Though Brown has had bhangra, Brazilian, ballroom and break-dancing clubs for years, the University had long gone without a belly-dancing club. That changed recently with the formation of the Amira Belly Dance Company, founded by Anna Chacon '08, which put on its first performance Friday.
Amira, which means "princess" in Arabic, held auditions March 4 and currently has 12 members, all of whom are women. After just three practices, the group took to the stage for the first time at Friday's Norouz Soiree, hosted by the Persian Club.
Chacon, who described herself as being of Costa Rican, Lebanese, Moroccan, Cuban and Venezuelan descent, said that apart from a few colleges in her hometown of Miami, belly dancing is virtually nonexistent at the collegiate level. This is partly because experienced teachers are difficult to find in America.
Chacon first learned belly dancing at an early age from her grandmother and has been working with professional teachers for seven years. Two of her teachers were winners of the Ms. America and Miss World of the Belly Dance competition. Chacon has also received advice on how to start her own troupe from members of the Bellydance Superstars, a group of the top eight belly dancers in the world. Chacon teaches classes at the Olney-Margolies Athletic Center and also gives private lessons.
The members of Amira described the reaction to Brown's first belly-dancing troupe as overwhelmingly positive.
Nkiru Azikiwe '06, the only senior in the group, said she is surprised a belly-dancing troupe was not started earlier, arguing that there is a great deal of interest in belly dancing on campus. Most members of the group have some familiarity with the dance form, with experience coming from classes taken off campus, at the OMAC or over the summer in Egypt and Lebanon, the belly-dancing centers of the world.
Afshan Ajmiri '08, whose first experience with belly dancing involved dancing with Chacon at the South Asian Students Association's cultural show last year, said "98 percent" of the people she has spoken to have been excited and intrigued by the new group.
However, the group has had to deal with a few off-color remarks from people who perceive the dance form as degrading to women. For instance, a few minutes before its debut performance at the Soiree, Ajmiri had to field questions from one attendee who asked if belly dancing was "prostitution dancing."
"Even if you feel that way, there are some things you don't say," Ajmiri said. "(The attendee) was making a judgment on us before she had seen us perform."
Chacon agreed that lack of awareness of the richness of Middle Eastern culture - and of belly dancing's folkloric roots - mean that belly dancers are sometimes seen as promiscuous. However, she is quick to add that there is "a community" that embraces belly dancing, knowing it to be a cultural art form rather than a display of vulgarity. Chacon's belly-dancing classes at the OMAC have waiting lists, and she receives e-mails at least twice a week from students expressing interest in her dance company.
She added that the term "belly dancing" is a misnomer, as the form requires dancers to focus on several parts of their body, not just their abdomen.
The term "belly dancing" was introduced at the Chicago World's Fair in1893 by American spectators trying to describe the dance performed by an Egyptian woman calling herself "Little Egypt." Belly dancing is known as "Raqs al-Sharqi" in the Middle East, which translates as "Dance of the Orient."
Milena Gianfrancesco '08 said she hopes the company's performances will show belly dancing to be "the beautiful dance that it is" and thereby help give the style the same respect in America that it has in countries such as Egypt.
Gianfrancesco cited the music used to accompany belly dancing as the main reason why she loves the dance form. She said its ability to draw audiences in helps contribute greatly to its popularity. Artists like Shakira, who incorporate moves from belly dancing into their concerts and music videos, are also helping to increase awareness of the art form.
All the group members stressed that the reaction to their debut performance at Norouz Soiree was extremely supportive.
"The entire room took to us really well," Ajmiri said. "Every time we did something cool, people would shriek. I was distracted by all the flashes (from cameras)."
Even Azikiwe, who said she dislikes performing in public and was "mortified" by her somewhat revealing costume, said the informal atmosphere of the Soiree and the attendance of many friends helped ease her nervousness.
A playful, uninhibited atmosphere is a mark of the group's practice sessions as well. Troupe members agreed that one of belly dancing's best qualities is that it encourages women to embrace parts of their body they are often insecure about. Group members said they often bare their midriffs during practices, regardless of what their bellies may look like.
Azikiwe, who is of Nigerian descent, said she had issues with her slim build, which differs from the Nigerian ideal of a woman's body. Though she believes that belly dancing moves look better when "you have more meat on you," Azikiwe believes the dance form has been good for her body image.
Chacon said she chose to name the company Amira because it means "princess" in Arabic. "Every girl is born a princess," she said, and the name illustrates the dance form's ability to enhance a woman's self-confidence.
Because the Amira Belly Dance Company is classified as a category I student group, it does not receive funding from the Undergraduate Finance Board. The costumes for the debut performance were ordered from Egypt and paid for by members, an expenditure that Azikiwe said "put a dent in my wallet."
As the troupe becomes more established, its members said they hope to receive funding from the University and raise money through performing at cultural parties and putting on their own shows. Chacon said she would like to see men taking belly-dancing classes and joining the troupe in the future, as belly dancing is not restricted to women in Egypt and the rest of the Middle East.
Many group members also said they hope to keep dances exciting - both for themselves and their audiences - by obtaining better costumes, which can cost anywhere from $500 to $5,000, and improving their dance routines. Some day, Chacon would also like to take her troupe to the Middle East to meet the Bellydance Superstars and gain valuable experience.
