Two Updates on the Belly Dancing Scene

These two stories only tang3ntially touch on what I jokingly called the "Islamist/Belly Dancer Axis," But they do relate to an undeniably Middle Eastern art form now under some challenge.

First off, Egypt Independent, as part of a series of articles on ordinary everyday Cairenes, offers "A Day in the Life of a Bellydancer." She dances on a Nile boat club. But she's from Argentina. In fact, quite a few of Egypt's belly dancers in the big hotels and other venues are Europeans or North or South Americans, or from elsewhere in the Middle East.

That might explain the remarks of Lucy, one of Egypt's better-known current belly dancers, whom we encountered before when she was donating money to a Salafi sheikh, and who is now quoted as defending her art against Islamist and other critics, and all those newcomers:

The dancer said that she believes that she and belly dancers Dina and Fifi Abdo are the last of the best and all new comers are mere amateurs from places like Argentina:

The dancer said that she believes that she and belly dancers Dina and Fifi Abdo are the last of the best and all new comers are mere amateurs.

Lucy stressed that she has no intention of resigning from her career and wearing the Islamic headdress hijab. She added that she does not fear the rise of Islamic parties to the political scenes and believes that regardless of who comes to power main goal is to provide democracy, justice and freedom to all citizens.

She also defends the virtue of her fellow artists:

Egyptian belly dancer Lucy considers 99.9% of Egyptian belly dancers respectable and honorable, stating that their repeated marriages is better than getting involved in illegitimate affairs. She added that despite the fact she married at the age of 16, she and her husband are still together.

May I, as a historian of Egypt, add some support to her remark about belly dancers' believing strongly in marriage? The most famous of them all, and according to a now-departed generation the greatest Egyptian belly dancer of the last century, Tahia Carioca (1919-1999), who should probably someday have a blogpost devoted to her, certainly agreed. She had 14 husbands.

Anyone who gets married that many times obviously believes in marriage.