The Politics of Belly Dancing: A choreopoem
By Paula Abood
Reviewed by Rosanna Barbero
The Politics of Belly Dancing has concluded at the Performance Space in Sydney, and is now on its way to Wollongong and Canberra. It combats powerfully preconceived notions about the East.
The Arab-Australian women who put together this production are criticising the West's perception of Arab women and Middle Eastern culture. This perception is portrayed in the character of the Orientalist, a scholar who fails to arrive at any real insight into Arab culture. Instead, his judgment is that of a male who views the body of the belly dancer as exotic, something to titillate.
The artists are all women, which generates a strong sense of control. The Orientalists in all their wisdom, knowledge and authority are parodied and their procedure for determining cultural authenticity is challenged. The character of Zakiya brings this to the fore in her ability to mimic the Orientalist satirically.
The powerful voices of the women together explore their identity, reclaiming a space. This is about empowering women to tell their own stories, smash convention and stereotypes and begin redefining themselves.
Belly dancing has its origins as a performance for women symbolising rituals of birth. The Politics of Belly Dancing brings the art form back to the women and reshapes and redefines history and ideas. The visual and oral presentation permits exploration and exhibits the redefinition of the dance through the eyes of the women.
Congratulations to this group of talented and intelligent women, who have addressed the issues of gender, culture and representation, language, sexuality and identity using innovative and traditional forms of performance.