"I have been seeing a bunch of these types of posts flying around social media and this Long Island professional belly dancer thought it might be fun to do one for belly dance! I collected some of the common comments that can make your local professional see red. Say any of the comments below at your own risk. You may end up with a zill flying towards you! Don’t say I didn’t warn you.
 
1. So your like Shakira?
                Shakira is a wonderful performer and yes has some bellydance experience. But she is just that, A PERFORMER and a persona. Her focus is not on providing specifically bellydance entertainment  and she only touches the tiniest part of what it is to be a bellydancer. So no we are not like Shakira.
 
2. Can you dance for exposure, food, experience…etc.
                There are a million and one posts and blogs on this hot topic frequent offender. I am going to sum it up with the following. Professional bellydancers are just that…professionals. Which means they have a business to run and bills to pay just like anyone else. How would you feel if your boss asked you to work for free?
 
3. I mastered this in Zumba!!/ Its just like Zumba!!
                Whenever I hear this the first thing that comes to mind is the southern “that’s nice.” While you can get bellydancers who are also zumba instructors, most of the time they are not. Zumba is a fast food bite of a lot of styles and does not make you a bellydance master. But…I do appreciate your enthusiasm.
 
4. Can I borrow/rent…..?
                No. No you cannot rent or borrow my costume, my equipment or my props. They are very very expensive and usually custom fitted or designed for the dancer who owns them. They can be easily damaged by untrained person and we use them to run our profession.
 
5. I cant move that way/Cant dance.
                Challenge accepted! This is one of the few on my list that probably wont make a dancer see red. But you have now issued a challenge. To quote Chicago Bellydancer Adonia, “You have the same body parts I do, they move the same way.” This phrase just makes me want to show you how wrong you are so I can see how happy you are when you realize you can!
 
6. So your like a stripper right?
                NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO!! X A MILLION but Ill take those tips!
 
7. Ive taken 6 weeks/mo of classes and I am ready to go pro!
                I cant even begin to touch this one. I really just cant. 
 
8. I need  you to dance for 1-3+ hr(s).
                No you don’t. Please please trust us when we say a 20-30 minute bellydance show is more then adequate unless you are looking for extended ambiance which is a whole different animal. We are only human after all.
 
Enjoyed the list? Add your own "Don’t say to the bellydancer" phrases on this Long Island Bellydancer’s facebook page!