YOMAG - Body & Beauty - The art of belly dancing

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The art of belly dancing

Bolzano 25. 01. 2008

A very ancient and beautiful dance

Belly dance is not a simple dance, made of special steps and movements, but it’s an art. It has very ancient origins and was practiced to help women’s fertility.

Belly dance is a Western name for an Arabic style of dance developed in the Middle East. Some Americans refer to it simply as "Middle Eastern Dance".
In the Arabic language it is known as raqs sharqi ("eastern dance") and raqs baladi ("national" or "folk" dance). The term "raqs sharqi" refers to the Egyptian dance.

Belly dance is made by many movements: the principal part of belly dance is the stomach, which can be moved in different ways. Up, down, right, left, to form a horizontal or vertical 8’s form… The hips follow the rhythm of the music and emphasize the drums. But also the hands, the arms and sometimes the head and the legs are involved. The hands and the arms “decorate” the hips’ or the stomach’s movements and form beautiful drawings in the air like snakes or butterflies. The head can accompany the arms or the drums. The legs can help the dancer in the movements because they “ease” them and allow for the shift.

This dance is not simply a dance “of the body” but it can also require other things such as candles, veils, sticks and swords. Some American dancers have invented “Isis’ wings”: they are a big veil made of a heavy fabric that has to be bound around the neck. It has a great effect.

The classical belly dancer’s clothes are made by a skirt usually of silk: it can be very large but also tight. On the skirt usually there is a little scarf with medals. The piece above can look like a normal bra but decorated or it can be longer. The dancer has a large choice in this case.

Another thing which is fundamental in belly dance is the music and the song that a dancer chooses to dance. There are many instruments which are used in serious classical, popular and contemporary Arabic music: the “Laud” (it’s the king of musical instruments, symbolizing contemporary Arabian and traditional music and looks like a guitar), the “Zagat” (Instrument made up of two couples of metal disks which are used to accompany music), the “Qanun” (it’s a descendant of the old Egyptian harp), the “Nay” (it looks like a flute), the “Zurna” (it’s a sort of traditional oboe) and the “Darbuka” (a percussion used in serious classical, popular and contemporary Arabian music). These instruments can be played together or one by one. With percussions the dancer’s movements will be more “violent” and marked, while in the presence of flutes the movements have to be more “sweet”, slow and harmonious.

I began to do belly dancing because it’s a very “personal” dance: you can express yourself through steps and movements and add to your dance your personal feelings and your personality. I have always been attracted by Arab culture and traditions and this dance has allowed me to approach it. Belly dance was not invented but it has very ancient origins and this fact fascinates me.
Unluckily this beautiful dance isn’t very widespread in our culture, maybe because it is still seen as forbidden movements…
I love this dance and it’s now part of me…