Let’s face it. We foreign belly dancers are under a lot of pressure. Not only do we have to look good, but we have to dance as Egyptian as possible. Some get closer than others, but none of us ever hit the 100% mark. Personally, I think it’s impossible. Being Egyptian is one of those things you’re either born with or you’re not. No matter how immersed we are in the culture or how well we speak Arabic, we’ll never be as Egyptian as an Egyptian. And we’ll certainly never out-Egyptian one. :) Not that that’s necessarily the goal... Our “disadvantage” notwithstanding, however, we’re constantly being compared to Egyptian dancers. And one of the points of comparison is feeling.
“Feeling” is one of those words that has no real meaning. Yet we use it all the time to refer to some vague concept of Egyptianness in the dance. We can’t exactly pinpoint what it is, because it can’t be defined, quantified, counted, or taught. Yet somehow, we know it when we see it. Most interestingly, feeling is the thing a lot of Egyptian belly dancers (claim to) have, and that we non-Egyptians strive to obtain.
