What is Gothic Belly Dance - The Complete FAQ

One can theorize that there are two main types of Gothic Belly Dancers: those that are inspired by Gothic culture/music and perform this style of dance on special, usually seasonal occasions, like Halloween, and those that actively use it in their repertoire on a very regular basis--the full time dedicants of the art.

The former catagory begs the question, must you be Goth to do GBD? The short answer is no--BUT the dancer should have a strong understanding of Gothic culture--just as one would study the culture behind any genre of art. It may not be rooted in a country, but it definitely has all the qualities of a cultural identity and truly can be studied in great detail through it's literature, art, and music. To not understand the culture, or not even make an attempt to do so, while claiming to perform GBD, is the equivilant of mocking another person's creed or background. Gothic Belly Dance is not about "playing dress-up" or "looking weird." It's about the expression of your darker self, baring your soul in a theatrical dance performance.

In the instance of the latter (the dedicants), it should be noted that the majority of Gothic Belly Dancers are extremely familiar with traditional belly dance music and movements, and consider this genre of dance to be an exploration of one's talent in a valid manner---the same way one may say they perform Cabaret Belly Dance, and specialize in Turkish and Classic Egyptian styles. Turkish and Classic Egyptian (mere examples here, we could chose Ghawazee, Modern Egyptian, Tunisian, etc) are primarily defined by the music and its interpretation, as well as culture-based costuming. The same is true for Gothic Belly Dance. The base movements are the same, the underlying beats of the music are often Middle Eastern (and other traditional non-Western composures), and the music influences the attitude of the movements and costuming.

How Long Has It Been Around?
By my estimates, about 10 years or so, and growing rapidly. Technically, you could say whenever the first goth chick decided to take a belly dance class, it had that potential...but did it go to the next level? Hard to say who, when or where, because it appears to have happened in multiple locations across the globe at about the same time (as is the tendency with most excellent ideas..) Dancers have been dabbling with it for years, but due to efforts made within the last 5 years or so, things are becoming more focused, defined, and recognized. And it's only getting stronger, all around the globe.

The Gothic Subculture
If you're unfamiliar with the Gothic Culture in general, here are some interesting links that may help shed some light on the subject:
-an excellent explanation from ReligiousTolerance.org
-an "Early History of Goth"
-the Goth Primer from SFGoth


	One can theorize that there are two main types of Gothic Belly Dancers: those that are inspired by Gothic culture/music and perform this style of dance on special, usually seasonal occasions, like Halloween, and those that actively use it in their repertoire on a very regular basis--the full time dedicants of the art. The former catagory begs the question, must you be Goth to do GBD? The short answer is no--BUT the dancer should have a strong understanding of Gothic culture--just as one would study the culture behind any genre of art. It may not be rooted in a country, but it definitely has all the qualities of a cultural identity and truly can be studied in great detail through it's literature, art, and music. To not understand the culture, or not even make an attempt to do so, while claiming to perform GBD, is the equivilant of mocking another person's creed or background. Gothic Belly Dance is not about "playing dress-up" or "looking weird." It's about the expression of your darker self, baring your soul in a theatrical dance performance. In the instance of the latter (the dedicants), it should be noted that the majority of Gothic Belly Dancers are extremely familiar with traditional belly dance music and movements, and consider this genre of dance to be an exploration of one's talent in a valid manner---the same way one may say they perform Cabaret Belly Dance, and specialize in Turkish and Classic Egyptian styles. Turkish and Classic Egyptian (mere examples here, we could chose Ghawazee, Modern Egyptian, Tunisian, etc) are primarily defined by the music and its interpretation, as well as culture-based costuming. The same is true for Gothic Belly Dance. The base movements are the same, the underlying beats of the music are often Middle Eastern (and other traditional non-Western composures), and the music influences the attitude of the movements and costuming. How Long Has It Been Around? By my estimates, about 10 years or so, and growing rapidly. Technically, you could say whenever the first goth chick decided to take a belly dance class, it had that potential...but did it go to the next level? Hard to say who, when or where, because it appears to have happened in multiple locations across the globe at about the same time (as is the tendency with most excellent ideas..) Dancers have been dabbling with it for years, but due to efforts made within the last 5 years or so, things are becoming more focused, defined, and recognized. And it's only getting stronger, all around the globe. The Gothic Subculture If you're unfamiliar with the Gothic Culture in general, here are some interesting links that may help shed some light on the subject: -an excellent explanation from ReligiousTolerance.org -an "Early History of Goth" -the Goth Primer from SFGoth
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