Belly dancing is considered both sexy and sensual depending on the observer’s point of view. A woman in a bikini swim suit may be seen as sexy, but not sensual. A beautiful woman walking graciously may be seen as sensual, but not sexy. Confused? Many people confuse these two words.
Sexy Versus Sensual:
- Sexy usually refers to whatever may be appealing to another. It arouses basic sexual instincts and interests to be heightened or excited.
- However, sensuality has more to do with physical, mental, and emotional sensations of our five senses without including sex.
It can be confusing at times. Much has to do with how a person is defining the difference between sex and sensuality.
Examples:
There is a movement called pelvic tucks. Both male and female dancers perform this movement by making small tilting backward pelvic movements to the beat of the music. This is not a sexy movement but a sensual movement as it is being performed without anyone thinking or suggesting sex.
Male dancers are cautioned to never do this movement in a forward manner as it would be too suggestive and sexually threatening. A female may occasionally reverse this movement to a forward position but it is restrained and it does not cause anyone to think sex.
Dress Rehearsals:
The costume and the choreography are rehearsed and monitored before appearing before an audience. The teacher or the choreographer may change or modify a movement if inappropriate.
The bedroom:
An individual may decide to incorporate belly dancing movements mixed with sexy suggestions for their mate in the privacy of their bedroom. This type of dancing is definitely sexy with the intent of building romantic gestures and ending with sexual intimacy. No true dance artist of belly dancing would perform in this manner in a public performance.
The Public Performance:
The sensual movements require focused control and the dancer is so focused on her movements she is not thinking sex, but rather creating sensual actions with her body. The goal of the performance is beauty and fantasy combined with the art of flirting.
The choice of music for the dancer will determine if she will perform movements to the song lyrics or to choose an instrumental selection to dance assorted rhythms.
Think about this for a moment:
The dancer’s choreography includes a story line of a young girl living on a farm and she describes her chores with dance movements. For the audience to think that the dancer is being sexy would be cause for laughter considering the story line.
A dancer is performing with a live band and she and the drummer are having a contest interpreting the rhythms. She is using her body and hips to interpret the beats and the drummer is pounding his drum or drums with his fingertips trying to outdo the dancer. They and the audience are caught in the excitement of the percussion rhythms and having fun watching this duel.
How can a person think this is sex when the dancer is using her techniques, skills, and talents to creatively interpret the rhythms and the drummer is beating away on the skin of the drum? Neither of these performers is thinking sex. They are both preoccupied with the contest of wits.