Here are links to other male dancers, articles I've found on male dancers,
and a few of the more important general Belly Dance links. And then there
are a few links I've thrown in that have nothing to do with Belly Dance at all!
I have scoured the web looking for articles and websites by, for, and about
male Belly Dancers. Most of what I've found is listed here. I have, however,
omitted sites that merely mention the fact that there are male dancers,
or mention that someone saw a male dancer, or other sites that may
mention male dancers in one context or another but have no real content
(related to male dancers).
If you see the red "Belly Jewel"
(
)
by a vendor's link, Zorba has had dealings with and can recommend that
particular vendor. Nothing at all against the others though!
If you have a favorite link you'd like to contribute, please
contact me.
Jump to your favorite category with these quick links or scroll down
and read it all:
On This Links Page:
General links - Discussion -
Zills -
Articles about male dance - Male dancers' sites
On Second Links Page:
Mostly Pictures -
Female dancers' sites -
Vendors - Henna, Bindis, etc.
Non Belly Dance links -
Linking To This Site
General Belly Dance
Links:
Doumbeks
- An interesting article detailing the various names this drum has in various countries.
ASAMED dance name registry - An attempt to get dancers to register their
dance names to avoid duplications. Quick and free, why not do it now?
Arabian Nights at Sea - Belly Dance cruise. If you can take this cruise, DO IT!
IAMED - The International Academy of Middle Eastern Dance.
They claim their videos are the "best in the world". From what I've seen of
them, they very well may be!
Shira's Belly Dance Page - All roads lead to Shira's
site, and with good reason! There is more good information, and tips here
than any other place on the 'net. How-to's, techniques, Zills, you name it!
Aziza Sa'id's Website
- another very good reference site. Don't miss her suggestions for Belly
Dance olympic events!
Oriental Dancer dot net
- Belly Dance news, articles, discussions, directories, more!
VajraVision Link Heaven
- A large and good Belly Dance link site.
Jasmin Jahal
(Female) Dancer in Chicago who has a TON of useful and interesting articles!
Don't miss this one!
Dreaming of Jeannie
- Despina's site. Wonderful articles (don't miss her article on shimmying!)
The Joy of Belly
Dancing - Lots of good articles and tips to be found here!
The Gilded Serpent.
- Very nice Belly Dance E-Zine. Zorba even has written an article!
Mohammad El Bakkar -
The Man, The Myth, The Legend. Site has info, and MP3 Downloads of his music
Rakkasah's Web Site
- Billed as the largest Belly Dance festival in the world, it probably is.
It is huge, and well worth attending!
Desert Dance Festival Website
- Another large festival.
"Radio" Bastet
- All vintage Belly Dance music, all of the time. Real audio non-realtime WebCast. Very
cool!
Middle Eastern Culture & Dance Association (MECDA)
- You may find joining an organization like this useful. I do!
San Francisco Bay Area Chapter of MECDA
- All new WebSite, very useful!
Belly Dance UK
- Resources for UK based dancers, including a
Directory of UK teachers who will accept male students!
Talk About It:
BellyCircle.com
- Brand New Discussion Board!
Bhuz.com
- Bhuz Discussion Boards, you can often find me here.
Lotus Flower
- Belly Dance discussion board in the UK.
Belly Dance Forums dot net
- Belly Dance discussion board. Zorba moderates the male dancer's area!
Men of Middle Eastern Dance - Jim Boz's Tribe group.
Yahoo! Groups male Belly Dancers forum - Sometimes VERY slow, sometimes VERY
active!
Yahoo! Groups Bay Area Belly Dance - San Francisco Bay Area dancers, news
and events.
Yahoo! Groups Belly Dance Santa Cruz - Santa Cruz and Monterey Bay Area dancers, news
and events.
Dance.net
- Has discussion groups about many different dance forms. This links directly
to their Belly Dance discussion.
Zills:
Saroyan Mastercrafts
- Zills, costume coins, a pair of must have CDs, you'll find 'em all here!
El Coyote enterprises - Another well regarded Zill maker. John Compton recommends them!
The Ethnic Musical Instrument Company - Click on "Belly Dance" to find Zills and other goodies.
Turquoise International - Also well known.
Zildjian Online
- Zildjian is the Armenian family who has been making cymbals of all types,
including Zills, since 1623. Any questions?
The Online Finger Cymbal Workshop - From Shira's site.
How to play Zills - An additional resource.
Zills on Fire - Sells a complete how-to CD and book.
Hear Middle Eastern Rhythms Online! - Oriented towards drummers, but totally
useful for Zills as well.
Articles about Male Belly Dance:
Articles in newspapers and on news sites tend to come and go rapidly. If you
know of one not listed here, or one of these has departed cyberspace, please
Contact Me.
For Chinese Man, A Gut Instinct For Belly Dancing
- Male Belly Dancer in China. He even teaches veil!
Comeback of the Male Belly Dancers
- Yet another article about the increasing popularity of same in Istanbul
The Genderings of Dance
- 'Blog article about male Belly Dancers
Gender, Politics and Power in the Technology of Belly Dance
- Same author, another 'Blog article about male Belly Dancers
A Quest for Beauty part I
- Gilded Serpent article by Zorba!
A Quest for Beauty part II: Damn the Torpedoes and Full Speed Ahead!
- Part II of III (eventual).
Whose Dance is This, Anyway?
- about male dancers. Followed by a huge gallery of male dancers, including Zorba! From the Gilded Serpent.
Interview
- with male Belly Dancer Ozgen. From the Gilded Serpent.
Don't Judge Me By My Tights
- Article by a male Ballet dancer that is very apropos for male Belly Dancers.
Work Permits
- Denied to male Belly Dancers in Egypt.
Shimmy Shaking for Health
- Tito comes to Hawaii!
MaleBellyDancing.com
- An odd little site. I'm really not sure how to classify it. It appears to be
an enthusiast site; it is comprised of a copy of part of my links page blatantly
lifted (but at least with credit given), coupled with links to male dancer's
videos on YouTube.
Male Belly Dancers in Egypt
- Its been talked about for years, how male dancers once graced the stages of Egypt, but are now
pretty much Haram and unheard of for decades. Now, that is slowly changing.
Granted, the guys have to conform to very narrow male stereotypes, but its a beginning...
A brief article
- that references (links to) the above.
Beer Belly Dancer
- Las Vegas (male) reporter gives it a try!
Hawai'i Belly Dancer Magazine
- Has several interviews with male dancers in their archives, including Zorba (April '08)!
From Reuters
- Male belly-dance back in vogue in Turkey
Another Copy
- of the same article.
Teaching Elders
- Belly Dancing, including elderly males!
Brief history
- Of male Belly Dancing (one viewpoint).
Reverse Discrimination?
- "Men Only" belly dance classes by (female) Birmingham teacher!
Belly Dancers Shimmy for Fundraiser
- Including a male Belly Dancer!
Article
- By Australian male Belly Dancer "Ghassan" discussing how the dance enables him to step outside
of normal gender expectations.
We're everywhere!
- Belly dancing, with a little more body hair. You may have to set up a free registration to
view this article.
Gutsy moves
- Male Belly Dancing students shake up expectations
A thread
- from an online discussion about male Belly Dancers. "Aunt Rocky" even weighs in,
although I respectfully disagree with her "no veilwork for males" stance...
Bozzy in Alaska!
- male Belly Dancer Jim Boz gives a workshop in Anchorage. Free registration may be required.
Belly Dancing, A Manly Dance?
- A male reporter's experience!
Men & Middle Eastern Dance -
As noted in Mike Waldie's Article on this site, males aren't
generally welcomed with open arms in the UK dance scene. This lady is trying to do
something about that.
"Future belly dancers may be male" -
Article about Australian Belly Dance competition - and HEY! There are male dancers!
Men Enter Hip Circles -
Male Dancers in Canada. Seems to require payment to read entire article.
Group of Guys - being taught Belly Dance so they can perform in a fund raiser.
Men Being Encouraged - to join a Belly Dance class by Chiropractors. Requires
a free registration to read.
Wall Street Journal Article - About male Belly Dancers.
Aziz
- Male Belly Dancer inspired by God. (Which one?)
Book Review
- That reveals an interesting glimpse of male Belly Dancers at the turn of
the 20th century
Interesting Article - a (male) silk painter who discovers Belly Dance.
Male Dancers at Weddings -
Tarik's thoughts on the subject. From Aziza Sa'id's site
Male Belly Dancers in Turkey - From Jasmin Jahal's site.
Moosetafa
- A humorous look at Male Belly dancers. From Shira's site.
Hip Grandpa - 63 year old male discovers that Belly Dance eases back pain!
Oriental
dance, it's not just for women (and never was) - The most definitive
article I've found on the 'net.
A Teacher's Path
- How Tarik Sultan got his start. Very inspirational for male dancers!
Pink Gypsy's Male Belly Dance page - Very informative.
Masculine Belly
Dance - This article has been around forever, which I find unfortunate as it
is being quoted as "Biblical Gospel" (To use Christian phraseology) all over the 'net.
Frankly, I disagree with about 95% of it, but you decide...
Male Dancers - Some varied information, pretty good!
Lebanese male dancer - Mousbah takes the Beirut nightlife by storm!
Belly
Dancing for Men - Advice from Ankh, a male dancer. Lots of rulebooks.
Costumer's
Notes May 2001 - Questions and Answers - A discussion of men's costuming,
with links.
Cross Dressing
Male Dancers - Article on Shira's site, discussing historical and
modern day incidences of Male Belly Dancers who perform in drag.
Reflections
on Being a Male Belly Dance Artist - Brief interview with Aziz, male dancer.
Amara's Excellent
Articles page - Several of her articles discuss male Belly Dancers in terms
of: Is Belly Dance always feminine? Are male Belly Dancers feminized? These
rather intellectual treatises explore these questions.
Feminism & Belly Dance
- Interesting treatise. Belly Dance from a Feminist's viewpoint. Especially poignant
for male dancers is footnote [6]
John Compton talks about the old days - From the Gilded Serpent.
Male Belly Dancers in Istanbul - A world wide phenomenon?
Father-Daughter Belly Dancers! - PDF file, top article.
BBC News Article - About Mohammed Khordadian.
Male dancers' sites:
Adam Basma Middle
Eastern Dance Company - In Los Angeles.
Ahmet
- Turkish Roma.
Alexandros
- Greek male Belly Dancer now in Austria. Like most Greek male Belly Dancers,
he dances essentially topless.
Ali Khalih - Of
Brazil. Bilingual site (Portuguese/English). WARNING: Entire site done in Flash -
Dial-up, don't even bother...
Amir - In
Germany (Site in German).
Amir Thaleb - of
Argentina (Site in Spanish).
Amrit
- In south Florida.
Andrus
- Of Florida.
Ankh
- Of Texas.
Arish Lam
- Of Florida.
Asi
- Male dancer in Israel.
Aziz
- Not the famous, but retired, one in Utah; this one is in Canada.
"Attila The Hunk"
- I'll leave it to the ladies to determine if he lives up to his name!
Bondok
- Of Germany. Folkloric style dancer, including Tanoura (Twirling Dervish).
Page in German.
Chris -
Of Melbourne, Australia
Cihangir -
Male Belly/Flamenco/Eastern Indian Dancer. Site in German. Seems to like
performing in high drag, although I don't know if he does so exclusively.
Belly Dancing By Zamoras - Male Dancers - Cory Zamora's male dancer's page.
DaVid - Famous
male Belly Dancer, first of Norway, then of Sweden, and now in California, USA!
Desert Passion Middle Eastern Dance Theater
- Featuring male Belly Dancer "Drakon".
Eduardo, Male Belly Dancer - Several pictures, contact information and bio.
I really like his look!
Farouq
- Of the Netherlands. Site in Dutch.
Genie
- Of Florida.
Gogua Iakovos
- Male Dancer in Greece. He does Tango, Rumba, Modern, etc. in addition
to Belly Dancing. It looks like he plays the piano too!
Guy Schalom
- Of Britain. Percussionist and dancer.
Hakim al Yassir
- Of Argentina. Site in Spanish.
Horacio and Beata Cifuentes
- Oriental Fantasy Productions in Germany.
Hurrem Sultan
- Appears to be a male Belly Dancer in Montreal. Site in French. Additional info appreciated!
Jacques al~Asmar
- Of San Francisco. Seems to dance both folkloric, as well as Cabaret styles. Annoying
auto-play music on main page!
Jim Boz of San Diego
- Former leader of the Portland male Belly Dance troupe Sons of the Padisha.
The Men of Middle Eastern Dance
- Jim Boz's informational site.
John Compton
- And the fabulous Hahbi 'Ru.
Kephaa
- of Italy!.
Khaled Mahmoud
- of the UK. I really like his look, he isn't afraid of looking like a Belly Dancer!
London Belly Dance's
- listing of male dancers in London.
Magdy El-Leisy
- Male dancer in Germany.
Maharasha
- Male Belly Dancer in Las Vegas. Quotes me on his site - so he must be a cool guy!
Malek
- Male Belly Dancer in Greece. I like his look and he has a nice WebSite!
Mark Balahadia -
Young male Belly Dancer in the Washington DC area.
Mayodi
- Of Paris. - Lots of pictures and videos. Site in French.
Mohamed El Hosseny
- Of Helsinki, Finland.
Mohamed Shahin
- one of the very rare native Egyptian male Belly Dancers.
Skip slow loading splash page.
Mohammed Sughayyar
- Of the UK. Details his performances and classes.
Momo Kadous
- Of Germany. Site in German.
Mustafa
- Of Denmark? I like his look, but his site is riddled with annoying, slow loading flash effects.
Nath Keo -
Cambodian-Canadian male Belly Dancer, singer and model.
Numa'ir & Naiya - Husband & Wife Belly Dancers.
Direct Link - to Numa'ir's page on the above site.
Ozgen
- Of the UK.
Paul Latta
- Of Canada. Paul is an accomplished Polynesian dancer who is branching
into Belly Dance as (another) 'Aziz'. He has a nice look.
Prince Andrew -
of Southern California. I like his look and his costuming!
Prince Erkan
- Of Germany. Site in German.
Snakes Rising - Raymere of Columbus, Ohio.
Rachid
- Netherlands? Just a splash page as of 07/18/08
Said-el-amir
- Munich, Germany. Bilingual (English/German) site.
Sameh El Dessouki
- Of Russia. This links to the "English" portion of the site, which is only partially translated,
but interesting!
Sayed El Joker
- An Egyptian Dancer who has danced all over Europe.
Serkan
- Of Belgium. I like his costuming, and it is obvious that he, like myself,
loves his veils!
Shafeek
- Of the UK.
Sharif
- Up and coming male Belly Dancer in Santa Cruz! He also has a dance diary,
check it out!
Shiraz
- Of Vancouver.
Shiva - Male dancer of Sydney Australia.
Older page - for Shiva.
Steven Eggers
- Fantastic Tribal dancer.
Another Old
Page - Detailing Shiva and ex-partner Suraiya.
Steve Langley
- Of the UK. Belly Dancing and other. Skip slow loading
Flash intro.
Sultan Adel
- Male dancer in Germany.
Sultans of Raqs
- International group of male Belly Dancers - mainly in Europe. Nice site!
Tarik Sultan
-Protegé of the storied Morocco. Probably the foremost male Belly Dancer of
our time!
Tito Seif
- Of Egypt. Male Dancers have been unheard of in Egypt until very recently.
Tito is the best known of the few. Even though he limits his costuming to
traditional male dress, he's a spectacular dancer from the videos I've seen.
Slow loading flash alert!
Site still under construction as of February 2008.
Tribal Attitude
- Look around for male dancer John's photo.
Valizan
- And his ATS troupe, Shades of Araby!
Viraj
- Of Edmonton, Canada.
Viraj's new page
- Replacement for above?
Wael Mansour
- Of Italy. Bilingual Italian/English page. Slow loading and LOUD Flash alert!
Werner-David -
German male Belly Dancer. (Site in German)
Second Site -
regarding Werner-David. He apparently writes a comedy article about his adventures!
(Site in German)
Wes Gomes -
Seattle based male Belly Dancer and fire dancer!
Wes Gomes - I stumbled upon this older page. Wes is a well known dancer
in the Seattle area.
Yousry Sharif - Egyptian Academy of
Oriental Dance in New York City.
Zadiel
- Student of Horacio. Pulls off a very pretty, androgynous look.
Zahir's Oasis
- Zahir is a male Belly Dancer in the San Francisco area. Site has been in hiatus for many years.
Zaza Hassan
- Of France. Seems to be a male folkloric dancer more than a strictly a
Belly Dancer. Site in French.
Zorba, "The Veiled Male"
- You're already here dude.
Zuel and Almukatab
-Pair of Spanish male Belly Dancers. Site details many dancers, click on "Artistas", then
on "Bailarines de Danza Oriental" for thumbnails of them all. I really like Zuel's look,
his vest is inspiring!
Links of interest
