Quem disse que a dança do ventre não é para mim? A presença da mulher negra nos festivais de dança do ventre no Brasil

Abstract

Belly dance festivals in Brazil began in the 1990s and have grown in popularity in recent years. However, as a Black woman, dancer, teacher, and researcher of belly dance, I noticed that when observing the arts promoted in the media and the teachers featured in national festival programs, the dominant body standard did not represent bodies like mine. The profile of the people I saw in prominent positions in this environment consisted predominantly of white, cisgender, and slender women, who represented a notion of femininity aligned with the capitalist colonial system. This research is driven by the following question: Are Black women in leading roles in the programs of major belly dance festivals in Brazil? This question reflects the study’s objective, which is to examine how Black bodies are present in this space. From there, we will analyze whether representation, protagonism, and equity in these events are limited to the festivals themselves or whether they reflect broader social structures that reproduce structural racism. This research is justified by the need to challenge the hegemonic and orientalist frameworks imposed on the belly dance community, which also shape the collective imagination of belly dancers. This study is an exploratory, mixed-methods (quantitative and qualitative) investigation that combines a bibliographical review, field research using semi-structured interviews, and an analysis of selected examples within the research corpus. For this purpose, two major belly dance festivals with national relevance were selected: the Baladi Congress in Salvador-BA and the Dahab Festival in São Paulo-SP. The theoretical framework prioritizes the biopolitical relationships between body, belly dance, race, gender, Orientalism, and coloniality, highlighting the contributions of authors such as Carneiro (2023), Berth (2019), Katz & Greiner (2005), Mignac (2008, 2023), Santos (2023), Said (2007), Ribeiro (2017), Bento (2022), Gonzaléz (2020), Ratts (2006), and Oliveira (2023). The potential findings of this research will be crucial for understanding how racist biopolitical inscriptions shape and permeate both society and belly dance festivals. While conducting this critical analysis, I am to demonstrate that there are ways to resist and persist through quilombola practices, such as those embraced by the Belly Black movement.