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Orientalisk dans i Stockholm

Abstract

This article is about women who perform an oriental dance in Stockholm. The women themselves associate oriental dance with natural and powerful femininity, whereas to outsiders the dance is often associated with female sexual subordination. The dancers try to convey their interpretation of the dance in different contexts, while at the same time respecting the dividing line of what is regarded as serious oriental dance. There are different views among the dancing community about where and how the dividing line of serious dance should be drawn, and the women who dance use different strategies for positioning themselves as subjects, in order to avoid being viewed as sexual objects.