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Therapeutic Belly Dance
The multitude of dance forms grouped in
English as belly dance is known to Greeks as 'cifte telli',
to Turks as 'rakkase' and to Egyptians as 'raqs sharqi'. All
belly dance traditions share certain recognizable features.
While other dance forms also have long
traditions and important functions, belly dance is descended
from the earliest forms of dance, which originated in ancient
fertility rituals combining spirituality with sensuality.
Belly dance is an ecstatic celebration
of feminine power, creativity and sexual energy. The energy
that runs through our bodies is potentially healing not only
for ourselves, but also for our audiences who can experience
healing as we create the space and make it sacred.
 Practiced as a sacred dance, belly dance
helps us invoke and express our sense of oneness with the
divine and our reverence for this relationship. As in other
sacred dances of the world, the focus on the divine within
and without helps us to reach the healing energies existing deep within our being.
The fertility principle and ritual style
of this dance celebrates the Goddess in all women, of
all shapes and sizes. It celebrates the body physical and
its ability to maintain and create life. |
Performing this form of dance we are consciously
embodying the sacred art in the spirit of ancient traditions,
expressing the wisdom of our bodies and our sexuality as a
vehicle for our development and fulfillment.
Belly dancing can be flawlessly choreographed
and technically impressive, or it can be improvised and spontaneous,
which brings a quality of divine inspiration in the here
and now.
This particular dance form centres on continuous
flow as a way of providing space for feelings and contemplation.
Much of the dance may be improvised, emphasizing the flow
and ripple of belly muscles, the sway of the hips and continuous
movement as opposed to any particular pattern of steps as
in western dance.
Belly dance as a ritual is created primarily
by the shapes, forms and structures of the dance. The art
and purpose of any ritual is to increase "balance and
connection within ourselves, with each other, the world, and
with the larger rhythms and energies that bring stability
and light to our lives."
Thus the dance explores three levels: our
individual bodies, the dancing group moving together as one,
and the collective body of the feminine.
When the dance is deeply felt through rhythm,
melody and emotion, it opens the senses to the connection
between our sense of self and the collective feminine principle.
Lillie Naor |
