Belly Dance is not a community…it’s a scene. A post by Sophia Ravenna

This blog post from 2019 by Seattle area fusion dancer Sophia Ravenna really challenged my thinking about the word "community" and the business of belly dance. I tend to use the word community often when I talk about the collective US here at New Mexico Belly Dance. But I tend to think of New Mexico as a state of people with common bonds, as weird and unconventional as they may be. Call me biased.

There is a definitive line between the business side (those of us who are teachers, professional dancers, etc.) versus those of us who seek companionship through a common interest, just as church may be to some.

We'd love to hear from you... Are we a scene or a community? Has the pandemic changed your thoughts on this?