(Collections from Livejournal Discussions, 2007)

From C.P. Odd, site
I think it's a bit of a tough thing to define. It's like defining "art" or "beauty" or "love". It means different things to different people. I think Voltaire sums it up well in his satirical book "What Is Goth?" where in he shows that there are subcultures within the subculture. What he defines as "Romanti-Goth" and "Cyber-Goth" ect ect.

To make this a little shorter, I'll try to paraphase it thusly:
TO ME gothic bellydancing portrays elements from the "goth" subculture, weather they be anachronistic, futuristic, or from current fads. It is in the music, the costuming, the attitude, and to an extent, the movement and technique. It includes elements from other styles, but is not necessarily "interchangeable" with them.

In other words, not all that's darkness is black ;) You can't just take a "goth" song and call it gothic bd. You can't just take a black costume, or a gloomy/macabre/vampy attitude and call it gothic bd. It's a proper combination of elements and style.

From Badriya, site
When I dance to Lissa Fakir in a sparkly bedleh, I am in fact a goth doing belly dance, though you might not necessarily be able to tell that I am a goth. When I dance to Black Tape for a Blue Girl in gothic costuming, I am doing gothic belly dance. The common factor between those two performances is that in each case I am trying to embody the music to the fullest extent possible, but that's exactly what makes the two performances different as well. Gothic belly dance, for me, consists of illustrating gothic music with my body and my stage presence/personality/attitude. Yes, it's largely belly dance movement vocabulary, but the way in which it is expressed is in keeping with a gothic aesthetic and artistic vision.

It also follows from the above that somebody who is not a goth but who is sensitive to gothic culture and familiar with gothic music can do gothic belly dance, just like somebody who is not an Egyptian but is familiar with the culture and music can do Egyptian belly dance.

I also think that using the phrase "gothic belly dance" implies that one has had proper belly dance training (and values that training) and is using it to perform to gothic music, whereas to me, "goths doing belly dance" doesn't hold the same implication, it sounds more casual and less dedicated.

My understanding of gothic belly dancing with emphasis on “My understanding”

From Liana Saif
I noticed that several posts were made discussing gothic belly dancing. I found it very interesting to read what other dancers had to say about it, because style and interpretation are obviously subjective, and without subjectivity style is obliterated.

I watched a lot of videos under the heading of gothic belly dancing and what I concluded is the following: Some dancers rely on costume to express the gothic aspect while others rely on the music. The worst category is that of dancers who rely on both extravagantly to the point where technique and actual belly dancing are ignored.

Gothic belly dancing does not have its own set of movements or a certain sequence of movement. Gothic belly dancing for me is infusing gothic moods into dancing. It is employing the subculture’s aesthetics in dancing. Since the gothic subculture has a sort of a definable dramatic dancing style (lots of swaying, steps and hand movement) which corroborates with the lyrics and moods of gothic music, I like to incorporate this without over looking pure belly dancing movements of course. Gothic dancing and belly dancing share the dramatic and theatrical aspect making the transition from one another smooth and natural.

I think that a gothic belly dancer should emerge from the gothic scene. The music, the imagery and the aesthetics need to be fully absorbed in the person to be justly expressed in dance.

I am Jordanian/Palestinian, and belly dancing is a ritual of celebrating around me. I really enjoyed it, but I never liked Arabic pop music and that is what most people dance to. I used to dance mostly to percussion music. The gothic scene is non existent in Jordan (where I used to live) so clubs and parties were things I dreamed of; also expressing myself with my sense of dress is very difficult because of the horrible reaction of the society. Whenever I played my gothic albums in my room I found myself belly dancing to them. Also, the make up and the costumes help a lot releasing all this.

Gothic belly dancing is a dark dancing mood that you try to convey to an audience, through visual stimulation, body movements, and music. It’s a mastery over a dark atmosphere.

From Vicky Clarke
"What makes gothic belly dance gothic belly dance rather than goths doing belly dance?"

Is there a difference? Goths, AIUI, are people who make public the fact that they're conversant and comfortable with the darker side of life and of their own selves. Bellydance that expresses that sentiment is therefore goth(ic) in the sense that it is or can easily fit in as a part of goth culture.

Secondly, expressing that kind of feeling tends to involve passion and drama. The dark side of life, in our repressed post-Christian culture, is often the same thing as the passionate side, and passion is what creates drama in our lives: so bellydance that reflects our darker sides will often be passionate and dramatic. And what's passionate and dramatic is also gothic in the sense of "gothic novel".

So now and then you'll find someone doing passionate, intense, dramatic bellydance who doesn't self-identify as a goth, but the goths will likely accept the dancer anyway; and for the most part you'll find that the people who produce intense and dramatic bellydance will be the goths, because they're already at home with their own darker sides and keen to express them.