Do I have to have a ficticious “stage name” or “dance name” to be a “real” Belly Dancer?
Short answer: No, but there are some advantages. Longer answer (discussed in med-dance in early September of 1995): There are people out there who think having a dance name is a mark of professionalism, but the existence of many (very prestigeous) dancers who use their real names (ethnic-sounding or not) shows this to be a debateable point, not an accepted rule. Using your real name may increase your sense of being an integrated person, if that’s an issue for you, and may also make a statement to your audience that you are a real person. Still, there are benefits to using a dance name. One function of a dance name is to create a mood (for yourself and your audience), but that is a cosmetic function. More practically, use of a dance name can increase your personal safety from the (rare) weirdo who persues anyone who draws their attention. The number of people like that who are also willing to do the extra work of finding out your real name / address / phone number is even smaller, so th
