Burlesque/Bellydance rant by Miles on GS

I'm really confused by his opinions actually as I do Lucha Va Voom here in LA and I know of several dancers that have at one time been on the BDSS tour that also do burlesque shows...

I have to admire Miles Copeland for his passion on this subject. In an age where it seems that all producers and promoters are out only to "make a buck", Mr. Copeland has taken the route of really defending the art of belly dancing from its detractors.
Having said that, I personally would not diminish the creativity of other forms of dance or make a blanket statement against this kind of fusion, but I am not a promoter. I am actually pleased to read this from him because it is a bold statement and highlights his care and concern for the art.

I just got back from the Philippines and I'm happy to report that people there see bellydance as a "women's exercise", and don't associate it with sex/stripping at all. I wonder if that bad impression is primarily an American one?

I think it's how you define "inappropriate." I personally see a few touches of burlesque in plenty of things people do, like fishnets and the garter pants. I immediately thought "burlesque" when I saw that. Is that inappropriate? This isn't meant to slight Rachel Brice or the rest of the people who choose that garb, but I did think burlesque inspired.

I stand by my opinion that there may be certain events where it's appropriate. Some people do some very sexual forms of belly dance or wear costumes that are more skin than costume, performing pieces titled things like "Kama Sutra", and many other examples but know when and where to clean it up when pointing it out to the general public. Even things with the word "sultan" in it have sexual connotations to the general public. I would argue things like that are more detrimental to the dance community than someone who clearly labels what they do as what it is.

Ditto!!!!! Shay. (except I don't do the Burlesque - I'm too busy trying to learn more about just 1 dance form, thank you. It's all my poor brain can handle. ;-P)

Comments I heard at our last performance (from about 400 general public people attending Raks Mystique) "I never knew belly dance could be so mesmerizing." and "Oh my gosh, belly dancers are REAL dancers!" and finally "I never knew that This was belly dance - I thought they stripped!" Yes, we made it to the "seen and heard" section of our regular and online newspaper by, "Gasp!" belly dancing. We did not include Burlesque. There was a whole lot more to the evening, but that was our part. (You can go to www.daytondailynews.com and look up photos and Raks Mystique if you care to see...)

Anyway - there's my 2 cents.

This whole thing is very interesting to me....

The show of mine in the UK a few weeks ago that was referred to in the Gilded Serpent article- The Shimmy Shake Show in London, actually did NOT include belly dance burlesque FUSION, but merely presented the two together... which is, in my opinion, at least, no different than presenting belly dance together with samba, or Polynesian, or salsa, or any other form of dance- or performance.

And it came about because the producer, Sapphira, does perform both genres, as I do. ...as does Zoe Jakes!

For the record, I went ten years- a whole decade- performing both belly dance and burlesque ( and keeping them well separated) before i "came out" to the belly dance community.... and I have never performed or taught burlesque at a belly dance event unless i was asked to by the event's promoter...
...and in those cases I was adamant about program listings and announcements making sure the public viewers knew it was an an 'adult-themed" NON-belly dance type of show.
And usually the only times I have performed belly dance at an actual burlesque show, was in a situation where promoters practically begged me to because there was an abundance of burlesque performers TRYING to do belly dance or oriental-themed dances, but were un-trained in that form of dance.

However, i am proud to perform both styles of dance, and have done extensive research into the history of both, and spent more time than you can imagine perfecting both art forms.

As for the Shimmy Shake Show, it was a total success. the sold out crowd loved it. The whole thing was beautiful and tasteful- in both dance forms presented. There will be more. people in the Uk seem to have a far more relaxed view on this whole can o' worms.

No, belly dance is not burlesque, and vice versa. But as for the histories go, in America, anyway, they ARE intertwined, in myriad ways, and have been since the turn of the last century. Amongst other things, what is now considered the standard belly dance costume, or bedlah, was actually appropriated directly from American burlesque performers.

Just spend some time doing some research on this subject, and you will come up with far more connections.

And just in case you didn't know, ANY SORT OF PERFORMERS- ACTORS, SINGERS, CIRCUS ARTISTS, COMEDIANS, AND YES, DANCERS WERE CONSIDERED TO BE NOTHING BETTER THAN " GYPSIES, TRAMPS AND THIEVES" UNTIL ALMOST THE MIDDLE OF THE TWENTIETH CENTURY.

And re: the Gilded Serpent story once again.... Please imagine my tongue placed firmly into my cheek...I guess i had better have a clause written into my contract that I have sole approval of the stage names of anyone else involved in a show i happen to be doing, right?