Why Belly Dancers are Appreciated.

[sorcerer541]

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[SatinWorship19]

Why is it that we're appreciated? Inquiring minds would like to know.

*dusts off tassels*

:zillevil:

[Lesgemini_Zafirah]

Why'd you delete it? I thought it was nice.

[SatinWorship19]

Ohhhhhh, it was nice? ,f::

I saw "Why Bellydancers are Appreciated" and a deleted post and got a little trigger-happy, apparently. I feel bad for being snarky now!

[sorcerer541]

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[Lesgemini_Zafirah]

Anyway, that was 18 years ago and to this day I still remember her quite clearly. The point I wanted to make in writing all of this is that you ladies may not remember the numerous people you perform for but we remember you.

.

I think this is a very sweet tribute to belly dancing, especially this last paragraph. Thank you for sharing your story & remembering it so eloquently.

[sumayasaahir]

You are right, its more of a site for dancers, but this post is appropriate IMO.

I got a kick out of it because my husband is an ironworker, and I thought, theres no way he'd have let me go on that gig. Im glad it went well for her, and that she had a positive impact on you :)

[Rosette]

That's a very sweet (and well-written) story, and it reminded me so strongly of my experience of the first live belly dance performance I ever saw, more than 20 years ago. A huge gathering, a big hall full of people, and every person there was struck so enchanted, so perfectly still, it was like the whole room held it's breath. There's a scanned photo of that dancer (her name was Rajat), taken during that performance, on my monitor right now . . . and she's the reason why I dance today. My daughter was also there; she was 4 years old. She eventually became a belly dancer every bit as lovely, and her dancing has made me a VERY proud mom!
Rosette

[SatinWorship19]

The point I wanted to make in writing all of this is that you ladies may not remember the numerous people you perform for but we remember you.

Wow. I admit, I wasn't sure what to expect when I opened up this post....but reading this absolutely made my day.

It's all too easy, when you've been through a few bona fide Gigs from Hell, to forget the most important fact of all: that people remember you, and not merely in a perfunctory sense. Your story reminded me to stop sweating the unappreciative clients and realize that the sweeping majority are kind people like you.

By the way....no, you don't sound stalkerish or weird, if that was your original concern. You may feel free to drop by and visit us again if you'd like!

Lisa

[bintbeled]

I really like this story. Thanks for sharing.

Latifa

[*Shira*]

Sorceror, although you're quite correct that it's primarily a site for actual dancers to talk shop rather than a site for male fans, I enjoyed reading what you posted. Speaking for myself, I'm always happy to have a dialogue with a respectful fan who enjoys our dance. Thank you for sharing your memory with us!

[laura 2]

I posted a while ago about a couple of gigs where the people who hired me wanted a Belly Dancer because of a memorable past experience seeing one.

The first was a woman in her mid to late 30's who said she remembered her parents having a dancer for a friend's birthday when she was a very little girl. She told me how she was allowed to open the door for her, and how the dancer was so beautiful and glamorous with her glittery costume. When, as a grown woman, she was looking for something special for her FIL's birthday, hiring a Belly Dancer was one of the first things that came to mind.

The second was a guy who hired me for his brother's 50th birthday. Their father had recently passed away and the brother was taking it quite hard. Apparently the father had had a Belly Dancer for *his* 50th birthday party over 20 years before, and so the client hired me to remind his brother of a special memory about their dad.

In both of those cases, I was so touched, and wished I knew who the dancers were so I could tell them that those short performances decades ago were still affecting people to this day. I love to think that maybe I also can create those sort of indelible memories for audience members.

[Safiyah]

WOW that made my day! We don't really get to hear of these stories and so often we have bad experiences with the general public that make us burned out and unhappy...it almost made me tear up to think that I could potentially have that long of a positive impact on someone :) Thanks for re-posting this, I really appreciate your story!

[Lauren_]

I'm SO glad you put that back up. What a beautifully written story, I love it!

[sorcerer541]

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[shadagirl]

Wow - how incredibly sweet that you took the time to post and share such a wonderful memory. I hope your experience and positive feedback inspires others to do the same. So much time can be spent dwelling in the negativity of this world - it's so nice to have a positive moment to breathe in. Thank you!

Hurray for art!

Surreyya

[JeanneLF]

That was very, very sweet -- could make the day of many a dancer, I'm sure. Thank you.

[sabrinabellydancer]

thats fabulous. everyone likes to hear that their work is appreciated. thank you for writing this.

[zorba]

That was indeed a very nice story - enjoyed it.

Now Sorcerer, have you ever thought about BECOMING a Belly Dancer yourself?

[rose_sahar]

Thank you for sharing that story! It was sweet and touching!

[sorcerer541]

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[yasmindiab]

thanks for sharing!!!!

[zorba]

Zorba,

While I'm in good shape (I run and practice Taekwondo) dancing has never been something that I've been particularly good at. Also, while I have an open mind to male ballroom and ballet dancers, belly dancing seems like something more suited exclusively to women...IMO.

.

Ah, if I had a nickel for every time I've heard the "two left feet" or "I can't dance" defense! I know, because I used to use it myself.

This thread is hardly the place to debate male vs. female dancers - but I do invite you to check out my site and links page full of links to other male dancers!

Again, I thank you for your story - we all appreciate it!

[sorcerer541]

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[mish_mish]

I felt the same way when I saw real belly dancers for the first time. I was absolutely knocked flat by them--I didn't want to leave the restaurant, I loved the music so much. (I was so lucky that my first experiences with live ME was hearing Mary Ellen Donald at Amira in San Francisco in the early 90s.) I wanted to give them all my money!

[sumayasaahir]

Mish, after doing my taxes this year Ive realized that I have given bellydancers all my money!

[mish_mish]

Mish, after doing my taxes this year Ive realized that I have given bellydancers all my money!

Those evil belly dancers! You're RIGHT! I've never stopped being taken in by sparkly pretties (in costume or human form!).

[zorba]

Zorba,

Somehow I missed the fact that YOU were a guy. Sorry, I didn't mean to offend.

No offense taken whatsoever! Your reaction is typical of most who have never encountered a male dancer before - so I merely invite you to learn more!

I'm *VERY* hard to offend! ..l;,

[spicedjellybeans]

Oh dear, Sorcerer, I wish you'd repost that wonderful story.