Belly dancing may have too much wiggle for some members of the Salt Lake County Council to stomach.
Because of accusations by Lloyd Miller, a professor at Brigham Young University, that belly dancing is "sexually explicit entertainment," the council has decided to take a second look at whether $2,000 from the Zoo, Arts and Park tax fund should go to the Kismet Dance Company. The money would be used primarily for the 23rd Annual Utah Belly Dance Festival, scheduled for the end of August in West Valley City.
"Middle Eastern culture and dance is misrepresented through Hollywood and Vegas," Miller said. "It is seen in restaurants, and it is entertaining, but it is not art."
With very little discussion, the council tabled a decision about giving Kismet the ZAP Tier II funding, which is used for smaller nonprofit arts organizations, until belly dance proponents are given a chance to defend their art. The council most likely will decide during its June 24 meeting.
Tuesday evening, Kismet director Yasmina Roque was shocked that the council would even consider Miller's claims that belly dancing was a fad in the 1890s and is actually offensive to many Middle Eastern people. To the contrary, she described it as having an extensive cultural and historical basis and said it continues to provide entertainment, exercise and relaxation to women throughout the world.
"It had its origins in mysticism and religion, and it's an ancient art form," Roque said, adding that its popularity remains because "women want to be able to move their bodies, to relax. It's festive and it's fun."
Anyone who doubts the Arabic opinion of belly dancing only need attend one of the many performances at Middle Eastern restaurants in Salt Lake City, Roque said. And any doubts of its legitimacy as an art form can be addressed by watching the nightly performances at the Utah Arts Festival, she said.
Also, the council may give more than the $9,000 allotted to Jazz Arts of the Mountain West, which stages the Salt Lake City Jazz Festival. Councilman Joe Hatch, whose neighbor is the president of the group, said the group was told it could qualify for significantly more than last year's $7,500 if it conducted an audit. However, after submitting the audit, at a cost of $9,300, the group only received $9,000.
In their recommendation letter, Salt Lake County ZAP officials said the group did not pass a financial health test because, despite an overall positive audit, the auditors did have some concerns. Hatch attributed those concerns to two minor losses in ticket revenue at the group's events. He said that should not worry the council because the organization has an annual operating budget of a quarter-million dollars.
"If we're going to insist that these groups are going to go to the expense of an audit, we shouldn't micromanage them," he said.
Three groups — Draper Community Foundation, Intermezzo Inc. and the National Tongan-American Society — were denied funding because of incomplete applications. Kingsbury Hall was denied because it is a performing-arts facility, not a nonprofit arts organization. The other 50 applicants were approved, with funding ranging from $400 to $37,000.
E-mail: jloftin@desnews.com