i meant discussing, sorry i have very bad hands!!!!! lol

I personally think that being such a novelty is a benefit that we should embrace. I have never ever had a negative comment thrown my way because of being a male belly dancer. Also i think that people like you zak, frank, and steven do a wonderful job putting yourselves out there and showing the world that we are not only a novelty but also full of talent.

I would like to see a men's middle eastern dance community grow, but I see several problems holding it back:

1.) Teachers - It is fairly easy to find someone to teach you the feminine forms of the dances. It is extremely hard to find male teachers and even harder to find ones who know the male forms of the dances. Maybe a rated listing of male dance teachers, what they teach, where they are, and demo videos of their dancing would be a help.

2.) Ego - Men are scared of dance in this country. It takes a lot of work to be good at it and they are afraid the will look bad when they attempt it. There is also the myth that only gay men like to dance or are good at dance. That scares away the homophobes. Bellydance also tends to look rather feminine since most of the teachers are women, or men who learned from women. Seeing yourself looking girly in the mirror when taking a class is enough to spook a lot of men. In fact sometimes they will literally run. I simply took my glasses off and I was safe from my reflection. =P

3.) Computer Literacy - I've noticed that a lot of dancers, no matter the dance, whether it is ballet, tap, jazz, modern, or bellydance, are not computer literate. That kind of limits the ability of an online community to grow. Time can change that. Also grabbing your offline dancer friends, making them buy computers, and teaching them to use them might help. Though that might not be very feasible in a many situations, because I've also noticed a lot of dancers tend to be poor.

I aggree with most of the points being made here, but another thing that I feel strongly about is that a lot of us male bellydancers need to have a stronger community that is supportive of one another. I think that many of us are acquainted with each other, but how many of us consider ourselves "brothers-in-dance?" Although there are many bonds between us, I feel that there are also some strong barriers between us as well.

1) Competition: I that we, as men, are naturally competitive. That, at times, can bring out the best of the worst in us. I have noticed some animocity between dancers that are held in the same regards & caliber. It's just the nature of ways, when any 2 things are similar in style, to be compared. Some dancers try so hard to be different that it makes their blood boil to be compared to another dancer. This can make said dancer want to explain how he is different by saying how he is better than the dancer he is being compared to &/or how that dancer is worse. People try to associate the new with the familiar; it's basic human nature. Although we all have our own signature styles, Zak, Steven, Lorenso, & I get compared all the time because we are all young, & highly skilled Tribal Fusion dancers. I think that there is nothing wrong with comparison... just as long as it is complementary & not insulting.

2) Traditionalists vs. Fusionists: I have noticed that there is also some animocity between some Traditional dancers (Folkloric, ATS, Gypsy, & Raks Sharqi) & Fusionists (Tribal, Cabaret, & Gothic). This is the BIG thing that hurts my heart. WE are ALL in this boat TOGETHER!!! We sould be supportive of each other no matter what style!!! A good dancer is a good dancer & a bad dancer is a bad dancer regardless of style, but whatever style of dance 1 chooses to perform is NOT what marks a good or bad performer or performance. It is a respect & appreciation for all styles that can make an excellent performer. John Compton, Suhaila Salimpour, & Carolena Nericcio all trained Rachel Brice. Suhaila Salimpour, Aziza, Tamalyn Dallal, & Frederique all trained Sharon Kihara. Suhaila Salimpour was trained by her mother Jamilla, & pulls from a strong background in Ballet, Jazz, & Hip-Hop as does Jilina. Ansuya was trained by her mother & pulls from a background in Ballet, Jazz, Hip-Hop, African, Flamenco, & Indian. All of them are revered artists & amazing fusionists who have cross-trained in other styles of dance, but still hold true to the culture of which Middle Eastern dance comes from. In addition to all of this... they are all very loving & supportive of 1 another.