Love the videos!!!

Dear Sedonia, I probably won't deleat your message on my channel because you have a perfect right to enjoy what you are doing and believe all the fantasy and made-up history about the 'selsele' (chain of authority) of the genre. You seem to be a skilled performer and know all the gimmicks. We can all admire a person's ability in things we don't like; for instance, I could care less about any form of sports, American Idol or any such pop presentations. Nothing personal; just different and since my PhD is in Middle East studies including languages literature, music and dance, I remain firm in my acertation of what is real or fake no matter how much has been written and created as fact. Respectfully, Dr. Lloyd Miller

{my reply to Dr. Miller, who will probably delete my comment from his channel}
Dear Dr. Miller: Since you left an unsolicited remark on my channel for no reason, I am assuming it is okay if I do the same. We'll see who deletes and who is comfortable enough in their position to allow the dissenting opinion to remain. Raqs sharqi is performed in Egypt, Turkey, and the Levant, and the root movements derive directly from women's baladi dances in these areas. Your disapproval of Arabic popular culture does not change this fact. The dances on your channel are mostly Persian, which is why they do not resemble Raqs sharqi. regards, Dr. Sedonia Sipes

p.s. You DO know the history and etymology of jazz, right? I have always found it puzzling that a JAZZ musician would have such a moral conflict with raqs sharqi. There are many parallels between the two art forms. Have a good day. Your comment will remain untouched on my channel.

I noticed you subscribed to our channel but we don't have any relation to or affiliation with belly dance because it misrepresents the true culture and especially the dance genres of Eastern countries. You should check our authentic Eastern dance videos on worldartsdocmiller and also easternartskstjohn. Belly dance never has had anything to do with the Middle East because it was made up in Hollywood and Vegas based on fantasy of the pagan mother goddess child prostitute cults of Astarte and Baal or Tammuz, etc. so vehemently condemned in the Bible. Hopefully, after seeing some real Middle Eastern dance, you may decide to abandon the nightclub sexually explicit exhibitionist belly dance fad and move up to the authentic classy classical and folk forms of various Middle Eastern cultures. Best wishes, Dr. Lloyd Miller

Hi again, Sedonia! It's been a while, and I haven't got a proper camera, so I still haven't put any videos out here. I will though, in time, but I thought, if you're interested, here's the link to a show me and a friend of mine danced at in january this year. It's not our best, but whatever.

http://www.liernett.no/?artikk­el=1171

The sites in norwegian, and I guess you don't know that, so just press the red text where it says "Se videoen av duoen her". And you have to watch it with internet explorer.

And as I have said, I just don't get what the fuzz is about. The video in question (arabic bellydance fifi abdou something), I think, was poor. But as I have said, I was too quick to judge, I see from her other videos that she is better there.

hi! I am not clueless in bellydance, not at all. I have been taught my an egyptian (www.magedansen.no) and by several good norwegians. I have been dancing bellydance for quite some time, and I know what's good and what's not. That video of Fifi was not good. It looks as though she doesn't use proper technique, and she's only wiggling and squirming around. I should not have been so fast to judge her though, I saw another movie, Nour El Ayoun, and there she was much better! She's not the best I have seen, but she's not as bad as she was in the first movie I saw (on which I can't remember the name). So no, I'm not clueless. Not at all.