Social Media and the Commodification of Attention/Inattention in the Changing Egyptian Belly Dance Industry

Abstract

In 2018, Russian belly dancer Gohara catapulted to stardom after being charged with ‘inciting debauchery’ and nearly deported when a video of her Cairo disco performance went viral. Based on participant-observation of the belly dance industry in Egypt, this article employs ethnographic narratives to demonstrate that although attention is commodified across Egyptian belly dance venues, so is inattention and discretion. While foreign dancers like Gohara can often profit from any attention, for Egyptian dancers the social costs of attracting attention frequently make it undesirable, creating opportunities for exploitation and the commodification of inattention and discretion. As such, the growing dominance of the visually based economies of attention on social media is generating new challenges for Egyptian belly dancers trying to compete in a changing market.