Category Archives: Law

najla goes underground to film second video

having faced a “wave of criticism” and having her singing license revoked by the egyptian musicians union, najla has resorted to secrecy to film her second video.

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Posted in Art, Law, Politics of Dancing | 1 Comment

another forbidden dance

shan brought this to my attention a while ago….

if you’re dancing and someone decides that it’s “repulsive to public taste and morality and likely to cause fear and annoyance” you, too, might be banned…

of course, if you are, you’re all welcome to come dance in my seekrit, secure, undisclosed location. i’ll make crepes. Continue reading

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Exploring the attitudes in Egypt

Symphony in Motion? Ancient Tradition? Or Just Tacky? (new york times, registration requested)

this article becomes news as the Egyptian court rejects an appeal from foreign dancers to lift the January 1 ban (mentioned here in September). Continue reading

Posted in Belly Dance, Law, Politics of Dancing | Leave a comment

Eradicating Inul Daratista

A dancer too sexy to dance?

Inul Daratista, pushing dangdut style to new levels, has developed a popular following and with it, the attention of fundamental elements.

?Inul?s a small problem. We must pay more attention to eradicating eroticism.? — Hasyim Muzadi.

The full text of a recent article follows… Continue reading

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Rights of the Choreographer

The New York Times ran an article yesterday, Dance and Profit: Who Gets It?.

The article briefly explores the issues at the center of a pending legal dispute over the rights of the choreographer and the assignment or transfer of those rights.

Personally, it bothers me when lawyers become such a presence in artistic expression, but this is in the courts, and has been for years. The issues and concerns exist, and there are certainly growing problems balancing the rights of creators and the ability of those in the future to create. For now, I leave this as a touchstone for your comment…

(the full text is available at the link above, and copied for your reference below) Continue reading

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foreign dancers banned in egypt

the bbc reported this some time ago.

the minister for labour and immigration has issued a ruling that will prevent non-egyptians from getting belly dancing licences after 2003.

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