No stage name for me. Some of that is because I "grew up" in a troupe that didn't really embrace stage names, some of it is because I'm still me when I dance. I also heard a lot of stage names being mangled by Texan MCs who couldn't pronounce the names! And I don't look like a Jamila or a Noura. :)
I think stage names are really fun, though, and I toy with them sometimes. I don't worry about the anonymity because I don't want to be so busy dancing that I would have to worry about that. I only use my first name, though.

I thought that my real name wasn't exotic enough for a bellydancer. I knew that I wanted it to be Greek but wasn't sure what i wanted. i thought of all the words that described a bellydancer in everyway and looked them up in a greek dictionary if i didnt know them. some of them were too long or didn't sound right, until i settled on Amartia. Amartia is the greek word for sin. I like it! Most people dont realize what it means and most greeks don't put it together either. if you break it apart, Amar tia, in other languages, it means love and aunt..i am an aunt so that works too!

-Amartia

Hahaha...! I better not get to close to this subject since it got me into some hot water with another tribe awhile ago. I had on opinion about western women adopting Arabic names as well as dancers making up strange and unpronounceable names, many of them sounding quite unnattractive when spoken in English. This caused an uproar with such emotionally charged arguments and personal attacks leveled at me that I had to finally leave that tribe.

I chose to keep my own name because I wanted to honor my ethnic/cultural roots which are Latin American. I also found that many middle eastern audiences appreciated this characteristic about me and it gave me distinction in their eyes. I always tried to convey this to other dancers with western names that are really much more beautiful than some exotic alternative they might want to choose. To foreigners, their real names, more often than not sound very exotic to them. People don't seem to realize either that the way a name is spoken, ie accent etc can make a huge difference. A so called "plain jane" name can sound like a symphony when spoken with a foreign accent.

My birth name is Catherine, but everyone calls me Cat. Everyone tells me that it is such an appropriate name because I have a "cat-like" personality.....hmmm is that good or bad? I'll assume it is good. I wanted a stage name to separate the different parts of my life....the entertainer/dancer from the daytime professional. My stage name puts me into a different realm of thought and feeling.

I thought about what I wanted in a name. Since this is a name that I can choose and not be given at birth, I wanted it to reflect me and my personality. So it had to be something to do with Cats and be exotic sounding. I went online and found Sanura which is Swahili and means kitten, or someone having a cat-like personality. So I chose Sanura - pronounced Sah-Noo-Rah. I feel very comfortable with this name and I am using it more and more.

As I dance more and more in public venues I guess there is the safety factor. But I use my stage name more for the feeling I get in using something that's not everyday - something mysterious and exotic. Something that transforms me into a different place and time.

When people call me Cat, I feel like my domesticated cat.....when people call me Sanura, I'm a Bengal Tiger lurking in the jungle. Oh and did I mention I also have always liked wearing wild cat animal print clothing! It never goes out of style as far as I'm concerned. I think I was a wild cat in my previous life {{{licking paws}}}

Well, I do not use a stage name so far had not thought of that possibility, only use my first name, which is derived from a combination of the first names of my parents. I think it is cool if someone wants to use a stage name.

Hello BDFL tribe,

Long time, but I'm able to actually answer a post!! When I first started taking belly dance classes, I was in awe of the different stage names and wondered also how they came about. As i have taken classes and performed, I often wondered what my dance name would be. It was only when I had to write a short bio for a recital, that I came up with "Pameyla." Pamela is my real name, and "Pameyla" is how my name is pronounced in Spanish. My name in English means "honey," and I wanted to keep that meaning. In addition, I wanted people to be able to prounounce it correctly (even though the correct pronounciation is Pa-MEY (pronounced like May)-la, people still misprounounce it as Pamela (and I thought I was simplyifying things - smile)). In this way, I keep my birth name and meaning and yet have a different pronounciation!

I use my real name. I was going to choose a stage name, but it was so hard to pick one and I worried too much about how people would interpret it, so until I selected I used my real name. Then I got dancing so much that it didn't seem worth picking a stage name since people already knew me by my name, no need to confuse people. I agree with Sarita (hope I got the name right), that sometimes it nice to use your real name especially if it is not Arabic or Middle Eastern, because it makes you unique and the middle eastern people think it's unique. I was talking with a Morrocan waiter at a restaurant where I dance one time about stage names, and he suggested I keep using my real name. Originally, I had wanted a stage name to be able to keep my two professions separate - lawyer and dancer - but I also discovered that the owners and managers where I dance like that I'm a lawyer (and also a civil marriage celebrant) and brag about it to patrons and friends, so it makes it less confusing if someone needs my services one way or the other, I still go by the same name.

I'm going to guess that since Adel looks to mean "noble" ? That your English equivalent is an "al" based name. Alfred or Albert?

I decided to pick a stage name because many people mispronounce my real name which is Spanish. Nabila means noble in arabic. I asked a friend to give me some words that would describe me and Nabila was one of them! I also thought if I was dancing an arab dance it would be silly to have a Spanish name. There are a few names that crossover from Arabic to Spanish but mine is not one of them. Some Arabs believe I look like their women so it is not such a shock to hear my stage name. Also, it helps having a stage name when you have somewhat conservative colleagues that you don't want to divulge to if the two circles ever come together.

I've been encouraged to reply but I'm not sure my story is quite as interesting as all of yours! :-)

When I first started dancing I thought it was silly for non-middle eastern women to take a middle eastern name... it's not like we're fooling anyone. However, later I began to appreciate the fun of it, and I realized that people don't sit there and say "that is so NOT her real name"... they just watch you dance. I also decided that I wanted to keep my work life separate from my dance life because I work in a conservative environment ... and for safety reasons in general.

I put off picking a name because I was hoping to be named. I was hoping someone would think of some qualities that described me as a dancer (or me in general) and give me the Arabic word for those qualities and "presto".... stage name. Eventually I wanted to join Tiraz and wanted to use a stage name as opposed to my real name to register. So, in a bit of a crunch, I came up with some ideas, solicited suggestions, hesitated, and picked one.

Since I've finally picked one, having a stage name (and hearing people call me by that name) allows me to "get in the bellydance mood" and reminds me to carry myself as a dancer. I'm still me... I just focus on highlighting certain parts of me (preferably, confidence, grace, and a little sensuality).

As for the name itself... I wanted a name that meant something positive in Arabic or another middle eastern language. Preferably something that described me. But it had to be easily pronounced by a western tongue (and sound "pleasant" to a western ear)!

I considered the following: Lelubah, Ramia, Sybella, Sidonia, and Inara, among others. Inara means "illumination" in Arabic (or so I've read). Inara is also the Hittite goddess equivalent to the Greek's Artemis. Lastly, Inara is a character on one of my favorite shows (Firefly). Inara of Firefly is a geisha. Not so great to be associated with a prostitute, but like real (historical) geishas, Inara has to be skilled in the arts (music, dance, etc.), have social graces, and is actually in a good position in society. Inara (the name) is easy for a westerner to spell/pronounce, and it's pleasant to a western ear. Voila!

Now... the reason I picked a surname is simply because I didn't want to be mistaken for any other Inara who might happen to come along (if you search Tribe there are a few). Nothing against them... I just want to be recognized for me. During my initial name search, another friend had suggested Nefret (which means "beautiful" in Egyptian, or so I'm told). I also Googled a bit and Nefret looked like it could legitamately be used as a last name. I liked the way it sounded: Inara Nefret. So I picked it. I also thought it appropriate since I am learning Egyptian-style bellydance, as opposed to Turkish bellydance, etc.

I just go by Inara unless it becomes necessary to differentiate.

Okay... so that is my really long, boring, name-choosing story. Thanks for inquiring though! :-) Congratulations for making it to the end of my post! hehehe :-)

My dance name evolved over time. I knew initially that I wanted to base it upon Qamar, which means moon, because i have had a fascination with the moon for most of my life, and also have a spiritual connection to the moon. Since at times dancing can also be deeply spiritual for me, it fit very well. Now, for a surname to distinguish me from all the many other Qamars and Amars out there, I had to think a bit. As a joke, I toyed with Ahreed Jumluk, so that the translation would be "The Moon Covets your Camel"...this is a joke along the lines of picking a name because it sounds cool, only to later find that it means I covet your llama or some other silly such thing. In all seriousness, I wasn't really going to go with that as a stage name, but it was good for a giggle, and I might use it for a comedic piece some day.

After more thinking, I settled upon al-Shefa'a as a surname, which means Healing. Literally, my dance name translates to 'Healing Moon". This is perfect for me, since not only are the dance and the moon healing for me on multiple levels, but in my other life I'm a registered nurse and literally a healer. Once I settled upon it, it felt right, and now I'll answer to it as easily as my "normal" name, plus as a bonus, it reminds me of concepts and values I hold dear to my heart.

I wanted a stage name because it does help set the dance persona...I may be shy at times, but Qamar is confident and self assured. Over time, that assumed confidence has leaked over into daily life, so its less of a persona. From a safety standpoint, I wanted a stage name to make it harder for stalkers to track me down in regular life. I've had a stalker before and wanted that extra layer of safety just in case.

The true story of how my stage name came about is somewhat convoluted, but here it is.

When I first started to belly dance I was relatively poor. I made all my own costumes, I could barely afford a nice hip scarf. I fell in love with one of my teacher's silk veils, but knew I couldn't afford to buy one. One of my fellow students told me I could make my own and turned me on to some resources for supplies. I did make my own and enjoyed it so much that I started to learn about silk painting and I started making very artistic veils to sell. I built myself a website and decided my new little business needed a name. There was a favorite little shop in my town that sold a variety of artsy things named "Under the Sun", which I thought was very clever and I thought I could go for the Arabic equivalent of that and I settled on "Shems" which means sun in Arabic. In my mind I thought I'd eventually build up my business and import belly dance goodies of all varieties in addition to selling my artful veils. The internet belly dance community discovered my little website and many of them assumed my name, not my business name was Shems.

In reality, when I danced at various haflas and events, I tried on a couple of different names for size, Isobel was one and another one was a Roma name a friend suggested that I've now forgotten, but neither fit and I just performed under my real name. I did that for a while and even put up a dance website for me using my real name. Then a relative of my husband found my website and started to hassle my husband about being married to a belly dancer and greater anonymity suddenly became important. I decided I needed to drop my real name for performance and take a dance name. Since half the internet community was already calling me Shems at this point, I decided to take it on as my dance name. I had abandoned my business when I had lost my working space anyhow and it did work as a female name.

In the end the name suited me ideally. Shems is blunt and not to flowery sounding (I really appreciated that it doesn't have an "a" or "ia" at the ending). It's relatively unique. I've only met a few other people with this name and they usually aren't belly dancers. Also the name seems to fit my dancing. Bright and energetic. I had a Turk once suggest the Turkish word for sunshine as a dance name for me after he saw me perform and he didn't know that I had already taken the Arabic word for sun as my dance name. I've gotten so used to the name now that I answer to it just as easily as my real name without a second thought. It hasn't supplanted my given name, though. I use my given name when I make art or among my husband's friends or at church. But it is my additional name now. It is very much me, not a persona I put on or a side of me. Just another name for me.

Like many of the others who have already posted, I chose a stage name because I was *very* shy, and my birth name - Jessie just sounded incongruous to me when I was fully costumed and looking in a mirror. My stage name became a sort of mask for me, helping me to overcome my stage fright.

On one level, when I began dancing, I kind of felt weird about people taking on stage names (except for safety reasons, which I understood at one point but these days it would be so easy for someone to find out your birth name that maybe that reason is sort of moot). I didn't take a name right away; only when I began performing outside of student recitals for community events and gigs.

In recent years, it has come to be more than mask. Now I feel like it is really starting to embody my dance itself, what I wanted to express in my dance and what the dance means for me. My name is Ahlam, and while the original meaning that I ran across when I chose it was basically "imaginative one", more often I hear that it simply means "dreams". It is very fitting in both ways - I have always been extremely imaginative...when I was shy the name helped me bring that imagination out into reality through dance and art. "Dreams" befits how I approach the dance; I wish for my audience to become lost in the dance, whatever the emotion/subject of it may be: joyful, fluid, sensual, aggressive, suprising, exciting...

Recently I have decided to add "Isar" (fascinating) to my name (Ahlam Isar), for the simple reason that I understand there is a rather popular singer out there by the name of Ahlam, whom I'm sure had first dibs on the name, lol! I don't ever expect to have any fame like her but should I have my own website for students or whatever, it'll just keep the confusion to minimum when folks are Googling the name. :)

Thanks for bringing up the topic, Adel. I have enjoyed reading everyone's responses!
~Ahlam~

well i decided not to have a stage name mainly because there are so many names i like that it would be so hard for me to decide since im a very hard-to-set-up-my-mind person, besides there is so many things that i like to represent when i dance that my name would be so long if i put them all. So i think im my name, my parents chose it and it has been with me my whole life, people know who i am and they relate my name with me. Later i found out that most tribal bellydancers or at least the ones i like keep their real names, so it was a coincidence, because when i decided to switch to tribal fussion i didn't know that. Alejandra means "the one that take care of men" i dont know if im really like that, that's left to others to decide. What i know is that alejandra sounds like a strong name its pronunciation in spanish (my language) is strong, and that i am, people who dont know me thinks that im serious, and hard to be with, i dont know why since i consider myself as a goofy simpleminded person. I have nicknames, but when im gonna perform i always use my full name Alejandra Escarcega, thats my moms last name, i dont use my father's when i dance because i think is the only way my mom gets the recognition she deserves, i dont have nothing against my fathers last name (garcia), but thats my official last name and it is shown everywhere (Alejandra Garcia E.), so my little tribute to my mom is using her last name in the thing that i love the most doing!!!!! I like my name and i want that people who see me dance know me and know who i am, i am that dancer they are watching i am ALEJANDRA !! ; )

A very dear friend of mine and I discovered belly dance at the same time -- became friends after meeting in our first belly dance class, actually. We studied together for a while, and then I moved away. Around the time that I moved we decided to give each other dance names as a gift. We each considered options, and ultimately we both chose to give each other names that were related to our own. Thus, she became Katya (from Kate), and I became Eve (from Evelyn, which is my first name, though IRL I go by my middle name Jeannette). As a symbol of our friendship we adopted the same last name, "Adelfi," which is "sister" in Greek (we chose to spell it with an F instead of a PH; I don't remember why).

I do enjoy the stage name because as someone said previously, it's a different persona. I truly feel different when I am up performing on stage, spinning and flirting with the crowd, etc. than I do when I am sitting at my computer at work slaving on accounting.

Of course, it does get difficult keeping who-knows-me-by-what-name straight. I go by Eve in bellydanceland and Jeannette elsewhere, but on occasion I bring friends from both worlds together, and it gets terribly confusing! ;-) Sometimes I think of going by my real name, but I think there's already a somewhat-famous bellydancing Jeanette out there (although she spells it wrong). ;-)

Very interesting topic!

I received an invite to respond to this post because of my name "Amustela". It is not an arabic name - it is Latin. Long before I was a professional dancer I adopted this nickname - the "ferret" family - or more correctly the weasel family genus species name is - musteladae. A domesticated ferret is "mustela putorius furro" I am a long time ferret lover and veterinarian - friends and fellow ferret lovers would often call me "Dr. Amy mustela" so I added an "A" to the beginning - which is the first letter of my given name "Amy" and became "Amustela" - which could be translated from Latin as "Little ferret". I don't think of it as a stage name as much as a nickname I have responded to for years. I must admit I love my nickname/stagename and couldn't imagine being anything other than "Amustela". I think it does a pretty good job of representing me - and those of you that know me will likely agree and laugh a little.

Hello Adel... Ladies,

My stage name was something that followed me from one social group into another.

I started out in a medieval recreation group called the Society For Creative Anachronism (SCA for short) where we try to learn about the Middle Ages by taking on personas and, studying how people lived in that time. In the SCA, Middle Eastern studies are a subset (as the group is based on studying Europe) and I started learning to dance in that subset of that group.

When I first joined, I was told I had to choose a name for my persona. I was reading a book at the time about 1950s bandleader Esquivel, as the return of lounge music was happening. Esquivel was Mexican and has a trumpeter named Louis Valizan. Louis was once called THE best trumpeter in the world. The Valizan name itself is supposedly Basque, but I'm doing more research. (I have also learned that "Valizan" in Slovenian means "Welsh.") :))))

I saw the name Valizan and thought it was exotic, without being Arabic, no one could easily distinguish where the name comes from, and it is kind of powerful due to the fricative nature of the V and the Zed. The name itself flowed off the tongue and felt masculine.

So I dubbed myself Auguste (my birth month is August) Valizan. And the name stuck in the SCA. And then I danced a lot and kept getting better and better. And the people I was learning from in the SCA were turning pro. And they were including me in their shows where I gained some visibility. I then started dancing outside of the SCA and the name followed me because it was already established. Nowadays, I have friends who only know me as Valizan. They are shocked to learn that it isn't my real name.

In my real life, I'm very much a private person, so having stage name is like having a costume I can take off when I'm finished performing and not have people bother "Rob" when he wants to go read a book in peace. :))))

I think adopting a stage name depends on the kind of person you are and how devoted you are to the dance. I am reserved in real life, but my stage persona of Valizan needs to be big and boisterous and strong and sensual and whatever. And my devotion to the dance is to my core. I could no sooner lop off an arm than stop bellydancing. My second name reflects that devotion.

Valizan

Both parts of Princess Farhana were given to me... My real name, given at birth, is Pleasant (though many people thought THAT was a stage name.... I figured my name was so crazy anyway, why change it for belly dance?

But when started dancing professionally, in 1991, in Los Angeles, most of the audiences I was dancing for were ethnic ( at Arabic clubs, Persian, Armenian and Egyptian parties, etc) and nobody could ever pronounce "Pleasant" properly.

The last straw came when i was doing a private party for an Armenian gentleman who was turning 98- I kid you not... I was introduced as "And now...... the beautiful birthday PRESENT"!!
....and after the show, he asked me, "Are you REALLY my birthday present? What do you like to eat for breakfast in the morning?" To which i replied, 'Why, if you were forty or fifty years younger, i might have to slap you!" Luckily, he laughed.

I asked my boss at the restuarant where I worked if there was an Arabic equivalent for "Pleasant", and he said " Farhana", which is a female name coming from the word "farhut", or "happy, pleasant, amiable"..... so reluctantly, I adopted "Farhana" as a stage name, and it made a huge difference, because then my name never got mis-pronounced again.

About that same time, I had a visit with a psychic ( someone gave me the session as a birthday present, coincidentally!) and the psychic said that I should change my name, and also adopt a "symbol of royalty" as my personaly symbol, and that I would have a lot of success in my chose field if I did that.... the odd thing was, though, that I was already wearing a lot of big tiaras and crown as headpieces when I belly danced...which of course, the psychic would have had no way of knowing....

I was skeptical about the nme-change, thought that was just kind of random, and I didn't do it.... but imagine my utter surprise two weeks later, when Atlantis, of Tonya And Atlantis/BDUC fame asked me to do an event.

Without even asking me, they listed me on the flyer as "Princess Farhana Of Hollywood"!!
Apparently, it was because there was another dancer , also named "Farhana" on the bill, and they wanted to distinguish who was who.

I didn't think too much of it, then a few weeks later I did an IAMED show, and they too, listed me as "Princess Farhana of Hollywood" , without even asking if that's how I wanted to be billed, on the posters and program. I guess they just took it from the other flyer.

After that, everyone started coming up to me at events, saying "Hiya, Princess!" and calling me "Your Majesty", "Your Royal Highness", etc....and the name kind of stuck! And now I've had it for well over a decade!

Funny- a lot of people seem to get their panties in a bunch over it, I've seen a lot of crap about it in belly dance site chatrooms- "Why does she call herself "Princess"? As though it's an abomination or something. I don't personally understand why they think the "Princess" part is weird- yeah, I'm not a REAL princess, but who cares? When so many obviously western white women have stage names like Shahira, Jamilla, Aziza, etc is there supposed to be a line drawn between which whimsical, exotic fantasy monikers count as acceptable or unacceptable?
Get a grip!

I just think it's all just fun, havng a stage name! :)

I don't care if people call me Princess, Farhana, Princess Farhana, Pleasant, or "Your Royal Highness"!

And the psychic was right- as soon as my name was changed, and I incoporated a symbol of royalty as my own personal symbol my career did seem to take off...and also many generous people hve gifted me a number of amazing crowns and tiras to add to my collection!

So there ya have it.......

When I decided that belly dance was going to be an integral part of my life, I wanted to make sure it was separate and sacred from anything I do in my everyday life, so I searched a list of names. First I selected the ones that seemed as exotic as the dance itself, then I looked for the ones that sounded nice when I said it together with my last name, then I wanted something that had meaning behind it. The meaning of Amirah is Princess and Leader and I think I have both those qualities in real life as well as in my bellydancing experience. When I'm Amirah, I feel like a Goddess!!

Hi! Im Mexican and I took my Nickname here from my real one, which is not Natalie but Natalia in spanish :o), and Walls is the literal translation to english from my last name in spanish: Paredes, it sounds interesting , I just don't know if that will actually be my stage name.. but I like it.

A long time ago my very first teacher brought up the subject of chosing an Arabic name. She mentioned she would help us chose. Since I wanted to chose my own "dance" name I purchased a book on femine Arabic names from a dancer online.

I rather liked the sound of the name "Aziza", but it was such a common spelling. In this book were several spellings of the name "Aziza" and one of the spellings for the name was "Azeezah" which seemed too long and difficult to spell, so I shortened it to "Azeeza". There, I had a name chosen, but did it mean?

According to this book (and Adel, you are right) it meant: Dear, respected, esteemed, rare, powerful. This name seemed to fit my personality more than the meanings of: flowers, jewels, soft or feminine.

So, that is how I chose my name and what my name means and how it fits me.

Thanks for asking such great questions, Adel! I look forward to more thought provoking q's & a's from everyone.

Azeeza

I was asked to share on this topic, so here goes. When I first joined a dance company, everyone in it had a stage name, so I thought it was the norm. My real name is Julynn, but people are rarely able to pronounce it correctly just from seeing it written down. Now that I've been dancing for a while, I would like to go back to using my real name. However, 1. people have come to know me as Johara & 2. I don't want to spend the rest of my dance career correcting people who screw up my name or having to listen to it being pronounced incorrectly at shows. I chose Johara for 2 reasons. 1. I felt that "J" names suited me & 2. I liked the meaning: Jewel.
Hope that helps

~J

I chose the name Amara because it starts with an A and so does my real name Anne. It sounds more exotic and it's fun to take on a different persona while on stage (my real life isn't glamorous -I am a school teacher). I looked through many names that began with an A but ultimatly chose Amara because of the meaning - Graceful! It took about 3 months to finalize what I wanted to be known as.

First, I'd like to thank Adel for inviting me to comment on this topic. That was very nice, and a good way to get people talking (typing)

My reasons for taking a stage name pretty much echo what I've read so far. And since I took this name it's become *my* name, meaning that I feel like Shamsa and will answer to that in a crowd more readily than to my "mundane" name. I know a lot of dancers who can say the same thing.

I found the name when I was researching Arabic poetry, mostly poems about dancers. I ran across a female poet from the 13th century. Her full name was Shamsa al Mawsiyya. I really loved what I could find of her writing. Now, years later and with the help of google I've been able to find a bit more. Like:

"She sways in a saffron dress bathed in camphor, ambergris and sandalwood like a narcissus in the garden, a rose in the sun or an image in the temple."

Pretty neat huh?

And then I also found out that Shamsa literally means "sun" and since I've always had the blazing red hair it seemed to fit. Also, a Shamsa in Arabic art is a sunburst or a rosette like this: www.columbia.edu/itc/meala...nburst.jpg

And there you have it.

:o)

Hey Adel!
Neat topic... I'm going to love answering this one. Back when I first started dancing for pay I was living between San Diego and LA County. There was already a dancer who had my real name and I was under 18 so it was decided that I should don a stage name. I'm not sure how it happened or where I got the idea but I didn't just create a stage name, I created an entire personality and performance style that I could put on and take off. My first stage name was Genisis and it lasted for about a decade before I outgrew it.

I keep different stage names for different forms of dance, all of them come with complete attitude changes, personality quirks, common gestures and musical preference. I guess I'm a method dancer? Which works because I'm predominantly a semi-theatrical dancer unless I'm just dancing for fun. (Then it's anybody's guess as to what you'll get.)

The name PoisonedSpoon started out as a screen name but I gained such a massive notoriety with the name in a particular circle that I couldn't shake it even in person. And sooo... Spoon I became. It's a nick name and I just sort of live with it. I like it because its iconographic, I wear a little vintage spoon necklace, spoon handle rings and dangly spoon ear rings... it's supposed to be for fun but it makes me more of an interesting and memorable character.

Lately I've been attempting to unify my various names under a single banner. *gasp* I'm not sure how successful I'll be with that but we'll see. That's what I get for being a multidisciplinary artist. :-P

~*Spoonie*~

My nickname, Mer, was just meant to be, I suppose. My given name is Meredith, which was an ancient Welsh male character - Guardian of the Sea. In haste, I picked up the habit of signing my emails, "Mer." Then, folks just started writing my name that way when they responded.

When I joined the Burning Man community, I began introducing myself as Mer, pronounced, "mare" - as in the French, "le mer." People tell me that I look like a mermaid, I love horses and the ocean, so it fits perfectly!

Sometimes, I go by the stage name, Mystere.

Thanks for your interest!

;>)

Mer

I never chose a stage name, really. The first student hafla I did with Habiba, she asked us to choose stage names, and I chose Zahra, which I think means "flower" in Arabic. I have used that name one time since, but it has not really stuck with me.

But my real name — Christiane — is different and unusual enough to American ears and eyes that it always gets misspelled, mispronounced, etc. Thus I have become very protective of it and have invested a lot of my identity into it. It's a complicated name and it fits because I am a complicated woman. The dancer, the editor, and the other aspects of myself are all held within it. "Christiane" also some gothic connotations — the second wife of the German writer/philosopher Goethe was named Christiane, and anyone who has ever read "The Sorrows of Young Werther" knows he was one of the early proponents of the hand-staple-forehead attitude found among today's gothic/emo clubkidz. ;-)

It works as a "club name" (for the gothic bellydance shows I have done at nightclubs) and for our local haflas. And since I really don't do any restaurant shows, I haven't had any Arab managers rename me. :-)

I wanted a stage name for several reasons. Privacy from my day to day life, and because I've been acting my whole life and always have a character name, which helps people connect to that character. Having a "mask", or stage name, allows people to be even more uninhibited than they already are, and I ascribe to that school of thought. Although my birth name is fairly exotic and befitting of dance, I initially chose not to use that for a public profile. Now that I'm in business designing and sewing bellydance clothing, more people know my real name.

My birth name is Jordana (I pronounce it jor-donna, unfortunately most other Jordana's and people saying the name say jor-dan-a) which means "down flowing" in Hebrew, in reference to the river Jordan in Palestine where Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist. There are many variations in spellings in different languages, but all have the same meaning.

Anyway, when I was looking for a stage name, I had recently started a troupe with the name of Afsana Sisters (afsana means "narration" in Indian and "tale, story" in other middle easter languages - we wanted our dances to tell a story and thought the name befitting), and wanted an "A" name to flow well with my new "last name". I first thought of Aether (pure, fresh air or clear sky in Homeric Greek), because I wanted to describe how I felt and what I wanted to convey in my dancing (very deep, I know ;) and upon researching it (gotta love wikipedia!), I kept digging deeper and deeper and found this:

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aeth...element%29

rather than inserting long text here, for those interested, you can check it out. the abridged version is that it related to the Hindu mythology of Akasha:

Akasha is the Sanskrit word meaning "aether" in both its elemental and mythological senses. In Hinduism Akasha means the basis and essence of all things. The source of everything that exists. One of the Panchamahabhuta, or "five great elements"; its main characteristic is Shabda (sound). In Hindi the meaning of Akash is sky.

After finding this name within the mass of information, it was set in stone that I would take the name. It described everything I wanted (loftly goals, I know - still striving to fulfill them) and had an additional anchor. Anne Rice has been my favorite author since I was 10 - all of her books are amazing, but the first book I found on my mom's bookshelf was Queen of the Damned, and for those of you familiar with her work know her as queen of the vampires. While I don't play on the vampire aspect of Akasha, I do play on the cultural and historical aspects of her character as she was an Egyptian (previously Kemet) Queen. For more info on that, read the books. I highly recommend them!

All in all, it was a very long, but thought out process to arrive at Akasha.

I just choose a stage name for my first performance a few weeks ago. My new dance instructor here in Rhode Island strongly urges using a stage name. For my first solo performance at the RI chapter of the New England Belly Dance Association's Show, I choose a Turkish name to honor my new instructor, Deborah (Zaharah) Korkmaz of Belly Dance Oasis. Although she studied Egyptian style for a number of years, she embraces many styles, especially her love of all things Turkish including her husband. She recommends that when choosing a name to run it by your instructor first and ask a native speaker to translate the name - just in case the name has more than one meaning.

My stage name is Hazine to honor my current instructor and I performed a choreography by Yucy (with permission) to honor Belly Dance for Life.

Hazine (Kathy)

this is my real name. I am Turkish, born and raised...my name means Wish...and my phone ring is from the "dream of Ginnie" love that movie. Anyways I love my name but I always have problems with spelling it...and a lot of people cannot pronounce it right. It is like "delect-able"...like you read in Spanish...d, i, l, e, k.

Ana-Edith it simply is my real name. I am like the majority of the people out there, very proud of my heritage and culture. In Latin American culture, it is very commune to give your children two names and often three names. In my country most of the time, a person is called by both of his or her names. Ones I moved to the United States, I was having a hard time when people would jus call me Ana. Even when I have introduced myself as Ana-Edith as just one whole name, people would still call me just Ana. One day a very talented, Egyptian tabla player asked me for my name and I said “My name is Ana; it is nice to meet you!” Later on he started picking at my name and he started telling me that “Ana” means the person pronoun “I” in Arabic. So he went on and on about it etc…
I explained that the name Ana is the Latin American version of the Hebrew name Anna and it means God’s grace and God’s gift. So I desired to keep both of my names and just fussed them together as just one name. I just wanted to avoid feeling of missing a part of who I am. On the other hand, the name Edith is a German/English name that means rich gift and blessed at war. I reality, I have decided to keep it as my stage name as well because I like my name (Anaedith) and I like to honor my parents by keeping them both.
Adel, I have never notice that my name actually has an exotic Arab twist like you said. “ However, to put an Arabic twist on it... ana means I or "I am." So from an exotic perspective, it could mean i am edith. Thank you for pointing that out. So I guess if I look at it that way Anaedith could translate as “I am a rich gift”.

=0)

I started Oriental dance when I was 7, one of the other girls in my class and I named each other, and she named me Shaleya. I kept that for a while, but when I got older I wanted a different name, it didn't have to be Arabic, just something interesting. Again a fellow dancer thought Aradia would be a perfect name, I loved the sound, Pronounced A-ray-dee-uh, when I looked up the meaning I found she was a Goddess in an old Italian religion called Strega, she's the daughter of Diana the Moon Goddess, and was Goddess of magic and healing, was sent to earth to teach people how to use magic in their lives, and later there came ,The Gospel of Aradia, Goddess of the Witches. There was discussion if she really lived on earth etc. So I thought that was a pretty cool story to go along with a name that I liked.

I'm actually 1/2 Native American and wanted to find something from my heritage that would work, but the pronounciations are very difficult, so Aradia it is!! I actually use "Aradia of Las Vegas", one because I'm a native of here, and two, there are some other Aradia's running around, recently one opened an Aradia fitness center that teaches pole/lap dancing, and some other stuff, and I wanted to be seperate from them .
My real name is Ginger, I've thought of dropping the stage name, but I have a DVD out with Aradia and I think it would be too confusing to switch.

Thanks for the heads-up on this tribe, Adel!

Names.... Important... I think. Many of us take names because we like how they sound and what they *think they mean.* That's what I did, originally. I was Delia (Goddess of the Moon - Greek). Never was a Greek dancer, but liked how it sounded. When I started dancing *really* professionally, the Arabic-speaking audience members asked me about my name and told me I needed to take another because Delia meant nothing to them. I brought them a list of favorites, and to my surprise, many of the definitions listed by respected dancers on-line for names were not quite translatable or correct. So, eventually, I was sort of "assigned," Dahlia by my Egyptian manager and Arabic-speaking friends who approved. (Dahlia is simply a "pretty" Egyptian name for a girl which translates as "vineyard leaves/grape leaves on the vine.") It suits me. It's so much like my real name, Dana, as well as my original stage name.

RECOMMENDATION: If you dance in Arabic, Greek or Persian clubs, FIND OUT WHAT YOUR NAME *REALLY* MEANS before you settle!!! You'd be surprised what some of the names dancers take actually translate to. Some are not so nice!

So far, it seems alternative, tribal, fusion (or "other than strictly Middle Eastern-style dance") dancers use their given or "real" names. Many of the "belly dancers," like me, take stage names that seem exotic. I have liberty to "become Dahlia" with the stage name. And I love it!

i was asked to talk about how i chose my name - but i didnt! cera's my real name. i just dont use my last name, mostly because i have no relationship with it, particularly.
so...yeah! that's all to that =)

cera
www.damage-control.org

I choose my stage name while riding in the car to a Powwow in New York. I had a list of names in various languages and wanted a stage name because my real name is primarily associated with my job and my law practice. I did not want confusion for business reasons.
I also like the idea of an alter ego and wanted something that was an embodiement of who I was as an artist. Mia means the same as Michelle which is my name, which means "Who is like God?" Naja means success which I aspire to and claim daily, al is an Arabic connector and Sephira means sapphire which is my birthstone. So I chose words that were an amalgamation of who and what I am and things related to my personhood. It means nothing to people in Egypt, its a kind of nonsense word like a Dr. Suess word, but then again, my name in English has no real Arabic meaning either, so I am happy that it means something to me. In addition, I have not had to worry about taking anyone else's name.

I use my given name because I feel like when I'm performing I am expressing myself, not some alter ego.

Becoming Nayeli....
Not quite a stage name but it was part of the concept, that if i was going to pursue belly dancing that I have a name that I thought was befitting of one. So this started another quest!
My name was in honor of my journey and kind of a next step into blossoming into the woman I felt I was supposed to become.
(A 34 year old blossom, can you imagine!) Giggles!
But my original name given by my mother did not fit me. That was Nekeisha, this was Swahili (sp) for sunrise or sunset. (No one has called me that since kindergarten) Sounds great right? It's only correct representation of me is the fact that I love the way the sun rises and sets. But the name became a thing of negativity, which made it an issue for me! Besides it only represented 1/3 of my ethnicity. Besides no one ever called me by my real name anyway, I went by a nick name, Nikki, this name seemed to fit me, though so many had the same name, but it always worked for me. It is still my crazy and artistic side.
But then life just happens, 13 year (pain in the butt) marriage and 3 kids and career and then you wake up one day trying to put down the bricks of your past and just move on, figuring that wow, life is too short and this is it? Like hell it is! I want to do great things at that is not just raising children, but I want them to know who I am too.
Well a good friend would always just call me Nik and it was the way she would say it. Loud and shouting! Always like she was calling me to wake me up in the middle of the day or something! But it was a soul stirring call all the time!
Well as person that I had become, spiritually started to die, become depressed and just discusted, the Nikki who had been hidden so long deep down inside started to emerge and she was pissed, not in a real bad way but enough was enough. She told me “Your light is dying and your just letting everyone step on it and use it. Why?” so I told her “I am just not strong enough anymore, I just can’t go on another day!” So she held that old me for awhile and that woman went to sleep!
Then one day out of the blue, something just hit me like a bag of bricks, I just woke up and realized the strong woman really came out of me. I went over my issues and did a lot of cleaning house! Took a half a bottle of reality, and began to deal with some of the old issues the ones that got stuck and bothered me the most. Like realizing who I am, my lack of confidence and where I wanted to go, and the feeling of being unloved. These were all tied in and not so easy to discard. And a wise man once said if you do not battle and get rid of your demons, you will pass them onto your children. Well I had and I started to see them, jumping out and hurting my kids. So I had to show them no matter what, I gave you more strength than demons, don’t stop the fight you are worth it!

Well I have heard it a million times, but I was not listening. You have to love yourself first! So I had realize who I was, because you cannot love anything or anyone without knowing who or what it is, and I had to embrace all of me, good or bad and know that I am the way I am for a reason! So that was a tall mountain which I am still climbing but it’s exciting, to see what I can do.

So I found my my name…One that represents all of me, my culture and my ethnicity and most of all a remind to love myself.

So the name, I chose in Egyptian and it means: to be loved and in Native American (I forget what tribe) it means I LOVE You!


So how is that Adel?

Humbly yours,

Nayeli

Maria, Latinate form of Mary, is my real name. Mary is the name of several New Testament characters, most importantly Mary the virgin mother of Jesus, and Mary Magdalene. I've sort of had a complex about having the same name as the virgin mother and Mary Magdalene.

At the school where I teach belly dance, we were always asked if we wanted a stage name when performing. Habeeba (my teacher/mentor) found it easier to remember her performers stage names if we would simply add to our real names. To make our names sound Arabic we added ah, lah, za, ara (you get the point).

Choosing mine was simple - MARIAH!

Well . . .my name- Amina- was the name I was born with, and I'd have to say I'm perfectly happy to keep it as my stage name, one- because I would just feel kind of odd being called anything else other than my name, unless it was a nick name and two- Because I think it suits me well enough, and I don't think I have the kind of persona where I'd be able to pull off a stage name. But that might just be me. I'm super shy of the stage, and who knows! Adopting a stage name might actually help me come out of my shell some more.
Truthfully I've never really given any thought to stage names concerning myself. Maybe that's just because most of the more well known belly dancers I've worked with or learned under all have kept their original names.

The only gripe I have about people choosing a stage name is that there have been a few that I've met that choose names without doing any research about the origins or the history behind it. Maybe I just have a problem with this since my parents were constantly reminding me to watch my conduct because my name was inspired by the prophet muhammed's mother in the religion of islam, and my parents didn't want me "disgracing" my name or whatnot.
It's really up to whoever to choose their name and do what they will when they're going by it, but personally I generally have more respect for people who really know what their name means and where it comes from, and what it means to other cultures. And not just as a translation.
Because think about it, if you're named after a religious role model or some person that's well respected in other cultures, and you want to perform in front of an audience that may have people of this culture sitting in the room, you gotta be careful in how you portray yourself, seeing as they will most likely judge you first- on you using the name (if you are obviously not from that cultural background) and second- your conduct while using that name.

But then again maybe that's just me seeing it from a view point that's been hammered into me my whole life.

I am a belly dancer currently performing in Adelaide, Australia and will be heading off to Istanbul shortly. I am of Turkish heritage. My real name is Gulten. 'Gul' means rose and 'ten' means skin i.e. the skin of a rose. 'Gol' means flower in Persian and many Persians, Afghans, Central Asian Turks, Pakistanis and Indians have a name including the word 'gol'. :)

Like Selena, mine too came in a dream. Several weeks before the dream, I had been researching names. I could not find a name that "spoke" to me. After reviewing "name" books and websites, I decided that my birthname - heidi - would have to do. One night, in a dream, I was speaking to my husband and I was telling him about my new dance name. In the dream, I even spelled it out for him. When I awoke, the first thing out of my mouth was Ravena (pronounced RA - VA - NA).

Actually, the original spelling was Ravana. After doing a little research and finding out that Ravana is a devil in the Hindu belief - oh no! I decided to alter the spelling. The altered spelling actually has more meaning to me. I am a lover of crows and ravens. I am fascinated by their intelligence and read several books about ravens. Using the spelling Ravena is basically raven with an A.

When selecting a dance name, I feel it is important to select a name that has meaning to you. If you cannot "believe" in your name, it is not worth having.

After about three years of studying the dance, I decided it was time to have a stage name. I wanted something a little different. My husband uses Akhunaton as part of his stage name as a musician. I looked up info about the women in Akhunaton's life. Of course there was Nefertiti. That didn't seem unique enough. Kiya was known as his "Greatly Beloved Wife". I lengthened it to Kiyaana. I pronounce it kee-ah-nuh with the accent on the second syllable.

I'm a drummer who likes to get up and dance..so I don't exactly have a stage name...however, I do have an SCA name that I sometimes use when drumming. I looked for a word expressed the creative side of my personality...and I chose "Cattiva" which is an Italian word that means "naughty." 'Nuff said! xoxoxoxoxoxoxox

I was yelled at for not responding to this post :-) So just for you Adel...I am known well for my love of all things Irish from the music to my born and raised in Ireland Irish boyfriend. I love dancing to Irish music as well. Bagpipes and Bellydancing were ment to be together. There is a celtic knot known as the Trinity Knot. Some of you may know it from the logo for the TV series Charmed. It is a three pointed knot in a kind of Triangle shape. That is what I am named after. And only a few people know that I took a last name as well. Ane' (anne) My grandmothers name was Anne. She used to always tell me she would dance at my wedding, unfortunatly she did not get a chance to see that day. But I like to think she will still be there dancing with me at my wedding :-) Thats it...nothing to exciting. Just a Irish loving bellydancer!

Thanks Adel,
Caleena is the name of a flower that grows in Russia. I am Greek and Russian and wanted to chose a combo name. Instead I chose to simply enhance my real name, Colleen Jon, to something fancier. Also, Im known as C.J. or CeeJay the Cannibal Bellydancer.
When a "legendary" teacher of mine in MD, called me a "carnival act", I decided to roll with that. It was meant as an insult, but I liked it. LOL!
I took it as a compliment and threw the "Cannibal Bellydancer" thing at the end, just for comedy. Most people dont get it, and often shake thier heads, but its funny to me. But Im mostly known as Caleena Janay. I dont know where the "Janay" name came from. I simply loved the name following Caleena.
Thanks for asking! Shockingly, Ive never been asked about my name!

Adel - thank you for inviting me to respond. My name is simply a feminization of my real name. I was talking to another dancer about names and mentioned that I did not want to assume a different name because I am rather fond of mine - Damien. I don't know any other women with the name! The other dancer said, well why not make it Damiena (she pronounced it Day-me-ah-na)? I thought about it for a time and realized that I rather liked the idea of not giving up my name, but changing it slightly to reflect a different side of myself. I pronounce it closer to Day-me-eh-na. I did look it up to make sure it meant nothing bad in Arabic before I decided to use it.

I have noticed, though, that if I am not careful, I sign work emails Damiena!

For the posting of NEW names,stories or insights, would you kindly post in the the 2nd edition of this thread so that it would be more manageable?

tribes.tribe.net/bdfl/thre...8ede39389f

Of course, if you wish to reply or comment directly to any of the above on this thread, that would be cool!

Thanks,

Adel, M.C.

I use my real first name, because it is unusual and unique. I believe that names influence your personality - and I figured in dance as in life, I want to keep what's original and unique about my name. My mother made it up - as far as I know it has no direct meaning - but I personally associate with strength, clarity, and originality.

Meiver, Boston

(www.meiver.com)

Dizzy Hips is my stage name. I am a hula-hooper and prop comic. My real name is Paul Blair. I have had several stage names. I have had a lot of fun coming up with stage name and slogans. I don't mind having dual identies. I grew up as "Bubba" and family still calls me "Bubba". My first stage name was "The Hula-hoop Man" which is what everyone has always called me anyway. I also tried "hula-hoop king" in those early, more cocky years. At the same time I had a knick name from friends teasing me. They noticed I was always shy and quiet until I had a chance to perform, then "Shazam!" I would transform into a performer, so they called me Shazam, the hula-hoop man. that name is from my years in Boulder, CA. i then started studying clowning more- Red skelton, wc fields, Buster keaton, Jackie Chan, and the greatest of all- Goofy were my idols. I watched alot of old movies and cartoons. One of my favorites has always been the jungle book. I was watching jungle book and thinking about buster keaton. I liked the meter of his name that' when i came up with Louie Baloo- after two of my favorite Disney characters. In those days i did mostly kids shows and street stuff, so the name matched my character. Next I weent to SF and started doing more spectacle- cirque type stuff with Velocity circus, they wanted something flashier- so I came up with "The Gyronaut" I got that from another title I had come up with in Boulder, The Gyro-plevidelic abdominal hoopmonster. By 2001 I was completely, hoop over heels in love with Jackie Chan. I think it was after seeing "The young Master". I played with all the sinonyms of hooping and the meter of "jackie chan". TI remember the words dizzy And Hips just jumping at me from opposite end of a giant sheet of paper.
I have used Paul Blair; Hula-hoop stuntman since boulder (1996) as well I just alway thought it was funny to have the word "hula-hoop" next to the word "stuntman"

Things to consider when naming one's self/ act:
1. Waht is you character on stage? SExy, cute shy aggressive etc. Does your name evoke the feeling of your character?
2. What is the meter or rhythm of the name? "buster keaton" has symetry " Jackie chan is in threes- both good for memory.
3. Is the name taken? It is not cool to use some one elses name though you can pick a similar name to an icon of the past if its not too similar.
4. Does your name "look good " on paper. Its good to pick a name that flows visually as well as auditorily.
5 Pick a name that says who you are or at least matches who you are and what you do intuitively, in one breath.
then decide how much of your life you want to be in character- are there places for you real name in business, are there palces for your stage name in your social life?

David is my given name from my parents. I changed the "v" to "V" for visual stimulization...and it's gotten me in trouble quite some times because people end up calling me Dahveeeed.

I was born and raised in Norway, so before I moved from there I used to be DaVid of Norway. Then I moved to Sweden and it seemed a bit aqward to be referring to the "friendly competitive neighbor" country. So, it caused me to change it to DaVid of Scandinavia - since this is the narrowest term that covers both Norway and Sweden.

So I ended up with DaVid of Scandinavia "Dejvid ov Skandinejvia" (not Dahveeed of ScandinaVeea).

My last name is Badyal and it is pronounced Bady-al...however in English it tends to turn into Bad Ya'll. So Im happy I didn't go with THAT! lol.

I do use David Badyal as my author name though.

DaVid