Graduate Studies

 

First Advisor

Christina Dando

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)

Committee Members

Heather Richards-Rissetto, Rebecca Buller, Samantha Ammons

Department

Geography

Date of this Version

5-2025

Document Type

Dissertation

Citation

A dissertation presented to the Graduate College of the University of Nebraska in partial fulfillment of requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy

Major: Geography

Under the supervision of Christina Dando

Lincoln, Nebraska, May 2025

Comments

Copyright 2025, Alex R. Mohr. Used by permission

Abstract

Belly dance is an art form as well as an often-contested practice due to tensions over dress, terminology and cultural practices within the belly dance community because the dance originated outside the United States. Additionally, there is often a need to prove the legitimacy of the dance to those outside its sphere because it is often stigmatized due to the early association with exotic dancing. Belly dance is inherently geographic, as seen through its places of origin, music and movement styles, global spread, practitioners, and spaces of practice. However, it has not been well-represented in geography, and there is also a lack of research in the Great Plains area of the United States. This qualitative dissertation will explore the cultural/dance identities formed by persons engaging in belly dance in the central Great Plains, specifically the state of Nebraska, to discover what are the reasons Nebraska people choose to belly dance, why Nebraska belly dancers continue to engage in an activity that may, or may not, be stigmatized, and is belly dance in Nebraska welcoming to all bodies, a safe space to “be”?

This study found that belly dancers in Nebraska enter into the dance and stay for similar reasons as those in the literature, that stigma is present in Nebraska, and that the dance appears to be welcoming to all Nebraska people and all bodies. This research adds to the field of Geography by its use of both cultural and feminist geographic methods to focus on belly dance in a specific state of the Great Plains region, by the examination of who is allowed to use the belly dance space, and by the updating of the literature on belly dance and the study of stigma. It also helps to educate Nebraskans and others outside the state about the belly dance community that lives here.

Advisor: Christina Dando

Download

Share

COinS