Thread: Belly Dancer on Character Fantasy-USA

Thought this would be fun to post here... It's strange when I do a job that is hair, make-up and belly dancing. The young lady I made over into a "belly dancer" was super nice and LOVED her new alter ego....


Character Makeovers, Movies - Character Fantasy - Host Jeannie Mai - USA Network -Character Makeovers, Movies - Character Fantasy - Hosts Kristin Adams - USA Network

This is a nice clip. Not once do they depict bellydancing in a sleazy way. Good post!

Neat! Thanks for sharing!

She was super excited when she found out she got to keep the costume!

This is a lovely segment. What a breath of fresh air!

ah that was great! she looked so happy! thanks for sharing

I'd always hoped to see a belly dancer on one of these. I watch a ton of USA.

very nice :)

This was great!

very nice.

Certainly a better-than-average piece, but I'm still holding out for the day when they can do a whole segment without using the word "exotic."

OTOH, was it just me, or was there something annoying about the way the girl kept talking about learning to belly dance like it was some insanely unattainable goal? Honey, this isn't like becoming an astronaut or competing in the Olympics. Anybody who wants to do it pretty much can. Maybe the producers told her to sell it that way, but if she wanted to dance that badly, she could have just googled "belly dance" and found a listing of teachers in her city. Sheesh. We may be a bit under the radar, but we're not underground.

Originally Posted by Tourbeau

Certainly a better-than-average piece, but I'm still holding out for the day when they can do a whole segment without using the word "exotic."

OTOH, was it just me, or was there something annoying about the way the girl kept talking about learning to belly dance like it was some insanely unattainable goal? Honey, this isn't like becoming an astronaut or competing in the Olympics. Anybody who wants to do it pretty much can. Maybe the producers told her to sell it that way, but if she wanted to dance that badly, she could have just googled "belly dance" and found a listing of teachers in her city. Sheesh. We may be a bit under the radar, but we're not underground.

You'd rather they use the word "mundane"?

Honestly, I wish "exotic" wasn't used to describe stripping. What's so exotic about nudity? Anyone can get naked - and there's a nudie bar in just about every city, but not everyone can learn to belly dance, and it's a lot harder to find a belly dance show than a T&A show.

But I agree, if she lives somewhere where she can have Aisha Ali as a teacher, really, there's no excuse for her not being able to find classes herself and to take lessons. But, hey, this way she got a free costume, and she got to be on TV.

BTW - to Melody, the OP - I think she looked adorable after hair and make-up. Good job!

How fun! I think it was a really cute piece and a very positive portrayal of the dance.

Good job Melody - she looked lovely!

Originally Posted by tamrahennatx

But I agree, if she lives somewhere where she can have Aisha Ali as a teacher, really, there's no excuse for her not being able to find classes herself and to take lessons. But, hey, this way she got a free costume, and she got to be on TV.

Milwaukee doesn't have the biggest BD scene, but the community has grown a lot in the last few years. There are at least a dozen instructors on all sides of the city, and we have at least one event a month, even if it's just a small hafla. Yet I get calls all the time from people disappointed that my classes are so far away from them, and when I tell them they've got another teacher right in their backyard they are completely shocked. BD around here just seems to be something that's completely under the radar for most people unless they stumble upon it.

Very positive & fun segment - Thanks for posting! :)

Originally Posted by tamrahennatx

You'd rather they use the word "mundane"?

How about "enchanting" or "artistic" instead? I understand that "exotic" is a synonym for "foreign or unusual," and the dance is "exotic" in that sense, but the word "exotic" has taken on a new meaning when used in conjunction with the word "dance." "Exotic dance" means "stripping" in contemporary usage. It's the same thing as trying to argue that the words "gay man" mean "guy with a blithe disposition." Yeah, technically they do, but that's not what people think of.

German, Scandinavian, and Russian traditional dances are just as "foreign" in the US as MED--and in many areas, finding a class for them would actually be less likely than for belly dance, but "exotic" isn't the first word journalists grab to describe those styles of dance. I genuinely believe they want to bring in this "[wink, wink] Isn't this hot?" angle (some more blatantly than others) when they're talking about belly dance, just like I think they do it when they're talking about Polynesian, Latin, and Far Eastern dances--all of which have their own history of fetish-y baggage about white guys getting busy with sexy, foreign women who weren't like the frigid prudes back home. Some journalists manage to work a more subtle approach, but the public basically has been conditioned to expect this kind of spiel, and they're giving them what they know. I think most of us who study this dance struggle at least a little to reconcile what "sexy" means in this context, so it's not surprising people who don't have much familiarity with it gravitate toward the less artful interpretations. It's honestly pretty hard to describe the dance in ways that reflect it's elegance and grace without looking like a deluded nut who hasn't noticed that there is a particular quality of sexual expression to it.

Thank you so much for the compliments ladies! It means a lot. There is a fine line between a theatrical beauty makeup appropriate for a belly dancer and a full drag queen feather,glitter, color fest.( at first I think that's what they expected her to look like) The producers got a full education that day about everything "belly dance", and I think did a good job with the segment. They do have to have the " ain't this wacky and different!?" angle to keep with the realty format, but that's show business.....

As for the word "exotic"... I'm taking it back! All the strippers are starting to ditch that descriptive. Check out all the "intimate fitness poles" I guess the "exotic" fitness poles are a harder sell.... So I wanna take it back! Yah I'm "exotic" if you wanna see my tits go to an "intimate" dancer...ha ha

on another note...
I know sometimes it dosn't feel like it , but if you have been belly dancing you pick up an amazing amount of self confidence that a lot of women have never know.
Most of the time it creeps up on you. You start dance class in a baggy t shirt and sweats and a month later your in a sports bra tugging your waist band down to see your roll better.
We have to remember that we are an intimidating bunch, and not only to the spectator but to each other. It can be very scary to just walk into a dance class, and for many that fear will keep them away. Not all belly dance teachers understand this....
Sorry for the rant... but if you are on this board you are 10X more confident, beautiful, and bad ass than you think you are...
And when you are out there doing your thing remember: sure some of your audience wants to have sex with you, but most of them want to BE you!
Belly Dancers Raq!

And they got Aisha Ali!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

"Exotic" means foreign, that's all. Pine trees are exotic.

Intimate poles? AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH

Wish I could watch it. The link with the episode trailer works but the full episode does not. :(