Allow me to adjust your expectations from the start and blatantly state that this post is not intended as the end-all be-all research sourced academic article aiming to answer all the controversy surrounding the use of the term “belly dance”. This is a mere teaser that hopes to send you off on your own journey into a rabbit hole or two. So, what’s in a name? Well, the quick answer is “a lot!”. Buckle your seatbelt Dorothy, ‘cause we're goin' places! It ain't gonna be a short

…and so it begins. Hello. My name is Helen, and I have a confession to make. I.. I am.. Oh, here it comes! I am a dancer. There, I said it, the Internet saw it and nobody can delete it now. Except Nico, she can. Referring to myself as a dancer or a bellydancer still creates unease and tension in my chest as it elicits a certain level of confidence and experience one has with what is colloquially called belly dance these days. I much prefer to be referred to as "a perpetual st