Male belly dancing?

Question:I'm a 16 (almost 17 now) year-old guy, and I was thinking about trying belly dancing. It looks fun. I have a few questions, though.

1) Are there male belly dancing classes? I usually hear about female belly dancers, not guys. I know that some guys do, but only from youtube. XD Would I have to join a girl class?

2) Where would I find a class?

3) How much do classes cost? What about costumes (do you have to perform even)?

4) How long does it take to become relatively good at it?

5) If I like it enough, am I still young enough that I could become a professional eventually? I dunno... I always hear stories about people starting dance and super-young ages.

6) What age do most male belly dancers start? Hmmmmmmm...

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker: I'm a 16 (almost 17 now) year-old guy, and I was thinking about trying belly dancing. It looks fun. I have a few questions, though.

1) Are there male belly dancing classes? I usually hear about female belly dancers, not guys. I know that some guys do, but only from youtube. XD Would I have to join a girl class?

2) Where would I find a class?

3) How much do classes cost? What about costumes (do you have to perform even)?

4) How long does it take to become relatively good at it?

5) If I like it enough, am I still young enough that I could become a professional eventually? I dunno... I always hear stories about people starting dance and super-young ages.

6) What age do most male belly dancers start? Hmmmmmmm...

First of all don't let anyone tell you that guys don't or can't bellydance because they do and have for a long time. Historically they often perform the womens dance when laws are strict and make female performances difficult to come by. In these cases the men dressed up as women and performed in their stead. You may want to look up the Turkish chengi (spelling may vary).

1) I've not hears of classes that are specifically for males on;y but many classes taught by female instructors will take on male students. There are also male instructors out there who teach mixed classes as well such as Jim Boz and Zorba. Mahmoud Reda was a very prominant male bellydance instructor and there is a male bellydancer whose been making a name for himself in Egypt as of recently (although his name escapes me at the moment). Female dancers far outnumber males because it is still traditionally a woman's solo dance done by women for other women

2) Try looking up some of the male dancers mentioned and see if they have links to other male dancers (they usually do) then you can look to see if there are any in your area otherwise simply look up instructors on some of the major bellydance directories such as...
http://www.shira.net
http://www.middleeasterndance.net
http://www.bhuz.com

3) Prices will vary depending on where you are and who you are taking lessons from. Prices in California are different from those in Arizona, Minnesota, New York, etc... Prices may also vary with the reputation of the dancer. Highly sought after big name celebrities tend to charge more than the still good but not as famous dancers. Prices generally range from $8-$15 a class often with discounts for purchasing an entire session. More famous dancers may charge more and fees could range anywhere from $20-$50 a class if they are big enough celebrities. Costumes also vary quite abit in price depending what you wear but my guess is you would dress in harem pant and a fancy belt possibly with a vest of some sort and maybe even a shirt. If you make everything yourself it will probably range fro $50 - $100 after all the supplies you will buy. If you purchase things it will probably range from $100-$800. You can however often find great deals on e-bay. Although most items will be made for women you could use or modify many things. Harem pants are quite easy to use for either gender but belts may need to be altered or custom made. Some classes will offer students a chance to perform at the end of the class while others do not but you are never required to perform if you don't want to.

4)How long it takes to get good depends on each individual and depends on a myriad of factors such as flexibility, musicality, and technicality already possessed. Frequent practice helps to improve your dancing faster but in generall most dancers feel that a student should have two years of lessons under their belt before really getting into dancing professionally. Some may be ready quicker while other will not be ready even after decades of intensive study!(ok that might be a bit of an overstatement but, still I think I make my point).

5&6)Most bellydancers in general do not start when they are 4 like in ballet and other western dance unless they learn it at home from abelly dancing family member. Instead most bellydancers begin lessons at earliest in their mid to late teens while many do not begin until their 20's, 30's, 40's or even older. One of the great things about bellydance is that it is for all ages and all sizes. Many dancers start as professionals after about 2 years of formal training so you have plenty of time. There is no set limit on the ages you must start and there is no major conditioning other than muscle isolations that must be done. In ballet if you do not start young it is difficult to gain the desired amount of training such as pointe, and so a dancer must train young to have these options.

please get a real life.

dont do it

Male belly dancing? never heard of it

I read it is a visual demonstration of giving childbirth.
That is why women are the only dancers.

And AMERICA is a society full of up-tight people. This would not be something welcomed by most people.

um................. i am very sorry to tell you this, but once i saw a male belly dancer (i had no intention of doing so) and it was not a pretty sight, but then again that guy was pretty old, so i dont know.

I took belly dancing classes in New York and there were a few guys in the class, however, I don't think there are male only classes.
Never pay more than $20 per class! I was paying $20 but only because my teacher is a famous belly dancer. Belly dancing classes (at least in New York) range from $8-$12 per class.
To become good at it...It will take you a while, depending on what you consider "being good at it". If you only want to learnm how to move your hips like Shakira that will take you a few days....If you want to learn the art of belly dancing, I would say a few years.
Hey man, no one ever said belly dancing was reserved for women only...All the people that try to discurage you are just hating....Good luck!!

Don't let 'em get you down..! I say just go for it...I'm a British female who's probably overweight/overage..but I LOVE belly dancing..I've been going to lessons for 5yrs and more recently a few of us have done some performances -and it feels great..! There are enough tutorials on You Tube for you to get the basics then it's just a case of picking some good music and putting a few moves together...It all takes time though..
I also play African drums, and, when I couldn't find a piece of music short enough(They ramble on for 7-8 mins)! I got my drumming friends to do a short piece for me..
So, go ahead, have fun, make a few new friends..join a drumming group(Tabla,Djembe) and in the words of Belinda Carlisle,Live your Life,be Free...!