I've just read the following on the website of a UK teacher I hadn't come across before. Please ensure that there are no heavy objects nor hot drinks to hand when reading this:
" Belly dance, also known as Raks Sharki, Baladi, is believed to be as old, or older than the 14th century. Performed all over the world, this dance is increasing in it’s popularity. It is more of an evocative than a provocative dance and is the only dance where the ladies traditionally get paid to dance whilst keeping all their clothes on!!!
It is said that poor ladies in Greece would tie a scarf around their waist and go into the market place and ‘dance for their dowry’s’(coins). They would sew the coins they received to their scarves and bodices for decoration as they had no where safer to keep them, hence the coin hip scarves that we wear today.
The beauty of this dance is that it was created for women by women, The movements complement the female form and does wonders both internally and externally for the beautiful goddesses women are!
The Arab women teach this form of dance to their daughters form an early age to help prepare and strengthen the female reproduction organs during the developing cycles of puberty as well as conception, pregnancy, birth, labour and and menopause. "
" Belly dance, also known as Raks Sharki, Baladi, is believed to be as old, or older than the 14th century. Performed all over the world, this dance is increasing in it’s popularity. It is more of an evocative than a provocative dance and is the only dance where the ladies traditionally get paid to dance whilst keeping all their clothes on!!!
It is said that poor ladies in Greece would tie a scarf around their waist and go into the market place and ‘dance for their dowry’s’(coins). They would sew the coins they received to their scarves and bodices for decoration as they had no where safer to keep them, hence the coin hip scarves that we wear today.
The beauty of this dance is that it was created for women by women, The movements complement the female form and does wonders both internally and externally for the beautiful goddesses women are!
The Arab women teach this form of dance to their daughters form an early age to help prepare and strengthen the female reproduction organs during the developing cycles of puberty as well as conception, pregnancy, birth, labour and and menopause. "