Women Are Beautiful

The art of the belly dance is in essence a celebration of the female beauty. While I am wired to be straight (but NOT narrow), I admit I love the aesthetic beauty of the feminine form. Fundamentally my sex drive is to couple with a man. However, artistically I appreciate and adore the way a woman's body breathes, moves, and takes shape in space. The subcutaneous pockets of flesh, the soft curves and slopes of her body, and the delicate limbs and details are breathtakingly beautiful to me. There is nothing more exciting than watching a woman dance, with emotive energies and synergy.

I am preparing to perform for a women's event that is to me the very best kind of venue to perform in because I know that I will get the best audience for my craft. This sort of audience will more likely find what I do both sensually as well as sexually provocative. And, will appreciate the technical skill as well as the talent. Usually, I find that it is some of one or the other, and this will be one of those rarer opportunities for me to expect to be able to revel in both.

I retired from pursuing performances in night clubs and restaurants a few years ago. I had a great run. For approximately 12 years or so I was the house dancer at the Middle East Restaurant in Cambridge MA and concurrently also performed in the vast majority of restaurants and night clubs throughout New England. It was a lot of fun and I really appreciated all of my experiences. But after a while, it was simply obvious to me that it was time to reinvent myself as a dancer and become more of the type of artist and instructor that I preferred to be.

I am still a very avid performer, and very happy with the gigs I get. The gigs pay very well, and the people really want and appreciate me. For that, I am truly grateful that I was able to establish myself as the type of professional dancer that could warrant this career.

Sometimes I miss the great parts of dancing with a live band in a club as often as I used to. But there are lots of parts of dancing in clubs that I am grateful that I do not have to experience anymore. For example, I am no longer relegated to being chosen for a gig based on what I look like or to whom I have beholden myself to. It is true; even belly dancers have politics. I also do not have to pit myself in competition against other dancers for scant opportunities and for paltry pay. While some clubs did pay a descent wage, many did not. Almost all of them wanted a specific look, an evening long commitment, at least an illusion of sexual availability, and subservient behaviour.

Now if I want to dance with a band, I will simply hire them!

There is a certain freedom and power in being seasoned and in being older. I get to chose and create my own preferred roles and experiences. My drive is a sense of desire, rather than a sense of desperation. And as the captain of my ship, I can boldly go to where I want to go and steer my own way.