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Belly dancers come under fire
 Media Credit: Michael Martin/Managing Editor Pink Camel Belly Dancing Club president Yoko Honda performs at the Student Showcase during Homecoming week in October.
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In about three weeks, the Pink Camel Belly Dancing Club will perform at the SCSU Spring Festival, but fans will notice several changes in their performance. In fact, the club may not even have the same name.
Several quarters have voiced their opposition to the club's performances, claiming that belly dancing is a racist and sexist stereotype. The club received a letter from an SCSU faculty member last semester and have tried to alter certain things so as to not offend anyone.
One aspect that has changed is the dancers' costumes. Yoko Honda, the club's president, said the costumes were changed from two-piece outfits to more conservative ones that will consist of black tank tops, black pants or skirts and hip scarves.
"We wanted to modify our costumes so that we cover ourselves up more," she said. "We will wear our new costumes for our first performance."
The club is also thinking of changing its name to Raks Sharqi, which means dance in Arabic. However, this is not official yet, as University Organizations has to be informed of the change.
But those opposed to the club's activities may not be happy with the changes. Semya Hakim, an assistant professor in the human relations department, wants the club to stop belly dancing altogether.
"I am not against the club," she said, "just what they're doing. They are perpetuating a racist and sexist stereotype of Arabs. As an Arab woman, I'm offended by that."
Being a human relations professor, Hakim asked one of her classes once what stereotypes they had of Arabs and the Arab world, and one of the answers was "belly dancing." She said the way the dances are done now is not authentic Arab culture and while it is done sometimes in the Arabic world, it is not viewed as respectable.
"It is the equivalent of stripping in American culture," she said. "In weddings, if it is done, they bring in someone from outside the community."
Historically, Hakim said, an American man saw the dances and reintroduced it in the West as belly dancing. But these dances were different from Arabic dances.
"There isn't even a word for 'belly dancing' in Arabic," she said. "Regular Arabic dancing is fine. It's like line dancing or dancing in a circle."
Ron Gregg, the club's advisor and a professor at the theater and film studies department, said although he disagrees with some of the views of the club's opponents, he understands where they are coming from.
"I think it's unfortunate," he said. "I am proud of the women who are in the club because they have taken the criticism seriously and have been working around the issues that have been brought up like music, the dances and costumes."
Gregg said the dancers were trying hard to educate themselves and had spoken to people opposed to the club to try and change things so that they were not offended. He said that not all the demands would be satisfied, but added that this was still an on-going process.
Gregg does not agree that the dances are sexual in nature, nor were they meant to be racist. He said there was nothing the dancers could do if members of the audience thought of it that way.
"I don't think that anyone is doing this from any perspective of prejudice," Gregg said. "Nor are they pornographic in nature. The women find it very liberating and they feel that they can express their energy."
Gregg said he felt that most of the audience did not find the dances as sexual.
"Of course, all dances can be sexualized," he said. "They (the dancers) have no control over that. What people think about in their personal universe ... in their imaginary universe ... cannot be controlled."
While Hakim wants the dances to stop, Gregg said he wanted SCSU to step in and organize a forum or dialogue to discuss the issue.
Honda, meanwhile, said she was glad that those opposed to the dances brought up their views.
"But I don't think any of us want to quit," she said.
Leslie Andres can be reached at: [email protected]
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