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lyw
12-28-2004, 10:36 PM
Written on the Body: Bellydancing and the Feminine Aesthetic.

Writer: lyw


Yasmina Ramzy, head of Arabesque Academy and Dance Company, told me that she believes that the future of women’s mysticism lies in bellydancing. From my own experiences with this dance, I was ready to believe her. Bellydancing not only *******es every single muscle in the body but also a curiosity for this dance's history and exploration of feminine nature and power.

Women in Toronto have various reasons for taking bellydancing. According to Yasmina, in her article, Bellydancing and Women’s Self-esteem, “During twenty years of teaching Bellydancing to as many as 120 women a week, I have come to realize that the reasons students take up the dance are varied and that there is no “typical type” of woman. They come from all walks of life. These women persist because Bellydancing enhances self-esteem…. all women love to Bellydance. It is an expression of a woman enjoying her femininity, sensuality and the power that the female body has as an embodiment of reproduction.”

Yasmina is the Canadian girl from Montreal who spent seven years of her teenage life praying to the goddess Isis. Her studies matured when she agreed to join a mysticism study group at the Masonic Lodge. Although her dance training began with ballet, upon moving to Toronto she began studying the dance best known to our city as bellydancing.


Read Full Article: http://www.thisbusinessofdanceandmusic.com/Bellydancing_Article_by_lyw.htm

pygmalion
12-29-2004, 08:12 PM
Hi lyw. Nice to see you again. :D Nice article. Thank you. 8)

Sabor
01-17-2005, 05:37 AM
belly-dancing is a great activity for all ladies .. in my opinion.. done well it takes the breath of any feminity loving man.. now add creativity and art to the mix .. and i go bananas! 8)

just yesterday i salsa danced with a lady from Chile .. who was taking pro-classes in bellydancing here.. WOW!.. 'killin me softly' comes to mind 8)

Twilight_Elena
01-17-2005, 05:50 AM
I was thinking of starting bellydancing next year... very good for the abs, I was told. Plus, I always liked the hippie hippie shake... :P

Twilight Elena

Sagitta
01-17-2005, 08:32 AM
I'm thinking of belly dancing too with my lady friend and her daughter, later this year. :)

lyw
01-27-2005, 11:30 PM
Hey, I'm glad the article has been generating some interest.

I only took lessons up to a Beginner II level (i had trouble with the muscle isolations) and I must say it improved my 1st love, which is Salsa. And it is definitely a much better ab workout than crunches because it works the muscles underneath.

Being somewhat new as a dance writer, I was wondering if anybody would mind critiquing my writing style? Did I go on too much? Did i go in too many directions? Did you feel you understood what i was trying to say?

:)

Mitra
04-18-2005, 01:15 AM
I take belly dancing, although only through dvds and such, not the best of teachers, but even that is enough to help tone the body and work those muscles, and I know that belly dancing has come into my ballroom dancing too. One of my instructors actually noted that I was moving finally when I danced, started being a bit more flexible ^_^

Ms_Sunlight
04-18-2005, 04:21 AM
I've been "doing" a bellydance DVD. I've noticed it influencing my freestyle club dancing more than my salsa. That is, the moves will come into my club dancing, I can't help but think anything that's about learning to move your body can hurt you in learning any other style of dance.