Belly dance as spiritual practice

[DeLani]

Hi all,
Don't know if this topic is OK for this board, but wanted to bring it up.
Do any of you belly dance? If so, do you see it as spiritual? I do - I feel the Goddess energy move through me when I'm dancing, and after a good performance, I feel as if I have glorified the Goddess. I often have women come up to me after the show and tell me how awesome it was, and that they didn't realize a "big" woman could be so pretty and sexy! In my class, I have women of all sizes and ages, and they all say the best part of my class is the freedom they feel - that they can be sensual and beautiful at whatever size they are. It's a good feeling.
Any thoughts?

 

[Red Emma]

Belly dance as spiritual practise

Delani, I'm fascinated with your concept. And I think it's true.

Besides, you give me encouragement to try it myself, and I'm quite large.

 

[poivre]

I went to this class where this lady does a dance?exercize. She says it's part belly dancing & part of the wave.
The wave is the energy that goes through your body.This was taught to her by a nurse who treated people with missing limbs. She also said the wave is like little children who rock themselves to relax when they are small. It's like getting intune with the natural energy in your body.

So here I go breathing, moving & then doing the belly movement all at the same time. First time ever. Never heard of this before.
All I can tell you is NO I did not feel like any Goddess let alone sensual at that. I do not have a lot of coordination skills. lol

But I also understand how free & relaxed you would be if you could get it all together. I think you would feel like a feather floating in a warm slow wind & that would be great!!!

 

[sagitarian]

I'm right there with you De Lani! I've been dancing for a few years now, and learned everything i know from a gay male who was to this day, the most beatiuful dancer i've ever seen! When i dance, i feel like i am gathering up an earthly energy inside of myself, energies collect and begin to swirl, and dance with me, until the beat of the drum picks up and i absorb all the energy into an intoxicatingly spiritual dance, releasing bits of it here and there as I go along, trying to retain everything i need until I feel the dance is done. It feels similar to weaving a spell, feeling the energies rise, enchanting it one more time before you explode it into the universe to carry out your will. It is beautiful, doing anythign from the spirit of yourself is beautifully intoxicating to watch for any outsider that happens to be lucky enough to be there.

Sagitarian

 

[Nevada]

You make me want to try it!

From your description I don't see how it can NOT be spiritual practice, DeLani. You've made me want to try it too (another large woman).

Nevada

 

[Simone]

I went to bellydance classes a few years back, and the teacher put an emphasize to spirituality, too. She was all into re-discovering the inner woman, and I certainly have discovered mine!

I feel very sexy and feminine when I bellydance, though here in Luxembourg it is not often appreciated (pity, shame). But I once went to visit a friend of mine in Germany and we went out to dance. Then they played some "bellydanceable" music, and I could not resist. Soon, I was dancing alone in a ring of clapping and staring men (would never happen here, though), and they cheered me when the dance was over. While, I admit, feeling a slight little bit uneasy about showing myself like this, my "exhibitionist" part really enjoyed it

Love
Simone

 

[Ruby7]

I have a friend who is a bellydancer and I took a few classes. I can definitely see the spiritual aspects to this. I love dancing in bare feet, feeling the connection with the ground. Bellydance music and the movements have an ancient quality to them, I feel very connected with something ancient when bellydancing or listening to this type of music.

Ruby7

 

[poivre]

Did the belly dance originate from the Gypsies?
If so, mabee this is why it is so spiritual. The Gypsies were free & travelled on faith. (You know what I mean)

Just an idea.

 

[joya250]

DeLani -- yes, definitely! I've recently embarked on belly dancing, workshops, classes, etc. I love it! However, I find I do my best "goddess connection" at home, shaking it around my house, rather than prescripted movements in a class. Of course, the class is great for actually learnng what and how to move. Someday I hope to be fluid enough to shake it everywhere I go! haha

thanks for the thread. bellydancing is a very sexy, entirely feminine dance. I love it!

joya

 

[DeLani]

Did the belly dance originate from the Gypsies?
If so, mabee this is why it is so spiritual. The Gypsies were free & travelled on faith. (You know what I mean)

Just an idea.

Actually, no, it didn't originate with them - they just spread it pretty far!
It's origins are so far back we don't know for sure, but it seems like it originated in Egypt. Bear in mind, the Gypsies originated in N. India, and migrated to Egypt and Europe. When something is as old as belly dance, it gets a lot of changes and mixing through the ages. There are elements of Hindu temple dances, Greek ecstatic dancing, and African movement in modern belly dance.
But I'm pretty sure that what we now call bellydance started as worship of the Great Goddess, either Hathor or Isis. I can really feel that when I dance; that I am doing something that has been done a long, long, time.
Z Helene has a great article about Belly Dancers as sacred temple priestesses on her website: www.zhelene.com
just click on "papers."