Zorba, Male Belly Dancer


Henna Design Links of interest Henna Design


Zorba as Art!
This scan doesn't at all do it justice, I commissioned Maria Parasson to paint this as an anniversary gift for my wife. Maria also sells her paintings of Belly Dancers on Link opens in new window ebay, you can find out more about her Recommended by Zorba! Link opens in new window here.


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" (Recommended by Zorba!) 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:

Link opens in new window Doumbeks - An interesting article detailing the various names this drum has in various countries.

Link opens in new window 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?

Recommended by Zorba! Link opens in new window Arabian Nights at Sea - Belly Dance cruise. If you can take this cruise, DO IT!

Link opens in new window 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!

Link opens in new window 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!

Link opens in new window Aziza Sa'id's Website - another very good reference site. Don't miss her suggestions for Belly Dance olympic events!

Link opens in new window Oriental Dancer dot net - Belly Dance news, articles, discussions, directories, more!

Link opens in new window VajraVision Link Heaven - A large and good Belly Dance link site.

Link opens in new window Jasmin Jahal (Female) Dancer in Chicago who has a TON of useful and interesting articles! Don't miss this one!

Link opens in new window Dreaming of Jeannie - Despina's site. Wonderful articles (don't miss her article on shimmying!)

Link opens in new window The Joy of Belly Dancing - Lots of good articles and tips to be found here!

Link opens in new window The Gilded Serpent. - Very nice Belly Dance E-Zine. Zorba even has written an article!

Link opens in new window Mohammad El Bakkar - The Man, The Myth, The Legend. Site has info, and MP3 Downloads of his music

Link opens in new window Rakkasah's Web Site - Billed as the largest Belly Dance festival in the world, it probably is. It is huge, and well worth attending!

Link opens in new window Desert Dance Festival Website - Another large festival.

Link opens in new window "Radio" Bastet - All vintage Belly Dance music, all of the time. Real audio non-realtime WebCast. Very cool!

Link opens in new window Middle Eastern Culture & Dance Association (MECDA) - You may find joining an organization like this useful. I do!

Link opens in new window San Francisco Bay Area Chapter of MECDA - All new WebSite, very useful!

Link opens in new window Belly Dance UK - Resources for UK based dancers, including a Link opens in new window Directory of UK teachers who will accept male students!

Talk About It:

Link opens in new window BellyCircle.com - Brand New Discussion Board!

Link opens in new window Bhuz.com - Bhuz Discussion Boards, you can often find me here.

Link opens in new window Lotus Flower - Belly Dance discussion board in the UK.

Link opens in new window Belly Dance Forums dot net - Belly Dance discussion board. Zorba moderates the male dancer's area!

Link opens in new window Men of Middle Eastern Dance - Jim Boz's Tribe group.

Link opens in new window Yahoo! Groups male Belly Dancers forum - Sometimes VERY slow, sometimes VERY active!

Link opens in new window Yahoo! Groups Bay Area Belly Dance - San Francisco Bay Area dancers, news and events.

Link opens in new window Yahoo! Groups Belly Dance Santa Cruz - Santa Cruz and Monterey Bay Area dancers, news and events.

Link opens in new window Dance.net - Has discussion groups about many different dance forms. This links directly to their Belly Dance discussion.

Zills:

Recommended by Zorba! Link opens in new window Saroyan Mastercrafts - Zills, costume coins, a pair of must have CDs, you'll find 'em all here!

Link opens in new window El Coyote enterprises - Another well regarded Zill maker. John Compton recommends them!

Link opens in new window The Ethnic Musical Instrument Company - Click on "Belly Dance" to find Zills and other goodies.

Link opens in new window Turquoise International - Also well known.

Recommended by Zorba! Link opens in new window Zildjian Online - Zildjian is the Armenian family who has been making cymbals of all types, including Zills, since 1623. Any questions?

Link opens in new window The Online Finger Cymbal Workshop - From Shira's site.

Link opens in new window How to play Zills - An additional resource.

Recommended by Zorba! Link opens in new window Zills on Fire - Sells a complete how-to CD and book.

Link opens in new window 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.

Link opens in new window For Chinese Man, A Gut Instinct For Belly Dancing - Male Belly Dancer in China. He even teaches veil!

Link opens in new window Comeback of the Male Belly Dancers - Yet another article about the increasing popularity of same in Istanbul

Link opens in new window The Genderings of Dance - 'Blog article about male Belly Dancers

Link opens in new window Gender, Politics and Power in the Technology of Belly Dance - Same author, another 'Blog article about male Belly Dancers

Link opens in new window A Quest for Beauty part I - Gilded Serpent article by Zorba!

Link opens in new window A Quest for Beauty part II: Damn the Torpedoes and Full Speed Ahead! - Part II of III (eventual).

Link opens in new window Whose Dance is This, Anyway? - about male dancers. Followed by a huge gallery of male dancers, including Zorba! From the Gilded Serpent.

Link opens in new window Interview - with male Belly Dancer Ozgen. From the Gilded Serpent.

Link opens in new window Don't Judge Me By My Tights - Article by a male Ballet dancer that is very apropos for male Belly Dancers.

Link opens in new window Work Permits - Denied to male Belly Dancers in Egypt.

Link opens in new window Shimmy Shaking for Health - Tito comes to Hawaii!

Link opens in new window 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.

Link opens in new window 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...

Link opens in new window A brief article - that references (links to) the above.

Link opens in new window Beer Belly Dancer - Las Vegas (male) reporter gives it a try!

Link opens in new window Hawai'i Belly Dancer Magazine - Has several interviews with male dancers in their archives, including Zorba (April '08)!

Link opens in new window From Reuters - Male belly-dance back in vogue in Turkey

Link opens in new window Another Copy - of the same article.

Link opens in new window Teaching Elders - Belly Dancing, including elderly males!

Link opens in new window Brief history - Of male Belly Dancing (one viewpoint).

Link opens in new window Reverse Discrimination? - "Men Only" belly dance classes by (female) Birmingham teacher!

Link opens in new window Belly Dancers Shimmy for Fundraiser - Including a male Belly Dancer!

Link opens in new window Article - By Australian male Belly Dancer "Ghassan" discussing how the dance enables him to step outside of normal gender expectations.

Link opens in new window We're everywhere! - Belly dancing, with a little more body hair. You may have to set up a free registration to view this article.

Link opens in new window Gutsy moves - Male Belly Dancing students shake up expectations

Link opens in new window 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...

Link opens in new window Bozzy in Alaska! - male Belly Dancer Jim Boz gives a workshop in Anchorage. Free registration may be required.

Link opens in new window Belly Dancing, A Manly Dance? - A male reporter's experience!

Link opens in new window 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.

Link opens in new window "Future belly dancers may be male" - Article about Australian Belly Dance competition - and HEY! There are male dancers!

Link opens in new window Men Enter Hip Circles - Male Dancers in Canada. Seems to require payment to read entire article.

Link opens in new window Group of Guys - being taught Belly Dance so they can perform in a fund raiser.

Link opens in new window Men Being Encouraged - to join a Belly Dance class by Chiropractors. Requires a free registration to read.

Link opens in new window Wall Street Journal Article - About male Belly Dancers.

Link opens in new window Aziz - Male Belly Dancer inspired by God. (Which one?)

Link opens in new window Book Review - That reveals an interesting glimpse of male Belly Dancers at the turn of the 20th century

Link opens in new window Interesting Article - a (male) silk painter who discovers Belly Dance.

Link opens in new window Male Dancers at Weddings - Tarik's thoughts on the subject. From Aziza Sa'id's site

Link opens in new window Male Belly Dancers in Turkey - From Jasmin Jahal's site.

Link opens in new window Moosetafa - A humorous look at Male Belly dancers. From Shira's site.

Link opens in new window Hip Grandpa - 63 year old male discovers that Belly Dance eases back pain!

Link opens in new window Oriental dance, it's not just for women (and never was) - The most definitive article I've found on the 'net.

Link opens in new window A Teacher's Path - How Tarik Sultan got his start. Very inspirational for male dancers!

Link opens in new window Pink Gypsy's Male Belly Dance page - Very informative.

Link opens in new window 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...

Link opens in new window Male Dancers - Some varied information, pretty good!

Link opens in new window Lebanese male dancer - Mousbah takes the Beirut nightlife by storm!

Link opens in new window Belly Dancing for Men - Advice from Ankh, a male dancer. Lots of rulebooks.

Link opens in new window Costumer's Notes May 2001 - Questions and Answers - A discussion of men's costuming, with links.

Link opens in new window Cross Dressing Male Dancers - Article on Shira's site, discussing historical and modern day incidences of Male Belly Dancers who perform in drag.

Link opens in new window Reflections on Being a Male Belly Dance Artist - Brief interview with Aziz, male dancer.

Link opens in new window 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.

Link opens in new window Feminism & Belly Dance - Interesting treatise. Belly Dance from a Feminist's viewpoint. Especially poignant for male dancers is footnote [6]

Link opens in new window John Compton talks about the old days - From the Gilded Serpent.

Link opens in new window Male Belly Dancers in Istanbul - A world wide phenomenon?

Link opens in new window Father-Daughter Belly Dancers! - PDF file, top article.

Link opens in new window BBC News Article - About Mohammed Khordadian.

Male dancers' sites:

Link opens in new window Adam Basma Middle Eastern Dance Company - In Los Angeles.

Link opens in new window Ahmet - Turkish Roma.

Link opens in new window Alexandros - Greek male Belly Dancer now in Austria. Like most Greek male Belly Dancers, he dances essentially topless.

Link opens in new window Ali Khalih - Of Brazil. Bilingual site (Portuguese/English). WARNING: Entire site done in Flash - Dial-up, don't even bother...

Link opens in new window Amir - In Germany (Site in German).

Link opens in new window Amir Thaleb - of Argentina (Site in Spanish).

Link opens in new window Amrit - In south Florida.

Link opens in new window Andrus - Of Florida.

Link opens in new window Ankh - Of Texas.

Link opens in new window Arish Lam - Of Florida.

Link opens in new window Asi - Male dancer in Israel.

Link opens in new window Aziz - Not the famous, but retired, one in Utah; this one is in Canada.

Link opens in new window "Attila The Hunk" - I'll leave it to the ladies to determine if he lives up to his name!

Link opens in new window Bondok - Of Germany. Folkloric style dancer, including Tanoura (Twirling Dervish). Page in German.

Link opens in new window Chris - Of Melbourne, Australia

Link opens in new window 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.

Link opens in new window Belly Dancing By Zamoras - Male Dancers - Cory Zamora's male dancer's page.

Link opens in new window DaVid - Famous male Belly Dancer, first of Norway, then of Sweden, and now in California, USA!

Link opens in new window Desert Passion Middle Eastern Dance Theater - Featuring male Belly Dancer "Drakon".

Link opens in new window Eduardo, Male Belly Dancer - Several pictures, contact information and bio. I really like his look!

Link opens in new window Farouq - Of the Netherlands. Site in Dutch.

Link opens in new window Genie - Of Florida.

Link opens in new window 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!

Link opens in new window Guy Schalom - Of Britain. Percussionist and dancer.

Link opens in new window Hakim al Yassir - Of Argentina. Site in Spanish.

Link opens in new window Horacio and Beata Cifuentes - Oriental Fantasy Productions in Germany.

Link opens in new window Hurrem Sultan - Appears to be a male Belly Dancer in Montreal. Site in French. Additional info appreciated!

Link opens in new window Jacques al~Asmar - Of San Francisco. Seems to dance both folkloric, as well as Cabaret styles. Annoying auto-play music on main page!

Link opens in new window Jim Boz of San Diego - Former leader of the Portland male Belly Dance troupe Sons of the Padisha.

Link opens in new window The Men of Middle Eastern Dance - Jim Boz's informational site.

Link opens in new window John Compton - And the fabulous Hahbi 'Ru.

Link opens in new window Kephaa - of Italy!.

Link opens in new window Khaled Mahmoud - of the UK. I really like his look, he isn't afraid of looking like a Belly Dancer!

Link opens in new window London Belly Dance's - listing of male dancers in London.

Link opens in new window Magdy El-Leisy - Male dancer in Germany.

Link opens in new window Maharasha - Male Belly Dancer in Las Vegas. Quotes me on his site - so he must be a cool guy! Cool!

Link opens in new window Malek - Male Belly Dancer in Greece. I like his look and he has a nice WebSite!

Link opens in new window Mark Balahadia - Young male Belly Dancer in the Washington DC area.

Link opens in new window Mayodi - Of Paris. - Lots of pictures and videos. Site in French.

Link opens in new window Mohamed El Hosseny - Of Helsinki, Finland.

Link opens in new window Mohamed Shahin - one of the very rare native Egyptian male Belly Dancers. Link opens in new window Skip slow loading splash page.

Link opens in new window Mohammed Sughayyar - Of the UK. Details his performances and classes.

Link opens in new window Momo Kadous - Of Germany. Site in German.

Link opens in new window Mustafa - Of Denmark? I like his look, but his site is riddled with annoying, slow loading flash effects.

Link opens in new window Nath Keo - Cambodian-Canadian male Belly Dancer, singer and model.

Link opens in new window Numa'ir & Naiya - Husband & Wife Belly Dancers.

Link opens in new window Direct Link - to Numa'ir's page on the above site.

Link opens in new window Ozgen - Of the UK.

Link opens in new window Paul Latta - Of Canada. Paul is an accomplished Polynesian dancer who is branching into Belly Dance as (another) 'Aziz'. He has a nice look.

Link opens in new window Prince Andrew - of Southern California. I like his look and his costuming!

Link opens in new window Prince Erkan - Of Germany. Site in German.

Link opens in new window Snakes Rising - Raymere of Columbus, Ohio.

Link opens in new window Rachid - Netherlands? Just a splash page as of 07/18/08

Link opens in new window Said-el-amir - Munich, Germany. Bilingual (English/German) site.

Link opens in new window Sameh El Dessouki - Of Russia. This links to the "English" portion of the site, which is only partially translated, but interesting!

Link opens in new window Sayed El Joker - An Egyptian Dancer who has danced all over Europe.

Link opens in new window Serkan - Of Belgium. I like his costuming, and it is obvious that he, like myself, loves his veils!

Link opens in new window Shafeek - Of the UK.

Link opens in new window Sharif - Up and coming male Belly Dancer in Santa Cruz! He also has a dance diary, check it out!

Link opens in new window Shiraz - Of Vancouver.

Link opens in new window Shiva - Male dancer of Sydney Australia.

Link opens in new window Older page - for Shiva.

Link opens in new window Steven Eggers - Fantastic Tribal dancer.

Link opens in new window Another Old Page - Detailing Shiva and ex-partner Suraiya.

Link opens in new window Steve Langley - Of the UK. Belly Dancing and other. Skip slow loading Link opens in new window Flash intro.

Link opens in new window Sultan Adel - Male dancer in Germany.

Link opens in new window Sultans of Raqs - International group of male Belly Dancers - mainly in Europe. Nice site!

Link opens in new window Tarik Sultan -Protegé of the storied Morocco. Probably the foremost male Belly Dancer of our time!

Link opens in new window 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.

Link opens in new window Tribal Attitude - Look around for male dancer John's photo.

Link opens in new window Valizan - And his ATS troupe, Shades of Araby!

Link opens in new window Viraj - Of Edmonton, Canada.

Link opens in new window Viraj's new page - Replacement for above?

Link opens in new window Wael Mansour - Of Italy. Bilingual Italian/English page. Slow loading and LOUD Flash alert!

Link opens in new window Werner-David - German male Belly Dancer. (Site in German)

Link opens in new window Second Site - regarding Werner-David. He apparently writes a comedy article about his adventures! (Site in German)

Link opens in new window Wes Gomes - Seattle based male Belly Dancer and fire dancer!

Link opens in new window Wes Gomes - I stumbled upon this older page. Wes is a well known dancer in the Seattle area.

Link opens in new window Yousry Sharif - Egyptian Academy of Oriental Dance in New York City.

Link opens in new window Zadiel - Student of Horacio. Pulls off a very pretty, androgynous look.

Link opens in new window Zahir's Oasis - Zahir is a male Belly Dancer in the San Francisco area. Site has been in hiatus for many years.

Link opens in new window Zaza Hassan - Of France. Seems to be a male folkloric dancer more than a strictly a Belly Dancer. Site in French.

Link opens in new window Zorba, "The Veiled Male" - You're already here dude.

Link opens in new window 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!


Lost?
Click for Site Map
Site Map
Copyright and Terms of Use
Home

Last checked for broken links: 12 July 2008
Page footer