My
Secret Life as a Belly Dancer in Cairo
This
might sound strange, but here in Cairo, I lead a secret life. I’m not a spy or having
an affair or doing anything nefarious. I’m just a belly dancer. But I make
great efforts to hide this from people. When Egyptians ask me what I’m
doing in Cairo, I tell them I’m writing a book about Egyptian art. I keep
things vague, but not untrue. I am, after all, writing a book, and its subject
is belly dancing, which is an Egyptian art. Never do I mention that I’m
a practitioner of this art, however. Doing so would unleash a series of
unfavorable consequences, not the least of which is being thought of as a
whore.
You
might be thinking, So what? Sticks and stones will hurt my bones, but words
will never hurt me. Unfortunately, this is true only to the extent that I won’t
be stoned for being a belly dancer. But I might…oh, I don’t know… get kicked
out of my apartment.
Oddly
enough, this is exactly what happened to me last year (in fact today marks the
one-year anniversary of my eviction!). My landlord kicked me out of my
apartment upon learning that I was a belly dancer.
