Thread: interview *seduction*

i've got a journalist from a rather big free news paper on my answering machine. she's doing a series on "seduction", and wants to do an article on "seductive dances", and wants to interview me.

do i do the interview

no: all i can tell her is that i dont agree of putting bellydancing in an article about "seducing".

yes: re-educating the public.it's damn good avertising (newspaper is quite widely spread)

??? what would buzzers do
if i do decide to do the interview, any nice tag lines, things to tell her that i can use?

Take a look at this thread, there's a great discussion getting started on this topic and some interesting angles!

http://www.bhuz.com/forum/business-b...ask-about.html

I think if it were me, I'd talk about the fact that belly dance ISN'T primarily a dance of seduction as many people think -- and try to insist on that being printed -- but then I'd go on to talk about its possible uses in that area.

hmmm- rethinking what i just wrote.

i say do it, but be very careful about what you say. if the writer is only interested in getting quotes to support her pre-determined view, it can be tricky. but if the writer is truly interested in hearing about the dance, then this is an excellent opportunity to educate the public. can you talk to the interviewer before the interview to get an idea of how stuck she is to the bellydance=seduction idea?

best of luck to you!
em

I'd probably call the journalist back and say something like, "Hmmm, I'm not sure if I'm exactly what you're looking for or not. Can you tell me more about the angle you're taking with this story and how you see belly dancing fitting in?"

If you do this, be aware that anything you say might be treated as "on the record," so be very careful to say only stuff that you're not afraid to have quoted in the final article. Because even though (from your perspective) this is a fact-finding conversation, the journalist might think that anything you say is fair game.

There's an article on my web site by fellow bhuzzer CFerhat about working with reporters: Belly Dance Advice, Tips, How-To's

I would not touch this

Originally Posted by Candi

I would not touch this

exactly, that's kind of how i feel too, i think that whatever i say, she'll turn it around to fit her preconceived ideas. but then i'm scared of who else she might call up (other teachers) instead of me, who'll happily go along with the seduction story!!!

I'd try to find out the angle as Shira suggested, you can still decline if it sounds like too much preconceived ideas.

I don't think id touch that one with a 10 ft pole. With stuff like that, few people ACTUALLY will read what you say. They will simply see "belly dancer" under the heading of "seductive dancer" and it'll just reaffirm the stereotype.

Also news articles rarely if ever use exactly what you say to them in their prints. They usually will put whatever preconceived notions they already have as a spin. Id say stay FAR away from it.

You know... when I did my "documentary" for my tummy tuck, which was supposed to be about how to obtain safe elective surgery, they wound up refocusing the episode on whether or not having a flat stomach would improve my sex life.

Even though I made quite sure not to talk about sex at all, and deter their questions - they still made it look like that was what it was about.

I just found out that a blurb from the episode has been printed in a belly dance magazine. I'm not sure exactly what - I was just told last night and am looking into it.

Bottom line? I wouldn't trust that whatever you had to say would come across the way you want it to and then the article could potentially damage your reputation and that of the dance.

That said, I do think this dance can be approached from many different angles. Most of us here on Bhuz approach it as a legitimate dance form that requires research and adequate training - people honestly could just take what they learn in class and do up a sexy dance for their hubby if they wanted to, and there isn't really anything wrong with that either... (I just wouldn't want to see it taken into seduction on stage).

The reporter has already decided on her topic and is now casting about for content that agrees with her theme. If you say - this dance is a type of cultural expression from Middle Eastern countries and its primary purpose is not as a dance of seduction - I'm guessing you won't make it into this story. She will either abandon the BD angle or find another dancer to provide the quotes she is looking for. I'm concerned that, since she already has a theme in mind, even if you state your case very well, it could still come across as seduce the sultan schtick - she could pick certain quotes; and headlines, photo lines are written by copy editors, not the reporter.

However you could call her back, and say, I don't think what I do will fit into this particular series, but how about a story on...bellydancing feminists, or whatever. Plant the seed for something interesting and more palatable for you...

haha, funny you should mention bellydancing feminist, i'm doing a phd in women's history, and studied gender studies. my fellow students at the time never got how i could also be a bellydancer ;-)

i'm not going to bother calling back, if she calls me back myself, going to try to make it sound uninteresting ;-) basically i dont wanna do it