You might want to check out
bellydancebiz.tribe.net/thread...2eefa87

I happen to agree with Miles about the artistic merits of the BDSS show and its classy production values.

I also firmly defend the first amendment rights of dancers to express themselves in burlesque or bellydancing or any combination thereof.

I also agree with Miles, however, that the unfortunate association with burlesque and stripping is detrimental to the image of belly dancing.

Regarding the relativeness raciness of the BDSS show, I have to say that it's all in the eye of the beholder.

Last time BDSS came to town, I took some posters around to the dance shops for them. One refused to put the poster in the window, not because they thought poorly of Middle Eastern dance, but because they thought Jillina's costume in particular was too suggestive. They'd had problems with guys from the bar in the strip mall stopping by and trying to ogle the young girls shopping there, and they were concerned the poster would draw even more unwanted attention.

Must say that I share the concerns of Miles and others here. Speaking as a guy who already gets some baffled responses when expressing an interest in bellydance - and who sometimes has to work hard to convince people that it's a respectable art form - a burlesque connection doesn't help, to put it mildly. I know very little of Princess Farhana, other than seeing the 'Underbelly' trailer (which emphasises the burlesque content), so I wondered if this is entirely down to her? I'm certainly not disputing that there's great skill involved in being a good burlesque dancer, but it would be naive of anyone to think that this has always been the primary attraction for the audience. No doubt a lot of bellydancers would feel uncomfortable if their audiences started to include increasing numbers of people who thought that bellydance and stripping were closely linked.

I can't help wondering if the strong inclination towards fusion in the world of bellydance - which to me see seems a little out of control at times (as I've seen performances at bellydance events that seem to have no obvious elements of bellydance in them) - have resulted in a climate in which is practically anything can be 'fused' to it without any real debate on how appropriate it is.

Princess F was in the UK a few weeks ago and did some workshops in South London that quickly sold out. I've copied below the text used to promote one of these. I expect some taking part felt there was an 'empowering' element to it, although it sounds a bit comical to take off things that are put over your clothes, so that there's no actual stripping involved! I think the phrase "retro-burlesque" is reassuring for participants, as a kind of distancing mechanism. I expect everyone had fun and I don't want to take an excessively serious view, but I'd still prefer it if these two forms of dance could remain separate.

Beginners Burlesque
It's time to strut like a show girl and learn to tease a la Gypsy Rose
Lee in the retro-burlesque style! Techniques covered include cute
entrances and exits, showgirl walks, boa work, bumps and grinds. Plus
basic striptease mechanics and a short retro-burlesque routine, just for
fun. We'll also learn about the Burlesque/Bellydance connections, the
legendary stars of burlesque and burlesque history from the turn of the
century to modern times.
Bring high heels, a brassiere, some undies a pair of gloves, plus a
feather boa (or a scarf or veil tied at each end to act as a boa) Don't
worry - you WON'T be taking your clothes off - we do it all over our
class gear. So wear clothing you can put your undies over such as fitted
leggings/Tshirt or shorts/fishnet tights.