymond and George Jones. Arthur Ochs Sulzberger Jr. is the publisher and Dean Baquet is the Editor. Articles appearing in The Times of India were first analysed based on the aforementioned parameters:

Analysis of articles about Bellydance in The Times of India  Number of articles that talk about bellydance There were five articles that spoke about bellydance. All of these articles represented bellydance as a good fitness regime and was clubbed with other forms of workout or exercise routines. None of the articles spoke only about bellydance.  Number of words/size of the articles on an average

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The average number of words in the articles was about 600. As mentioned before, none of the articles spoke exclusively about bellydance, hence portions of the article that spoke about bellydance had an average word count of a 100 words.  Pictures accompanying the articles All articles had pictures accompanying them although these pictures were generic and seemed to have been taken off the internet and not taken solely for the purpose of the articles. None of the pictures featured bellydance.  Keywords used and purpose of the articles The researcher observed that although stereotypical terms such as „exotic‟ and „sensual‟ were used, it was only in one article. In the other articles, bellydance was solely portrayed from a fitness or exercise perspective and is mentioned as being an unusual hobby, or as a good abdominal workout. and in one article, bellydance was mentioned as being a good workout for a better sex life. Hence all the articles that appeared in The Times of India, about bellydance, were fitness related.

Analysis of articles about Bharatnatyam in The Times of India  Number of articles that talk about bharatnatyam 11 articles were featured, that spoke about bharatnatyam in The Times of India for the given period of time. Although not all spoke only about bharatnatyam per say, most of them did feature bharatnatyam either prominently or spoke only about bharatnatyam dancers.  Number of words/size of the articles on an average The average number of words in the articles was about 244 and the articles that solely featured bharatnatyam dancers had an average of 130 words. These articles, that featured bharatnatyam dancers, were 6 in number.  Pictures accompanying the articles Except for two articles, ever other feature was accompanied by an image. Although most of the ten articles (that were accompanied by images) were of bharatnatyam, one article that spoke about fitness had a generic picture of a celebrity who was featured. That particular article was about fitness and featured others forms of exercise other than dance as well. The articles that featured prominent/upcoming bharatnatyam dancers had accompanying images of the dancers.  Keywords used and purpose of the articles

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Bharatnatyam is a dance form that has been popular in India for a very long time. It also has the distinction of being a classical dance form and is highly respected. In many parts of South India, most girls are sent to learn bharatnatyam. Most of the articles about bharatnatyam are related to cultural programs or solo performances by seasoned dancers. One of the articles did not directly speak about bharatnatyam but instead about the fitness regime of a famous bharatnatyam dancer. Most themes in bharatnatyam are devotional by nature and therefore performances occurred in temples and other cultural areas. Some of the common words used are „grace‟, „classical‟, „culture‟, „tradition‟.

Analysis of articles about Bellydance in The Hindu  Number of articles that talk about bellydance There were no articles that spoke directly about bellydance or featured bellydance. However there were two articles that referred to bellydance. One spoke about bellydance being a part of workshops undertaken by theatre performers before embarking on their project titled „Odyssey‟. Another article that mentions bellydance is, in an article about a dance academy which also offers bellydance.  Number of words/size of the articles on an average Bellydance was only mentioned fleetingly in two articles and both were not directly related to bellydance in anyway.  Pictures accompanying the articles Pictures were not related to bellydance.  Keywords used and purpose of the articles No keywords used. Bellydance was only mentioned as part of other projects.

Analysis of articles about Bharatnatyam in The Hindu  Number of articles that talk about bharatnatyam During the time period that was covered, there were 11 articles that spoke about bharatnatyam and all of them except for one, spoke about bharatnatyam directly and most of the articles were in-depth writing about bharatnatyam.  Number of words/size of the articles on an average The average number of words per article is 590, which is quite substantial.  Pictures accompanying the articles

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10 articles out of 11 had pictures accompanying them. These pictures were directly related to the articles and were not generic. Most of the articles were about specific bharatnatyam dancers and pictures of them accompanied the articles and these pictures were captured either in midst of one of their performances or were depicting certain bharatnatyam poses. The others had images of performing bharatnatyam dancers.  Keywords used and purpose of the articles Most of the articles featured an in depth analysis of bharatnatyam and made use of words that are specifically related to bharatnatyam, such as „mudra’, ‘taala’, ‘abhinaya’ etc. Since bharatnatyam also features many dance ballads related to the lives of gods and goddesses or as tributes to them, the names of many Hindu gods and goddesses were also mentioned, such as Lakshmi, Nataraja and so on. Bharatnatyam has its roots in Madras, hence this has also seen mention in the articles. Other words that were commonly used to describe bharatnatyam were classical, graceful, expressive and emotive etc.

Analysis of articles about Bellydance in The Wall Street Journal  Number of articles written about bellydance There were only two articles on bellydance and each article features a bellydancer and an interview with them.  Number of words/size of the articles on an average One of the articles had 1254 words whereas the other had 280 words. On an average the number of words in both the articles as a whole comes up to 767.  Pictures accompanying the articles Both articles were accompanied by pictures of the bellydancers featured in them. One article had three pictures whereas the other one had only one. In both the articles, the bellydancers were shown to be in motion, and seemed like the photo-shoot was done specifically for the purpose of the article.  Keywords used and purpose of the articles Both articles portray bellydance from a fitness perspective and its benefits as a form of workout. The first article features a bellydance instructor who gives tips and techniques and explains certain movements that are commonly practised in bellydance. The second article features a bellydance student, who started learning the dance form, again, for a fitness purpose. Words that are frequently used in both articles are „fitness‟, „core workout‟, „isolations‟.

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Analysis of articles on Ballet in The Wall Street Journal  Number of articles written about ballet The researcher found eight articles on ballet, which were an assortment of performance reviews, interviews with ballet dancers and ballet inspired fitness regimes. The time period was the same as with other newspapers, three months.  Number of words/size of the articles on an average The average number of words is 560. Most of the articles were quite long and detailed.  Pictures accompanying the articles Each of the articles had accompanying images with most of them having two or three. The images were either of ballet choreography sequences or of the dancers themselves or of the attendees.  Keywords used and purpose of the articles Most of the articles were reviews of ballet performances such as that of Swan Lake or Don Quixote, and these articles emphasized on technicalities and intricacies related to the choreography, costumes and expressions of the dancers. Other articles featured up- coming or established ballet dancers and choreographers. One article spoke about „Ballet Beautiful‟, a fitness regime inspired by ballet. Words that were commonly used include „dignity‟, „grandeur‟ and „grace‟.

Analysis of articles on Bellydance in The New York Times The researcher did not find any articles on bellydance in the given time period

Analysis of articles on Ballet in The New York Times  Number of articles written about ballet The maximum number of articles on ballet was found in The New York Times. A whopping 201 articles were featured in the newspaper within the chosen time.  Number of words/size of the articles on an average The average number of words is 680. Most of the articles were rather long and detailed.  Pictures accompanying the articles Almost all the articles had images accompanying them. These images were of the dancers individually, or were of the ensemble cast. There were also solo images of certain dancers depending on the requirement of the story.  Keywords used and purpose of the articles

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As was with The Wall Street Journal, most of the articles were reviews based on certain performances or were articles about the dancers themselves. The reviews were highly technical and were written keeping in mind a very niche audience who would be familiar with Ballet. Some of the words/terms commonly used in these articles include – „symmetry‟, „balance‟, and „elegance‟ and so on.

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Chapter 5 CONCLUSION

“Dancing with the feet is one thing and dancing with the heart is another” -Author Unknown It is said that dance is one of the shortcuts to happiness. Dancing sets the soul free and dancing frees one from inhibitions. Apart from physical fitness, dance also contributes to mental tenacity and keeps the mind fresh and purifies the soul because the art of movement is inherent in every one of us. Feminism has various connotations and denotations relying solely on the observer‟s judgement or point of view but in a nut shell, it would find accordance with researcher Bell Hooks‟ idea which is equality for men and women and no discrimination solely based on gender (Hooks, Feminism is for Everybody, 2000). And since movement stems from the body which is fundamentally rooted within the confines of whether is person is born male or female (biologically) which is one of the main deciding criteria of gender (fortunately or otherwise), dance/movement can be observed from a feminist angle. Most people believe that dancing is done for entertainment or fitness purposes only, but dancers usually dance for themselves and share this very personal joy with their audience. Rather than needing the audiences‟ encouragement and support to complete them, they share the joy of their completeness that comes with dancing, with the audience. Feminism is a complex school of thought that can be looked at from various different angles such as semiotics, psychology or deconstruction and many others. Since it incorporates a lot of different points of views and various schools of thought, it is not easy to categorize anything under one particular idea of feminism. The beauty and ironically, the difficulty in having various versions of feminism is that, every single person has a different idea of feminism. This can be influenced by their knowledge of feminism, their source of feminism, the cultural and ethnic background, so on and so forth.

Contrary to popular stereotypes, feminism does not necessarily mean „hating men‟ or going against them per se. Today, most scholars are looking to break down stereotypes and question the idea of „gender‟ itself as they believe gender is a concept that cannot be confined to the narrow walls of a few ideas based on a large majority because yesterday‟s majority maybe today‟s minority. These concepts are ever changing and evolving and in order to keep up with it, it is essential that these basic ideas are addressed. Bellydance is an ancient art form from the Middle East that has undergone a lot of changes today. It has influences from various other dance forms. Initially bellydance was performed by women, for women and for themselves but slowly with westernization and the growth of a more global world, bellydance went through a lot of changes and the idea of bellydance being sexual and titillating came about, regardless of what it was originally meant to be. Bellydance is about celebration of the female body in all its glory and also helped in childbirth. It was/is sensual and not sexual in the least but today bellydance is misunderstood and does not command the respect that it deserves from every quarter. Feminism and bellydance are in a very similar space today. Both are influenced or repressed by a patriarchal mind-set that drives the most of the world and both are misunderstood. Both focus on celebrating the feminine energy and hardly has anything to do with repression of masculine energy as such. Even today, in a seemingly modern world, many bellydancers are looked down upon and are not given the respect that is due. They are looked at with awe or mild amusement but not many appreciate the difficulty or celebrate the beauty of it. The researcher has personally come across many instances wherein students learning bellydance haveeither hidden this fact from their parents or had to face criticism from others for pursuing this dance form. This is not the case with all dance forms but mainly „exotic‟ forms such as bellydance, pole dancing and so on. Other dance forms such as ballet, contemporary, kathak, bharatnatyam have been culturally more widely accepted and even encouraged. Media provides information. Media has power. Seen to be the fourth estate in many countries especially democratic countries, the media has significant control over the workings of a country or state. In India, which is the world‟s largest democracy, the media has significant control and also enjoys a decent amount of freedom in terms of reporting. Decent amounts to- criticism of the government, relaying information to the citizens, investigative journalism, etc. This is also the case in most other countries as 60

well such as many European countries, U.S.A, Canada etc. Media, due to the significant amount of influence that it commands, also has the ability to persuade or sway people‟s thoughts or opinions. A theory that addresses this is the Agenda Setting Theory by McCombs and Shaw which places importance on the media‟s capacity to tell people what is important. (Agenda Setting Theory). Similarly, according to the theory, the media has an influence on the way people/audience perceive dance forms such as bellydance which is not accepted wholeheartedly in many parts of the world. Since bellydance and feminism are two topics that have a lot in common and are seen through many different interpretations, the researcher has conducted expert interviews, a focus group discussion to acquire a clearer idea about these concepts. A content analysis of newspapers in India and U.S.A was also conducted based on a specific pre-determined set of criteria to understand the role of print media in the perception of bellydance as compared to certain other classical and culturally more widely accepted dance forms.

5.1 Expert Interview Experts from both India and other countries were consulted, all bellydancers and experts in that field, both male and female. The questions were more or less the same for all experts except for one or two that were tweaked based on their cultural background and whether the expert was a male or female bellydancer. Male bellydancers generally tend to face more oppression because bellydance is seen inherently as a female dance form. The questions were divided into two sections; the first one was based on a feminist analysis of bellydance whereas the second one concentrated on the influence of media on bellydance. Experts were chosen based on their authority in the field of bellydance and their experience. These experts were Payal Gupta, Sruthi Kulkarni and Meher Malik from India, Zorba – a male bellydancer and Moria Chappell both from The United States of America. Questions ranged from the source from which they heard about bellydance to the link between bellydance and female empowerment, feminism and so on. Most of the experts had seen bellydance performances on television or live. One expert was first exposed to bellydance as her mother was a bellydancer herself. They say first impression is the best impression and what someone perceives in the beginning usually creates a lasting impact. Although all the experts didn‟t subscribe to the typical stereotypes about

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bellydance such as bellydance being an exotic or a sexual dance form, some of the experts were apprehensive about it mainly due to the technical level of difficulty that bellydancers exhibit and the others were enamoured and fascinated by it. The sheer sensuality and feminine energy exhibited by it bellydancing was what attracted most bellydancers to take up this form. The researcher came across many articles and blogs where most referred to bellydance as being empowering for them, hence in order to gain a deeper understanding of this idea, this questions was also posed to the experts and they were also asked to give personal experiences wherein bellydance empowered them. The basic posture of bellydance which requires a person to stand with the chin up, chest out and hips tucked in, conveys a sense of confidence and power. So many people today, experience problems with their body and due to their sense of inadequacy with respect to the body; most of them struggle with self-esteem and body image related issues. Bellydance contributes to a better sense of body image. Most bellydancers report feeling happier and more comfortable with their body after learning this form of dance. Many of them accept the natural shape of their body and are happy with it.Ms Chappell says – „Belly dance can allow women to reclaim the strength of their bodies, the control over their own muscles and thus the power to define for themselves who and what they are‟, and Zorba believes that it can empower anyone who gives it an honest try. For most of the experts bellydance gave them a new sense of identity and contributed to their individuality. It taught them to be stronger and gave them the strength to be make choices and decisions they probably would not have otherwise. It made them accept themselves- stretch marks, imperfect body and all and are a lot happier today. It gave them the freedom to dance in ways that had not been attempted before or was supposed to be difficult. Feminism is the main topic of this dissertation and as mentioned before, as a lot of different meanings depending on the observer. One common idea of feminism that was echoed by all the experts was equality between men and women. Zorba used to the term „masculinist‟ to describe himself but again emphasized on equality between men and women. Ms Malik felt that women today have a lot more choices than before and they also have the option of following their choice rather than confining or restricting herself to society‟s dictates. Feminism is the desire to be recognized and accepted for who they are and not be condemned for being different or in a more common sense, different from what society says a woman should be/behave like. Bellydance contributes 62

to these ideas and bellydance breaks taboos. Women are told to stay confined to their homes, they are told to be submissive, not to show their sensuality or expose their tummies but bellydance addresses all these taboos and breaks them. Bellydance was created by women for women (although male bellydancers have also embraced this) and celebrates their body, mind and soul. The next section focused on media and its portrayal of bellydance. The powerful effects of media and its influence have been discussed before. When consulted, experts believed that bellydance is being portrayed to a larger extent in the media today and is a lot more positive than before. A lot more awareness about bellydance is being created and is advertised as a wonderful fitness tool. There were apprehensions about the way bellydance was portrayed in Bollywood cinema since it is looked at as a means of titillating audience members and used mainly for „item dance numbers‟ which far from being true, only perpetuates stereotypes. Zorba believed that although the portrayal as a little salacious, it was not terrible but Ms Chappell felt that mainstream media still has a „lot of growing up to do‟ in terms of portraying bellydance because it is still not viewed objectively or given the respect it deserves. However social media, she believes, has done a good job of promoting bellydance. All in all, experts believe that print media has usually portrayed bellydance quite positively and so has social media which has been instrumental in promoting it but broadcast media has largely been responsible for the undesirable portrayal of bellydance. Since media has such a profound effect on the way audiences perceive everything around them, media would also result in empowerment with respect to its portrayal of bellydance, if any. While print and social media did a good job of depicting bellydance in a positive light, promoting it and created awareness, experts regard broadcast media such as television shows and films as being detrimental in terms of their depiction. Certain questions differed for each of the experts depending on where they were originally from, either India or U.S.A. Queries were posed in order to find the difference in portrayal between bellydance and another „high-brow‟ or „high culture‟ dance form such as bharatnatyam in India and ballet in the U.S.A, and as expected, the portrayal was different. There was a lot more importance given to bharatnatyam and ballet and were depicted in a more flattering light as compared to bellydance. Ms Chappell felt that there was a racist mentality behind the portrayal of ballet as a superior form of dance. Ballet developed via European court dances and whereas bellydance, being an ethnic dance form, came from the people and although ethnic dance forms are far older and richer in 63

heritage than modern dance and ballet, funding and importance is not given to ethnic dance forms and this continues on to the media as well. Most Universities as well do not accept ethnic dance forms as part of their dance programs. If these perceptions are changed then there could be a lot more acceptance for bellydance. The experts were then asked as to what their ideal portrayal of bellydance would be, by the media. All experts agreed on the fact that media portrays bellydance with a sexual connotation and in a generally degrading manner and this needs to stop. Perpetuating stereotypes without understanding the essence of the dance form and jumping to unwarranted conclusions based on just costumes is highly unprofessional. Bellydance should be depicted for what it is; a beautiful cultural dance form and should not be judged. The media should focus on bellydance being performed by a few „celebrities‟ who do so only in the guise of „item girls‟ and without much training whatsoever. Creating a balance between the commercial aspect of bellydance along with its benefits and its role as a social dance would be most ideal.

5.2 Focus Group Discussion Respondents from the focus group discussion were also asked similar questions as posed to the experts. As bellydance is not exactly indigenous to India, the respondents were asked as to how they became aware of bellydance. The answers ranged from TV shows to the international pop star Shakira and also witnessing live performances but most of them found out about bellydance via the social media and YouTube, this itself shows the power of the internet in connecting people and creating awareness.Although most of the respondents did not seem to have a negative perception of bellydance prior to learning it, convincing their family members to allow them to learn or experience bellydance was a major hurdle faced by most of the respondents. However certain common perceptions they had heard of( though they did not subscribe to it) was that bellydance was sexual and was meant for the entertainment of men. However, the researcher believes that these stereotypes did not affect many people nor did it discourage many young women from learning the dance. One of the common ideas that most people agreed upon was that, bellydance seemed easy to learn but was not the case once they did start learning the dance form formally. Bellydance is known to have a lot of positive effects on the mind and body and as evidenced by the discussion, most respondents seem to agree. They report to feel more

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positive and confident about themselves and their surroundings and also feel a lot healthier and fit. Most of them also report to feeling a lot more empowered. One respondent suggested that bellydance is unique in the effect it has on women- it gives them recognition in the society that is at once bold and individualistic, and also boosts her own internal individuality and self-assurance. Feminism was a subject that brought forth a lot of unique responses. A respondent remarked that bellydance enhanced feminism more than any other form of dance. Our society has become such that men have unrestricted freedom to do as they desire and achieve what they aim for but a woman has to overcome a lot of obstacles to do the same, however bellydance goes against the norm in a healthy way and establishes individual identity. The discussion was then steered to the topic of media and surprisingly, the respondents did not believe that media had an influence on the general audiences‟ perception of bellydance per say. They believed that although movies and certain broadcast channels portrayed bellydance in a sexual way or in the guise of „item numbers‟, the print media had done a good job of starting to give bellydance its due as a unique dance form and speaking about its fitness benefits.Finally, the respondents were asked if the practice of bellydance- and the sense of liberty it grants women- could in any way be related to the increasing frequency of crimes against women. Respondents were fervent in their rejection of this association, stating that crimes occur because of lack of respect for women, and that no dance form could possibly have anything to do with it.

5.3 Content Analysis Content analysis was conducted to ascertain the importance that mainstream print media gave bellydance and bharatnatyam in India and bellydance and ballet in the U.S.A. The general perception is that the media does not give bellydance its due and is perceived to be more of a „low-culture‟ or a dance form solely for entertainment purpose, however print media, according to the experts has covered bellydance quite effectively, however in comparison to bharatnatyam, the coverage of bellydance is quite less as evidenced by the analysis. The Times of India is one of India‟s leading dailies and in the time period that it was analysed, there were only five articles that spoke about bellydance. And none of these articles were solely about bellydance and compared to the 11 articles that prominently spoke about bharatnatyam there is a lag. The articles on bharatnatyam featured artists and various cultural programs. Also there was a lot more

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coverage given to bharatnatyam in terms of word count and the number of images. However, all the articles that did speak about bellydance were in a positive light and were mainly from a fitness perspective. Although words such as „sensual‟ and „exotic‟ were used, it was done so within context and to establish the uniqueness of bellydance. The next paper that was analysed was The Hindu, another one of India‟s leading dailies. The Hindu is known for its conservative stance and has a large readership in the south especially Tamil Nadu where bharatnatyam is very popular. There were no articles that spoke about bellydance per say in the entire period of study. There were, however, two articles that referred to bellydance being taken as part of a workshop for other events and programs. This is in contrast to bharatnatyam, which was spoken about in 11 articles with an average word count of 590 which is quite substantial. This highlights the newspaper‟s preference for bharatnatyam and the importance given to it. As there were no articles on bellydance, no comparisons could be made based on the kind of words and sentences used to describe both dance forms. However, some of the common and repeated words used to describe bharatnatyam were specific to the dance form such as „mudra’, ‘taala’ and „classical‟, „graceful‟, „expressive‟. Two newspapers from U.S.A were analysed in order to compare the coverage between bellydance and ballet which is seen as one of the „high-culture‟ dance forms in that country and is given a lot of importance and dedication. The first newspaper that was analysed was The Wall Street Journal which is a leading American newspaper. There were two articles and both of these were articles that featured an upcoming bellydancer with an accompanying image. And the average number of words in both the articles was a respectable 767. Therefore although there were just two articles, it featured bellydance prominently and very positively without the use of stereotypical terms for description. The articles leaned towards a fitness angle and spoke about the benefits of bellydance and also about the dance forms itself including costumes, steps and so on. There were about eight articles on ballet which were a collection of performance evaluations, discussions with ballet dancers and a ballet inspired fitness regime. Although there were more articles on ballet, there does not seem to be a huge disparity in terms of coverage and depiction of bellydance as compared to ballet. The final newspaper that was analysed was The New York Times which had a huge disparity in terms of the coverage of bellydance as compared to ballet. While the researcher found no articles on bellydance within that time period, there were a whopping 201 articles on ballet, which again were an assortment of interviews, reviews 66

and so on. This clearly indicates the choice of the newspaper and the preference towards ballet as compared to bellydance. The articles mostly spoke highly about ballet and gave a detailed coverage of most of the events related to that including pictures. Therefore the researcher concludes that within the time period, bellydance was not given as much coverage as bharatnatyam in India and ballet in U.S.A. and this could be due to various reasons. Firstly, there are not as many programs and performances of bellydance as there are of bharatnatyam and ballet and even if they are most of them are private and not on a very large scale. Secondly, this could also be due to the preference of the newspaper in covering only certain forms of dance. Compared to America, bellydance is still taking its baby steps in India hence the novelty factor works in its favour, inviting both positive and negative portrayal but nevertheless arousing curiosity (Malik, 2014). Based on the data collected and the analysis the researcher found out that feminism is a vast and a very diverse topic subject to a lot of interpretations and connotations, however when it comes to bellydance, the common ideas include feminism in terms of women‟s empowerment, equality etc. There are a lot of stereotypes and cultural issues and prejudices at play here as well. Although clearly rooted in Arabic culture, belly dance has now been taken up and adapted throughout the world. Clearly, in terms of media coverage and portrayal, bellydance has a long way to go but with the right kind of coverage and attention, along with the tireless efforts of many bellydance performers throughout the world and the various festivals that take place, bellydance may be given a more positive coverage and status.

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