Belly Dance or ‘danse du ventre’ as it was previously coined in French, was used to forcibly categorize dances across Northern Africa under one umbrella. While Raqs Baladi is a more appropriate terminology to reference 'dances of the country' and Raqs Sharqi to reference Oriental Dance today, this session will delve into dance forms that existed prior to and during colonization: Hagala, Alexandrian, Melaya Leff, Henna, Semsemiya, Bambotiya, Dahia, Mashreqiya, Debka, Fallahi, Ghawazee, Gypsy, Baladi, Jawary, Awalem, Oriental, Saidi, Tahtieb game, Bedouin, Kaffafa, Zagala, Burmia Baharia, and 14 different types of Nubian dances, Whiplash, Hosit

The presentation will not be centering Western interpretations of Belly dance. We will also be investigating invented traditions, the concept of nationality, and subjugation of dancers and sex workers.

🎤 Presented By: Nishita Rao

📌 What to Expect:

• Authentic representations of dances of Egypt
• Analysis of the feminization, sexualization and commodification of dances & sex workers
• Archival videos of the dances from across the country including the first movie to be censored by the US media because the dancer was shimmying

👤 Who Is This Space For:

• Dancers, Dance Enthusiasts, Performers
• History Nerds, Educators, Researchers
• Anyone interested in learning about Orientalism and its impact on not just daily life but clinical, therapeutic and academic spaces

🧠 Learning Objectives:

• By the end of this presentation, participants would be able to critique the Orientalization and Sexualization of the Indigenous Art Forms.
  • Core Knowledge Areas: A, C, D, E, F, J, P, Q
  • Sexuality Education (SE) Skills Training  a. Theory and methods of general education (including curriculum development, delivery, and evaluation) 
• By the end of this presentation, participants would be able to analyze invented traditions, choreographing politics and systematic erasure of dancers.
  • Core Knowledge Areas: C, D, E, F, P, Q
  • Sexuality Education (SE) Skills Training  d. Approaches to sexuality education with specific populations 

Accessibility: Zoom offers live captioning. If further accessibility tools are needed please let us know.

Please Note: This workshop will be recorded for sale after. 

Workshop Recordings

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