Masculinity in American Belly Dance Essay

My very first academic paper, Masculinity in American Bellydance, is available for digital download! This is a paper I completed as a year-long experiential learning project, and has won the TWU Excellence in Undergraduate Writing Award for 2020.

"Bellydance is a global dance form that is predominantly practiced by feminine-identified and female dancers, and the contributions and presence of masculine-identified and male dancers are often overlooked, misrepresented, and misunderstood. I’m presenting my qualitative research on masculinity in American bellydance, with an emphasis on the past twenty years. My research consists of interviews with seven prominent American male bellydancers and one trans-masculine bellydancer to give a window into the experience of this minority within American bellydance.

In this paper, I posit that masculine-identified and male bellydancers are more likely to experience these polarities in reception, from the threat of violence, sexual harassment, exclusion, and other forms of social censure, to the extremes of unwarranted praise verging on fan worship. I will explore the peculiarities and nuances of these polarities, all while giving light to the complex lives of masculine-identified and male bellydancers in America."