Editorial

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0 height="100%"><tr> <td valign="top" width=200 BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <A HREF="id22.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Archive"><U><I><U>October Archive</U></I></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id24.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Front Page"><U>Front Page</U></A></div> <div> Editorial</div> <div> <A HREF="id33.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="GBD:Revelations"><U>GBD:Revelations</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id34.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Gothla US"><U>Gothla US</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id25.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="But Im not Goth!"><U>But I'm not Goth!</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id28.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Music"><U>Music</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id29.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Fashion"><U>Fashion</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id30.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Fitness"><U>Fitness</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id35.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Public Service"><U>Public Service</U></A></div> <bR> </td> <td valign="top" BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" ><IMG SRC="21c87590.png" border=0 width="135" height="89" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></FONT><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#CC0033" FACE="Berlin Sans FB" >  |    </FONT> <A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Navel Magazine"><U>Home</U></A></div> <div> Editorial</div> <div> <I><B><IMG SRC="21d6cc10.jpg" border=0 width="108" height="193" ALIGN="LEFT" HSPACE="10" VSPACE="0"></B></I></div> <bR> <div> <I><B>Forbidden</B></I></div> <div> <I>by Eleyda Negrón</I></div> <bR> <div> <I> “There is a charm about the forbidden that makes it unspeakably desirable.”</I></div> <div> <I>      - Mark Twain</I></div> <bR> <div> Light, darkness.  Good, bad.  Blessed, damned.  We live in a world that insists everything is an antithesis to something else.  We categorize, classify, and label everything according to what we have been told that is the “right way to be”.</div> <bR> <div> The question that comes to mind is: who determines the right way to be?  Belly dance nowadays, especially in United States, can be considered a subculture.  As a subculture it is developing its own rules, philosophy, and behavior.  It is not limited to just dancers and musicians.  Belly dance includes in its community others in filmmaking, writing, and other arts.  Many belly dancers, who have a professional career in other areas like medicine, law, and such, dedicate their time and knowledge to serve first and foremost other comrades in belly dance.  As a subculture, it is also mimicking the main culture it comes from which, as stated previously, has a tendency to classify things.  Gothic Belly Dance (GBD) is the newest belly dance style, growing strong among our community.  As anything new, it is often under fire, bombarded by questions and labeling attempts.</div> <bR> <div> Gothic Belly Dance is having a tremendous impact.  This phenomenon is attracting new blood to practice this art.  Youngsters are learning ancient dancing techniques to dance to their favorite club song.  This explosive combination of sounds and movement has had a double reaction.  On the one hand, many protest about people corrupting the dance; while others look at it as the most trendy fashion and style to be dancing to.</div> <bR> <div> In this particular case, GBD is the result of two subcultures colliding and merging: Goth and belly dance.  It goes beyond a simple way to dance.  The sinister goddesses arise to dance and represent the dark side of the heart.  Gothic belly dancing emerges from the universal need for many to see life through a different light.  Gothic belly dance is the dark, attractive, and seductive apple waiting for the curious minded dancer, who finds placeParadise is just not enough for her.</div> <bR> <div> Go on … take a bite.</div> <bR> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>