ABSTRACT
Belly dance has maintained its affinity with American popular culture because of such Americanized versions along with an outpouring of people wanting to learn and practice it in 20th-century America, despite it being culturally relevant to a land half a world away. Accelerated mobility in people’s settlements from the Eastern Hemisphere in the 1950s and ‘60s brought the Middle Eastern restaurant entertainment business model to the US, giving restaurant owners and entertainers access to a gold mine. Approaching seated customers one at a time, the dancer focuses on creating a personalized experience for the table while keeping a sharp eye on the rest of the room. Restaurant entertainment belly dance emulates Orientalism as formulated by theorist Edward Said in deftly addressing “experience economy”. Restaurant owners create a holistic “Orient” experience for customers by hiring belly dancers as live entertainment while also benefitting from increased reservations because of such evening performances.
