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Frequently
Asked Questions
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Why
is it called Belly Dancing although literal translation of ‘Raqs Sharki’ is Oriental Dance?
The name "belly dance" was coined by the American
event promoter Sol Bloom, when he was trying to stir up public interest in seeing the Streets Of Cairo exhibit at the Chicago
world's fair in 1893. Sol Bloom is very unlikely to have known what the dance was called in its native home, he just wanted
to attract a large number of curiosity-seekers to his exhibit to ogle the exotic dancers, and the word "belly" certainly
provoked attention in an era when most high-society women were laced up tightly in their corsets. Yes, the belly is involved,
but just like the hips, hands, arms and legs…every part of the body dances!
·
Is
it s Dance for seduction? Is it a submissive dance to seduce and entertain men?
No, No, No! Although it can be used to entice partners in private, this is
not the tradition of the dance or how it is viewed by the Middle Eastern society that embraced it. Mothers teach it to their
daughters not for seduction but for an artistic expression of joy, celebrations, even to amuse themselves whether in private
or with others. It is not a submissive dance but rather a dance that celebrates the goddess in every woman,
it is a proud dance of a proud being and it empowers you through discovering the beauty in and out.There is an oral tradition that has been handed down through generations of
women, it states that Oriental dance originated as a means of preparing women’s abdominal muscles for labor. For
more articles about this go to www.casbahdance.org/ARTICLES1.htm
· Do I need to show my belly
when dancing? What should I wear?
Not at all...Although it is called Belly dancing (see above), the emphasis is not on the belly. You can wear whatever
you want although women prefer something comfortable as a skirt or loose pants. You can wear a tank top or a T-shirt. You
can buy a hip belt (Shakira style) in all London markets or use the ones I have available.For your feet..barefoot best way to go so you can be
in socks or tights. Ballet shoes are also comfortable. No heels or boots.
· Do I need to be of a specific age and size?
Society often likes to pen women into a stereotypical
modelesque body image, but belly dance is the exception! You can be short, skinny, tall, voluptuous or extra large. Old or
young…any and all can be belly dancers!
Most belly dancers are women because the underlying connection in the
dance is derived from fertility, birth, and the body as a vessel for life, but that doesn’t mean men don’t belly
dance, because they can! Yes, men belly dance too!
We celebrate being women, we celebrate breasts, hips and belly. We
sculpt the air with our arms and hands and express our feminine emotions!
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What
does the class involve?
1. First we warm up by smooth movements on chill out Arabic
music.
2. Hand movements and body posture is essential in ensuring the dance looks right so
we spend some time on this aspect.
3. Then we start shaking and moving to the music, there is an
opportunity here for using the dance as an aerobic exercise. We learn together movements to string instruments and movements
to percussions and tabla Egyptian style.
4. The dance style is Egyptian, mixed with Flamenco on some
occasions. Both are dances about power, rebellion and freedom. Flamenco was inspired by Belly dancing and it is the Arabic
word for “Farmer without a land” which perfectly describes where and how this dance originated.
5.
We
spend some time stretching and working our abdominal muscles.
6. We end with a festive note till we
meet next week.
7. There will be opportunity to talk about the experience of the dance and how it helped psychologically.
Some Intersting Links
Dancing in ancient Egypt
All Belly dance/ Famous and legendary egyptian dancers
NHS guide to depression
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