More Random Thoughts

In defense of Fusion, may I say: Fusion is a blend of two or more RELATED dance forms. Has been ever since it was introduced in the 1970s, and it was a blend of raks sharqi and Am/Cab movements. I am a Fusion dancer; I don’t call myself a bellydancer.   But today, many dancers are calling what they do “bellydance” or Fusion” when they are doing neither.. let me explain again:

What we are seeing happen today is Synthesized dance: a blend of two or more UNrelated dance forms. I can appreciate Synthesized dance, done well- it can be amazing. But I object to it being labeled as “Fusion” by those who don’t know Fusion and just want a mish-mash free for all. It’s just educating people to know the difference that is difficult.

Neither Fusion nor Synthesized Dance is bellydance. I am a Fusion dancer; I’ve studied performed and taught dance for a number of decades, including Fusion, Am/Cab, Dance Theatre, African, international folkdance, raks beladi, and raks sharqi,: I’ve studied under a Turkish dancer, an Iraqi dancer, a Lebanese dancer,  and a Jordanian.  I know the distinct differences between all these forms and because of that, I am comfortable defining what I do, and “bellydance” is not what I am doing when I perform Fusion. I made a personal choice* to be a Fusion dancer- but it was a reasoned choice based on knowledge and an understanding of what I was doing.

I think the biggest problem is that too many teachers themselves don’t know the differences between the dances  and resist accepting there are differences that define what is or is not bellydance  because for some reason, they are emotionally attached to the word “bellydancer”… even when it limits them and forces them to try to co-opt bellydance events. So it is a long struggle to help teachers and students understand, but before we make progress we have to make certain that we understand the why, how and what of things.

I don’t object to new forms of dance; indeed, I think there is a great deal of creativity in the new dancers coming up.  But what I do object to is poorly trained dancers in any genre, presenting themselves as representatives of a dance they are not actually doing, in a public venue, and calling themselves “performers” or even “dancers” when what they are is students…

Additionally, I object to false advertising and promotion. If you are not a bellydancer, don’t advertise yourself as one- and if you don’t the difference between bellydance, AmCab, Fusion and Synthesized dance, learn those differences before you develop your promotional materials.

I’m not expecting this article to have much impact- You cannot explain to those who do not want to know. But unless we all learn, acknowledge and create around these known differences, my personal feelings are that these new forms will fade, outside of a small circle of self-generating “haflas”, and a few smallish niche audiences at public events because they do not have the knowledge or experience to be able to explain/market/promote what they do as a legitimate art, and they do not know how to create new audiences or build an audience.

And for a time, bellydance might have to shrink in size and start building a loyal base of fans again, but it will come back because it is a cultural experience and a dance that belongs to a people.. and those who finally “get” that what they do is not bellydance but they are willing to put as much time and energy into actually creating and developing and refining the new art form, and mastering its discipline and training to standards, will also establish lasting roots.

But those who don’t want to put in the time, practice, effort, discipline etc into actually doing well as dancers will eventually fade away, as they age, as their friends and family become bored with watching, as they fail to build student bases of well-trained dancers/performers and as they fail to grow audiences who know the new form and appreciate them for what they are, and enjoy watching performances of the new art form.

Of course, you will always have the occasional flurries of “shock” dancers, or fetish dancers, or what have you, but they are such a tiny fraction of things it won’t matter..

*As a person who made the choice to focus on Fusion and Dance Theatre (along with folk dance), I need to explain I went through a lot of self-examination before making my choice. I was fortunate to have had some excellent bellydance teachers and was able to take multiple workshops from dancers who are respected nationally and internationally.

There were several reasons for my choice; I loved and continued learning bellydance, but as a self-supporting person I had to consider my location and circumstances and focus on a  direction I knew would enable me to earn a living and have a career in dance and performance arts. This is why honesty in marketing has been important to me.

However, I believe that the root should always be raks sharqi, and that a continual review and refresher is critical to remain clear in what we are doing..and I also feel it is important not to confuse Fusion with what is happening on the dance scene now- a synthesis of dance forms, music and costuming from around the globe.