One point that was brought up in the keeping bellydance in GBD was that gothic is an idea or concept. The thing with concepts is that everyone has their own idea of what that concept is. I've noticed this is particularly true about goths and defining what is gothic. That seems to be one of the most important things these days in the gothic community. Whenever goths gather it seems that the main topic is who is really a goth and who is a poser and then publically point out to those deemed to be a poser as to why they are not a goth.
When I ask someone about what makes a person a goth I usually get the response that being a goth means that you're dark and that by asking that question I'm showing that I'm a norm and will never understand what is means to be goth.
Given that, I'll give what I view as the gothic element in GBD. Now keep in mind that this is from a norm or poser as some would say who goes about in daylight, doesn't wear black all the time, is not a pagan, doesn't do psychaedelic drugs, doesn't like Sangria, isn't bisexual, is monogomous and doesn't participate in the goth piles, doesn't wear eyeliner and makeup all the time, don't dye my hair black, enjoys the company of all types of people, gets along with relatives, and uses his real name.
To me the gothic element is looking within yourself and seeing that a Ted Bundy or a Hannibal Lector lies in there beneath the surface. Then instead of rejecting that aspect of yourself you embrace it, not in the way of becoming someone like that but by integrating that into you and then letting the darker tragic part of it out while keeping the evil locked away. You can then see beauty in things such as HR Giger works and you can see things like Frankenstein and The Phantom of the Opera as tragedies rather than horror because you can understand and empathise with the creatures. You can see beauty in tragedy and that can be channeled into art and dance. The taking the tragic feelings, empathy, and sympathetic feelings that reside in all of us and projecting that into the dance is what I feel makes the gothic part of bellydance.
I'm probably going to be told like I usually do that that is so not gothic but like I said gothic is an idea and ideas differ from person to person. What do some of the rest of you see as the gothic element in gothic bellydance? I know its probably too much to ask but please don't rip others definitions to shreds. By keeping an open mind and not dismissing others ideas immediately we gain a greater understanding of ourself and other and we are enriched by that.