Do you ever wonder what makes your belt shimmy, your hips drop, your hair flow? Answer these questions to find out.
 
1. When you are in class, you...
 a. Surround yourself with classmates who in your mind are "below you," so that you can be sure to look like the star of the class.
 b. Never take your eyes off the teacher so you may someday turn into her clone.
 c. Never take your eyes off your own reflection in the mirror—how could you? You are so __________ (gorgeous / ugly / skinny / fat / fashionable / badly-dressed.)
 d. Never take your eyes off that classmate who thinks she's the best thing on earth, not even to fantasize about ways to make her look crappy. You'll have time later on to work on your voodoo techniques.
 e. Can't stop looking at that spastic dancer. You feel guilty and disturbed that she can't get the steps.
 f. Can’t stop looking at the floor… it’s so inspiring (or could it be that you fear everyone is staring at and judging you?)
 
2. When you are performing in between tables in a crowded restaurant, you...
 a. Mentally curse the restaurant owner who hasn’t built a stage / altar for you to dance on.
 b. Make sure everyone is looking at YOU YOU YOU!!!! That guy with the girlfriend? You'll show him who is the only gorgeous seductress in this place!
 c. Try to seduce the owner, but only for the noble reason of keeping your job.
 d. Focus all of your attention on your boyfriend who came to see you dance.
 e. Get pissed because people are still eating while your internationally-acclaimed act is taking place. How DARE they? You take action by shimmying your sweaty shoulders on top of their merguez.
 f. Pretend to be seducing the guy whose car brought you to the restaurant… just to keep him thinking you will date him (but of course you won't, you just want him to drive you around).
 
3. Sometimes you find yourself reflecting upon your dance path or career. Which of the following apply?
 a. You plot schemes to take over the world with your bellydance.
 b. Your scheming is constantly interrupted by intrusive thoughts of envying those famous bellydancers out there. YOU should be in their place!
 c. Your plans revolve around finding the best way to seduce the greatest number of men. You could really use the attention.
 d. You scare your plans away. Who knows? Those dreams might actually become true and that would mean your father would never talk to you again.
 e. After entertaining some plans, you exhaust yourself with self-defeating thoughts. Who are you to achieve anything anyway?
 
4. The reason you attended the audition is because...
 a. You must be the ONLY one who gets the part.
 b. Your teacher forced you to go.
 c. It's an opportunity that sounds interesting, let's see what happens.
 d. Everyone goes… so you guess you have to go too.
 e. You didn't attend because you were scared to death of being rejected, so might as well give up and get it over with.
 
5. You just started teaching. The reason behind it being...
 a. Your teacher told you to sub for her, so you have to do it.
 b. You are not exactly sure why… but you actually like it.
 c. To train a battalion of bellydancers to form your dance company, so you become famous and teach your old classmates who's really the boss in the bellydance world. Plus, you look even better surrounded by a harem of gorgeous girls.
 d. To train a battalion that you will eventually send out there to make money for you.
 e. Everybody else teaches, so you teach too.
 f. You want R-E-S-P-E-C-T.
 
The results:
Before we get to the results, think back to how you got involved in this dance form. Most of us start our dance paths unaware of the ultimate reason behind our decision. Maybe you got pulled into bellydance through the promise of fitness, or to try a new hobby. I have met injured ballet and modern dancers who immerse themselves in our dance form as an alternative career, because it is healthier on their body. Perhaps you felt a “call” or you simply loved the way this dance form looks and wanted to move with such grace, fluidity and poise. Take a moment to honestly think of—or, even better, write down what brought you into this world of bellydance.
 
As time passes, things inevitably change and shift. Maybe what started as devotion became competition—or what started as a hobby turned into a career. Maybe at this point, what has been a commercial career for you is now begging to become a deeper form of artistic expression. It’s also possible that your commercial career really longs to be taken to the next level. Unfortunately, for too many dancers, such changes in direction are dictated entirely by external circumstances.
 
Let’s take my friend Saramashtriti’s example. Sharamashtriti was the happy member of a troupe. She loved performing and other aspects of her dance career. But one day she got really hurt by a problem with her teacher. She was so hurt that she swore never to dance again.
 
Or my friend’s friend Shulalaka, who once had a conversation with some other dancer who called herself a “purist” (I guess by that she meant that she was into "traditional" Middle Eastern Dance). Shulalaka politely and innocently attempted to share with the purist her taste for what she called “spiritual bellydance”. With the authority of a Rhodes scholar the purist made a couple of nasty comments that made Shulalaka feel that she was a moron for believing that there is as spiritual side in dance. She then stopped her spiritual pursuits and began to focus solely on folklore, even though she wasn’t in love with it.

My other friend Sacrosanta used to enjoy teaching and sharing with others. She already had a couple of successful classes that she enjoyed teaching mainly because of the satisfaction of giving the gift of dance. She also performed at select events… only places where she loved dancing. She is an amazing performer and somehow she bought into the idea that the only way to validate herself and to obtain recognition was to go down the traveled path of the trendy clubs and restaurants. Once she was performing seven nights a week at every hot spot in the city, Sacrosanta wondered why she didn’t feel happy—she only felt… exhausted.
 
In contrast we have Valeriana, whose dream was to do the restaurant thing and then tour all over the world bellydancing, but she never did any of it because she believed her best friend who convinced her that she wasn't born to do that.
 
A beautiful aspect of this dance is its individuality. Each woman brings her own essence into the dance (or maybe the dance brings out of each woman her own unique Self). In a similar manner, there is a unique dance path for each of us. YOU have your own unique dance journey that is being traced through each class you take, each performance you give, each book you read, each idea you believe, each longing you entertain. It is worth reflecting on whether your deepest Self is paving this path or you are simply going through the motions, letting yourself be dragged around by other people’s truths, preconceptions and judgments.
 
Of course you are free to do anything—and this includes following others. But following others against your deepest and truest desires will inevitably lead to frustration and emptiness.
 
As for the test results, I was hoping that by now you wouldn’t care to belong in any category or to score a certain number of points. In the end it all boils down to one question: Who do you dance for? Is it really for you? Is it to find your true happiness, to reach your highest potential, to feel good about yourself, to accomplish your own goals, to express your creative voice? Or are you dancing for others—to gain their acceptance, to prove yourself to them, to follow what you are told to do even if it hurts you, or to feel that you are superior to others?
 
May your soul’s voice be loud and clear so you may follow it—happy dancing!
 
Note: the purpose of this writing is solely to encourage individuality and the following of one’s inner voice. Under no circumstances should any part of this writing be used to justify any amateurish or arrogant attitudes caused by ignorance, mediocrity and/or egomania. Example: beginner (or not so beginner) students who, still having no technique and no knowledge about our dance form and the business aspect of it, want to jump off and start a professional career, ignoring their mentor’s advice not to do it, while accusing her of being jealous. Always be objective. If your soul wants a career but you are not ready... learn more.

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