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Belly Dancers Need to Thank Bin Laden for Belly Dance? Say What Bill O'Reilly!! Get a load of this!
Last night, political pundit Bill O'Reilly slammed bellydancing in what can only be described as a misguided attempt to interpet the ancient art. In the following clip, he ties oriental dance with Osama bin Laden, completely skewering both dancer and fans alike.
Bill O’Reilly Exposes Osama Bin Laden’s Influence On Belly Dancing
(Yes, that's the internet headline)
Could bellydancing be part of bin Laden's plan to take over America? Please! I've heard better conspiracy theories about Elvis, for crying out loud. Unfortunately the headline alone suggest so much negativity to what this Hip Mix culture loves --- the art, the beauty & the community. The damage is done, damnit.
O'Reilly's comments highlight what is wrong with American ideas of belly dance. As the other man in the clip notes, the origins of oriental dance go back to ancient cultural beliefs & fertility rites, refelcting a very sacred part of Middle Eastern history. Having all that reduced down to a "sexy dance" is a travesty.
When it comes to the history, culture and heritage of oriental dance, I turn to a woman who is amazing and an idol to me: Morocco, aka, Aunt Rocky. Her site is a MUST for every dancer and fan of this beautiful art. And what she says in part of her mission statement is exactly what Mr. O'Reilly needs to hear:
"Today, in these increasingly dangerous and stressful times, it is more important than ever that we show the positive aspects of these cultures, in order to create bonds of understanding between our peoples, via their dances, music, etc., which are expressions of love and the universal soul of us all. These aspects - in fact ALL ARTS - are the very things that fanatics and terrorists would like to suppress and eliminate, along with the artists who create, produce and perform them."
Sometimes I wonder how long we'll have to deal with the misinterpetation of oriental dance. When will it be properly represented in Western Media as the beautiful and passionate art form that it is?
I would love to introduce Mr. O'Reilly to Morocco... can you imagine?
To be truly respected as performers and artists, it seems we have a long road ahead of us.  You must have a profile and be signed in to add comments to this post, go here to create a profile or sign in in the left hand column. I am a drummer and have participated in a fair number of performances with dancers. To equate belly dance with Bin Laden is absolutely incredulous. Some dancers are more committed to their craft ... but regardless ... most of the the dancers I know are warm hearted, fun loving, adventurous and creative .. great people. Most good dancers can express themselves in a sensual way .. but have never seen anything overtly sexual. Anyone who slams belly dancing in any form clearly does not know of what they speak. | Posted on 09:43 PM, 02/18/2010 |
Yes, the O'Reilly piece is completely stupid and clearly a puff piece, meant to make connections where there seriously are none.
But LETS BE REAL, dancers within our own communities do far more damage on a daily basis by how they carry themselves, by what they do on stage, how they advertise their classes, and what they'll do to get a gig and for what amazingly low price!
We need to clean house within our communities and demand more of those practicing this art form. Instead of selling ourselves short and telling the world to respect us when we don't respect ourselves enough to stand behind what we say we believe.
Is it any wonder stories like this get told about us? When so much "conflicting" action abounds from those within our community.
It's hard for me to blame the general public, when a lot of what they see from US reinforces the stereotype.
| Posted on 01:45 PM, 02/18/2010 |
Anna! you have brought up some very good points... some that I have been kicking around in my head for future diary entries.
Thank you for being here & sharing your thoughts... and i hope you will not be a stranger to more discussions in HipMix! | Posted on 11:36 AM, 02/19/2010 |
Jesse Waters looks funny but is seriously foolish... and I am sure most of America would know that by now.lol... | Posted on 01:12 PM, 02/18/2010 |
As for the "boom", I'd really credit that to Shakira. Think about it. "Ojos Asi" was released in 1998, but she didn't go fully mainstream until her first English-language release "Laundry Service" in November of 2001.
Not everybody who joined up in that era did so because of Shakira. But there was certainly a ripple effect: Shakira fans brought their friends to class, talked about it with their coworkers, etc.
And Shakira certainly made more people aware of belly dance, which I'm sure made it easier to get classes approved at gyms, rec departments, etc. | Posted on 01:10 PM, 02/18/2010 |
Yes, the O'Reilly piece is completely stupid and clearly a puff piece, meant to make connections where there seriously are none.
But LETS BE REAL, dancers within our own communities do far more damage on a daily basis by how they carry themselves, by what they do on stage, how they advertise their classes, and what they'll do to get a gig and for what amazingly low price!
We need to clean house within our communities and demand more of those practicing this art form. Instead of selling ourselves short and telling the world to respect us when we don't respect ourselves enough to stand behind what we say we believe.
Is it any wonder stories like this get told about us? When so much "conflicting" action abounds from those within our community.
It's hard for me to blame the general public, when a lot of what they see from US reinforces the stereotype.
| Posted on 01:04 PM, 02/18/2010 |
I agree that we do more damage than BOR could.
What makes me mad is not the way his piece perpetuates stereotypes about belly dance.
I'm angry because he's using something I love to make an argument that is divisive, destructive, and fallacious. | Posted on 01:15 PM, 02/18/2010 |
But but but: the fundamentalists are AGAINST belly dance!
What he should REALLY be investigating is the sinister infiltration of Arabic numerals into American life. They're on EVERY SINGLE keyboard and telephone in the US! | Posted on 01:00 PM, 02/18/2010 |
this is typical of many people in front of the camera: they feel they are knowledgeable on every subject...ever.
"...the rise of belly dancing and interest in “Arabian culture” is a direct result of the 9/11 plot hatched by Osama bin Laden." that's what the producer said...i don't agree. the dance has been popular in the USA way way way way way before the 9/11 tragedy.
| Posted on 12:48 PM, 02/18/2010 |
This makes me sick to my stomach. How dare they trash something they know nothing about, oh yeah, they're talking heads, that's all they do. I already boycott Faux Noise and all their ilk, but it's sad when all the other news stations (MSNBC in particular) can talk about nothing but how stupid O'Really is and give him MORE air time! I think misogynist comments like these, especially about the "sexuality" aspect of it reveal their ignorance. Poor guy, showing his own pedophiliac tendencies on national TV by ogling little girls in sparkly costumes. It's time the women took over and put these men in their place. We're already more than half the population. We need to take our rightful place in the world and put these sheeple out to pasture! Grrrrl POWER! | Posted on 12:30 PM, 02/18/2010 |
From the husband of a bellydancer, Roger Hendrix, on Facebook:
It has been around a long time but I don't think it can be argued that America in general has become very curious, good or bad, in the Mid East culture since 9-11 and that's the quote.
I think we do not help anything in the world by fostering hatred over curiosity in a culture, even if it was initiated by a tragic event...and even if it's talked about on faux news.
The irony is I did not see this on faux news becasue I would never watch it.....However somebody was watching that seems to care to misrepresent. That's curious.
Smile Amy ............. It's all good.
What do you think? Should O'Reilly get a pass just because curiosity about the Arab world in the larger sense is a good thing? Or is this guy just being a douche? | Posted on 12:38 PM, 02/18/2010 |
There has always been an explosion of bellydance in American culture many many years way way before 9/11. These guys haven't a clue. Enough of Bill O'Reilly please! Glad we got on his show anyway. | Posted on 12:25 PM, 02/18/2010 |
There has always been an explosion of bellydance in American culture many many years way way before 9/11. These guys haven't a clue. Enough of Bill O'Reilly please! Glad we got on his show anyway. | Posted on 12:24 PM, 02/18/2010 |
He needs to do his homework before speaking! The "boom" can well before 9/11. The "excuses" came after 9/11 from ignorant people. And belly dancing from a 12 year old is completely normal in the culture it stems from! To them, its just "dancing"! | Posted on 12:21 PM, 02/18/2010 |
correction: The "boom" came well before... | Posted on 12:35 PM, 02/18/2010 |
Morocco would put O\'Reilly in his place in about 5 seconds with video footage and research to boot. I love Rocky!
As for this televised nonsense, it's an embarrassment to the community and to the "reporters" who obviously couldn't be bothered to notice that this dance has been in the United States a very long time and is definitely popular in other locations besides California. If they had bothered to ask any of the wonderful dancers who were at the event, they would have "discovered" that actions by extremists HURT us dancers far more than help bring people to appreciate the beauty of what we do. | Posted on 12:14 PM, 02/18/2010 |
Wow! That is beyond belief ... I can't even think of the right words to say ... | Posted on 12:13 PM, 02/18/2010 |
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