Bellydance - Women 4 Women

Bellydance.....what is it?
Despite many pre-conceived notions of what it is, where it comes from and what it means to be a bellydancer.....I thought I would share with you the origins of bellydance as I have learned about and come to know them........

Many conjure up fantasies of exotic women dressed to seduce and entertain men, right?.....the truth is this was only but a 'moment' in the life of bellydance.

As perhaps, one of the oldest forms of dance, no one can truly pinpoint the beginnings of this ancient rhythmic movement.....my own personal belief, it stems from the very creation of the female entity; an ancient, beautiful, mystical, mysterious form of feminine movement ingrained in the feminine to strengthen, heal and connect her with the DIVINE.

Think "TRIBAL"

As documented by many, no one has truly been able to pinpoint the exact origins of bellydance or pinpointed exactly where it all started. What is fascinating about this ancient practice is it's connection to feminine rituals practiced in the stone age, in fact, there are more artifacts depicting women deities (than images of men) from this age, which had led archaeologists to speculate that women were dominant and considered sacred in Stone Age society.

Bellydance has taken shape in many cultures, with many different styles cultivating out of different regions, what they all have in common is women's 'freedom to be' through rhythmic movement and dance.

Like many ancient practices, bellydance is a ritual passed down through the ages...creating the "feminine circle" in which we give and share with eachother the  courage, strength, confidence, love and caring to 'be' woMeN.

In times when women were kept seperate, cast out from (male) dominated arenas of existance, unable to participate in their rituals, their circles...women had their own way  to show reverence and pay homage for their appreciation of life, to express their joys and sorrows through living, loving, sharing, supporting and teaching eachother the rhythmic movements of the 'cirlce of life'.....and so they danced together.

Women danced together to honor Mother Earth and were taught to dance as a way to celebrate and worship themselves (the Goddess) as well as all women, they danced for sexual fertility and in preperation for child birth. This ritualistic dancing formed the foundation for Modern Day bellydance.

The tradition of women dancing for women continues  into more recent history .
In the harems of the mid-1400's, female gypsy bellydancers where hired to entertain women, not the Sultan. In Egypt, a tribe of gypsys incorporated showy props such as veils, candles and swords that are still used in Bellydance today.


In Cairo in the 18oo's bellydance was forced underground due to religious restrictions, it
re-emerged again in and around the 1850's. It is said that it was only in the beginning of the 19th century that men caught their first glimpses of bellydance. Europeans travelling to Africa and the Middle East became more and more enticed by Bellydance. Renoir and Matisse painted harem women, Oscar Wilde staged the "Dance of the seven veils" (1893) and it was after this that bellydancers began to make appearances in Hollywood's earliest silent films, thus the love affair with bellydancing began.


In the turn of the century, in the Middle East and North America, bellydancers dressed in ornate costumes danced flowingy on their toes, performing subtle hip movements along with graceful arm and hand gestures much like the modern day Egyptian bellydance.

Society' attitude toward bellydance began to change and once again it became a form of liberation and empowerment for women and the tradition continues.   Today women continue to bellydance together continuing to give depth and meaning to the circle of life, they continue to strengthen and soften through rhythmic movement. Bellydance is less about the stage or the costume and more about the rhythmic movement and the story unfolding......in order to be to see, hear and understand that story one needs to loosen from inhibitions, let the rhythmic flow of life itself move through...as the belldance speaks, expresses and let's go from a heart that dance's to the rhythm of it's own beat.....to move through innate wisdom by which the 'true' self is revealed...

As women today move more and more through previously male dominated arena's, 
nourishing strength and wisdom through Self-empowermment as they re-define their place in this world...Bellydance and other ancient practices continue to allow the feminine entity to hold onto 'her' ability to live, love, express, share and retain femininity and softness of Body, Mind and Spirit. ..it is 'her' calling...Namaste

"I dance not because I want to, I dance because I have to"

To learn more: Bellydance; orgins; Link :http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Belly_dance#General

 'FOOTNOTE'

The Bellydance (feminine) influence: Mick Jagger and Robert Plant both of whom took on a slightly femine persona (personal observation) and shared it with the world, would be sure to admit that the female entity and her rhythmic and exotic movement have influenced everything and everyone along the way...

For a little more 'insight' into this theory...take a look at this recent article from
The New Yorker on Jagger prepping in Toronto for his upcoming Tour:
article taken from newyorker.com/archive/2002/09/09
http://www.newyorker.com/archive/2002/09/09/020909fa_fact?currentPage=all


This blog on bellydance has been floating around in my head for many months.....it never quite made it's importance to me evident until a few weeks ago.....now I know why it was so important for 'me' to share it........this blog is dedicated to the

'Women of the Congo.'

I want to share what I just discovered is taking place at this very 'moment' in the Congo in Africa. An area which is said to be no longer at war and working towards peace......this seem hard to believe when you consider the conditions that the women, girls, children and men of the Congo are faced with.......women and young girls are being raped, mutilated and ostracized from their community as rape and demoralization are used as a war tactic.
The state of the conditions in the Congo was referred to by Eve Ensler, V-Day founder and playwright  "nothing I ever experienced felt as ghastly, terrifying and complete as the sexual torture and attempted destruction of the female species here. The violence is a threat to all; young girls and village elders alike are at risk. It is not too strong to call this a femicide, to say that the future of the Congo’s women is in serious jeopardy." quote taken from www.womenofthecongo.com

how can we work to create a greener world when the world in which we live turns a blind eye to an atrocity of such enormity.........

Learn more: 'Women of the Congo':
Link : http://www.womenofthecongo.com/

Link :http://www.womenforwomen.org/global-initiatives-helping-women/help-women-congo.php

Support and solutions:
Link :http://www.congowomen.org/stand-with-the-women-and-girls-of-the-drc/

Nothing we do can change the past, but everything we do changes the future.’
— Ashleigh Brilliant

Be a part of 

Women4Women

proceeds to Raise Hope for the Congo

Link: http://www.raisehopeforcongo.org/dialogue

For further information on the Women4Women
Contact yogadivine@hotmail.com

Subject: Raise Hope for the Congo