Body Ego Technique Applied to Belly Dance Therapy for Survivors of Sexual Assault

Body Ego Technique is a predominantly non-verbal educational method that concentrates on learning and experiencing a variety of goal-directed physical movement patterns that use the elements of bodily movement (rhythm, space, and force) “to facilitate the development of self-identity, body image and ego structure, and to bring about changes of experiences that are necessary for ego growth” (Salkin). Jeri Salkin developed Body Ego Technique after becoming aware that “as she experienced changes in movements, these changes actually caused her to feel differently about herself and her environment and seemed to have an effect upon her behavior.”

In Body Ego Technique, movement and dance are appreciated beyond their aesthetic worth, for their educational and therapeutic, as well as developmental and diagnostic, value. The elements of dance are used to build up a sense of body image and self identity, therefore helping one to develop physical and emotional confidence. This confidence is reflected in body posture, movement manner and vocabulary, as well as overall behavior. Body Ego Technique is utilized to guide children in establishing those attributes, to help adults in maintaining and properly utilizing them, and to treat individual with psychiatric, psychological and/or developmental afflictions in re-establishing a healthier body image, self identity, and relationship to their bodies.

One of the basic assumptions behind Body Ego Technique is that body image is indeed “derived from internal sensations, postural changes, contact with outside objects and people, emotional experiences and fantasies”, as defined by the Comprehensive Dictionary of Psychological and Psychoanalytical Terms. A person’s concept of body image can in fact be modified by stimulating diverse emotional sensations and by creating changes in posture and movement experiences.

According to Jeri Salkin, standard Dance and Movement Therapy methods tend to utilize movement expression to generate catharsis as a purging of emotions through art comparable to a toddler’s temper tantrums, which release tension but do not necessarily create an experience that brings about ego growth. In contrast, in Body Ego Technique, catharsis is dealt with in a controlled way that has a beginning, middle, and end. The beginning consists of the teacher stimulating the student to begin to express the experience through verbal encouragement and nonverbal communication. During the middle component, the teacher redirects action into change. Towards the end, the teacher encourages the new expressive movement so that it may become the default movement pattern and brig about enduring emotional growth.

In constructing Body Ego Technique, Jeri Salkin utilized the principles of human movement and the fundamental elements of dance to create a method that uses body posture and movement changes to help develop the ego. The Belly Dance lessons for survivors of sexual assault focus on the aspects of Body Ego Technique that center in emotional change based on bodily experiences, than in developing identity or building body image. The therapeutic focus behind the class structure and movement exercises will concentrate in healing the students’ relationship with that part of their egos and identities called sexuality, through their relationship with their bodies. The class will also focus on emotional healing from trauma by working with the body areas and movement styles associated with sexuality and/or trauma in the student’s mind, as well as with the movement patterns, body posture, and attitude that are or could be a consequence of the sexual trauma, that have the ability to recall the mind-body pathways associated with that trauma, or that have become a two-way stimulating cycle of the body-language and emotions associated with the trauma.

Each person is the product of all his/her experiences and of the way in which he/she has coped with these experiences. Movement and posture are the externalization of that product, which we call ego, identity, self, or personality. In fact, observers tend to quickly judge a people’s personality by their body language and posture, i.e. arrogant versus insecure, sexy versus shy, rebellious versus polite, etc. Additionally, posture is virtually always a response to an emotional state of being. It is often quite easy to deduce someone’s mood through his/her body-language and posture. Furthermore, body posture might reinforce or even trigger a particular mood, thus starting a vicious cycle. Therefore, becoming aware of, or consciously avoiding, a particular body posture might help prevent or break such a cycle.

The correct posture for effectively performing Belly Dance moves requires certain features which are also characteristic of a sexually confident body posture: tilted hips, raised chin, and open lifted chest. The Belly Dance lessons for survivors of sexual assault will not only emphasize the correct posture for performing Belly Dance, but contrast it to that of a droopy, retracted body posture with features such as an inwardly contracted chest, sagging shoulders and head, and curved back, which are characteristic of low self-esteem or over-self-protective behavior caused by trauma.

According to Body Ego Technique, body part isolated movements create awareness. The Belly Dance movement vocabulary is heavily marked by isolations (movements in which the head, shoulders, torso, or hips move independently from each other). These movements require kinesthetic coordination and propioceptic awareness of these specific body parts, while inducing attentiveness to the qualities applied to the movements, such as whether the involved body part moves smoothly or jerkily, fluidly or awkwardly, with wide movements or hardly moving at all, etc. These movement qualities can be indicatives and consequences of the dancer’s personal relationship to the body part being moved and all that is associated, consciously or unconsciously, to that body part in the dancer’s mind. By either 1) making these associations, indications, and cause-consequence relationships conscious, or by 2) creating them from scratch, the dancer fabricates a tool for change, empowering herself to consciously change movement patterns and/or movement qualities deliberately aiming for a consecutive emotional change. This concept is applicable to the Belly Dance movement vocabulary when one considers, for example, the shoulder and hip shimmies - small rigid tight and stiff vibrations are to be associated with nervousness and tension and therefore avoided; on the other hand, relaxed fluid vibrations are to be associated not only with proper Belly Dance technique, ease of execution, and wider range of motion, but also with tension release and enjoyment.

The sequence of guiding survivors of sexual assault through this type of contrasting movements and postures will constitute exercises in what may be termed Movement Catharsis Process. This Movement Catharsis Process reflects not the traditional definition of catharsis as might be exemplified by the release of anger through feet stumping, but the Body Ego Technique definition of catharsis which produces and encourages a new movement pattern or quality that reflects and fosters an enduring emotional change.

Another Body Ego Technique concept easily applicable to the Belly Dance Therapy for Survivors of Sexual Assault lessons is its purposeful make-believe quality. According to Jeri Salkin, “the Body Ego Technique instructor deliberately utilizes the fantasy world and imagination to stimulate the exploration of a wide range of experiences” (Salkin). Role-playing the archetype of the Belly Dancer, through the usage of costumes, and the acquisition of her movement attitude and vocabulary, will allow the dancers to embody characteristic traits of the Belly Dancer archetype, such as secure femininity, awe of fertility and womanhood, acceptance and love of her body, and sexual confidence.

Rhythmic repetition is yet another concept of Body Ego Technique that is also characteristic of Belly Dance. According to Jeri Salkin, “rhythmic repetition is a satisfying way of learning and helps to establish a feeling of organization and accomplishment”. Repetition helps dancers, just like children, in mastering movement. In the Belly Dance lessons, rhythmic repetition of movements derived from a Movement Catharsis Process will help the dancers not only in mastering the movement, but in gaining that same feeling of mastery over their bodies and emotions.

The teaching style for Belly Dance Therapy for Survivors of Sexual Assault will keep in mind concepts from the Body Ego Technique teacher training, such as Empathy not Sympathy, Movement Motivation, and Expression over imitation. Empathy not Sympathy refers to the instructor’s responsibility for accepting and understanding the students’ emotions, but maintaining herself aside so that she may help in directing the student into change. If the instructor leans towards sympathy and begins sharing the students emotional feelings, she will no longer be able to remain objective, and will indubitably help the student in expressing her emotions, but remain incapable of guiding change. Movement Motivation refers to the teacher’s ability to see movement qualities as clues to the motivations behind the movement and as tools for guiding the students through a Movement Catharsis Process. Expression over Imitation refers to the teacher’s difficult responsibility in encouraging the students no to exactly imitate her movements but to aid them in the process of allowing themselves to move in manners that express their individual and unique feelings. As Jeri Salkin states: “It takes much courage and confidence to voluntarily expose one’s inner thoughts and feelings by externalizing them into dance and movement.”

Belly Dance as a Means of Dance Therapy

The concept that Belly Dance can be healing, that it is a fine form of exercise, and that it fosters the general well being of women, has been widely accepted since its origins in the Middle East all the way to contemporary dance studios in the U.S. This fact is easily confirmed through many lines in books about the history and sociology of Middle-Eastern Dance, as well as by the vast number of websites that talk about Belly Dance as a healing tool for today’s women.

Nevertheless, the material in books is very limited. This is in part because there is not a single book completely dedicated to Belly Dance’s therapeutic qualities, and in part because there are not many books generally dealing with Belly Dance at all. Second, all of the material on the Internet is anecdotic information in the form of journals or casual articles. These sources talk about personal experiences of how practicing Belly Dance brings many physiological and psychological benefits. The scope of all these sources only goes as far as Belly Dance’s healing powers, but it does not address Belly Dance utilized as Dance Therapy. Although Belly Dance is used widely as a form of informal therapy, I have not been able to find material regarding its use in a strict format of physical or psychotherapy, much less material following the parameters and foundations of professional Dance/Movement Therapy. Even so, there is plenty of material available to confirm many aspects of said “healing powers” of Belly Dance.

Physiological Benefits

BecauseBelly Dance is an aerobic exercise, practicing it regularly burns calories, helping dancers regulate body weight, and improves cardiovascular fitness, which in turn prevents respiratory complications as well as heart disease. Belly Dance is a strength-and-conditioning exercise for many muscles, such as the quadriceps and hamstrings, and all the muscles of the shoulder, arm and wrist involved in arm movements. Belly Dance especially strengthens the muscles of the torso: the abdominal, pelvic, lumbar, and gluteus muscles, which in turn improve the dancer’s posture. It is well known that good posture is the first step for a chain of many physiological benefits for the human body. Because Belly dance improves both cardiovascular fitness and posture, it also develops appropriate circulation and regulates breathing, which in turn augments the oxygen levels in the blood and prevents circulation and digestion complications.

The stretching and strengthening of all the muscles involved in Belly Dance, as well as the cardiovascular work-out, help relieve muscle tension. Mastering the complex and layered isolation movements of Belly Dance constitutes an intense training of neuromuscular paths, which in turn improves the dancer’s coordination. There are many testimonials that affirm that the frequent practice of Belly Dance eases and prevents menstrual pains, as well as strengthens the muscles and improves the fitness endurance of women in preparation for giving birth (Vargas, 1964 and 1996.) Additionally, some women find Belly Dance to be the best therapy to help her deal with Hypothyroidism helping them feel “fully alive and healthy” (Stricklin, 2002). Finally, a Belly Dancer diagnosed with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome found the dance helpful to her physical condition (Amy).

Psychological Benefits

The inherent psychological benefits of Belly Dance are of utmost importance to Dance/Movement Therapy as a form of psychotherapy. Many of the psychological benefits of practicing Belly Dance often are both cause and consequence of the holistic approach of Belly Dance’s philosophy, theory, and techniques. Belly Dance is an art that blurs the solid and somehow arbitrary lines that Western culture and society places between mind and body. Belly Dance helps the women who practice it to experience harmony by overcoming the polarity of thinking about themselves as fragmented pieces of spirit versus flesh, and thoughts versus emotions, by seeing themselves as “whole women”. Interestingly enough, the science of Dance Therapy also shares this holistic approach, by blurring the lines between mind/language and body/movement, by uplifting movement as a valid form of expression, and by showing that not only neurological maturation, experiences and learning cause change in movement behavior, but that change in movement behavior can also change the psyche. Consequently, practicing Belly Dance, and the whole of its movement vocabulary so foreign and novel for Western women, “rewires” women into a state of all-encompassing emotional well being. It connects the core of their identities in womanhood, in loving their bodies, and in being comfortable with their femininity and sensuality. And it does all this collectively, with a group of other women who shower acceptance on each other.

The first and foremost benefit of the practice of Belly Dance is that it cultivates a positive body image and boosts self-esteem (Stricklin). From that fact stem many other psychological benefits. The positive body image built through Belly Dance is based on the acceptance of the image of ourselves in the mirror, on the courage to dance in front of other people, and on the milestone of revealing our bellies. This is all possible because Belly Dance is a dance that reveres the female body in all shapes and sizes (Delilah). The personal appreciation of self-identity and enhancement of self-esteem has roots in the Dance/Movement Therapy concept that asserts that people must be comfortable in their bodies in order to move their bodies. Many Belly Dance instructors, who are not therapists, unknowingly and instinctively apply the Dance/Movement Therapy method called Body-Ego Technique, a predominantly nonverbal educational and therapeutic approach to establishing, reestablishing, and/or maintaining body image and self-identity by learning and experiencing a variety of goal-directed physical movement patterns (Salkin).

Another important psychological benefit of Belly Dance, often underappreciated, is stress relief. The benefit of practicing Belly Dance periodically may lie in the simple fact of dedicating some time to ourselves. Belly Dance is an exercise and art particularly suitable to fulfill the role of a space and time to look for inner peace and harmony, such as that of meditation, and other currently popular options such as yoga and taiji. Many women who practice Belly Dance affirm that after a class they feel completely cleansed, with renewed energy and patience, grounded, and that Belly Dance class is the one time in which they can leave all their worries outside the door and rejoice in an activity they personally enjoy. This is particularly helpful in today’s Western society in which women are expected to rise to the expectations of professional success without undermining their roles as nurturers, wives, and mothers. Stress is the cause of many psychological and physiological afflictions women suffer today, and Belly Dance’s value to counterbalance life’s stress cannot be overestimated.

There available on the Internet plenty of articles, quotes, and anecdotes of women who experienced Belly Dance as emotional healing while recovering from breast cancer or uterine cancer. I found it fascinating because all these women from the U.S. to Australia, who had very different personal experiences with cancer, all shared something in common: they had undergone either mastectomy or hysterectomy surgeries (McAghon). There is some information regarding dance therapy being used all over the world to enhance the recovery of cancer survivors in oncology centers and hospitals all over the world. Nevertheless, something distinct stands out: when the type of dance being used for this healing therapy is Belly Dance, the survivors/dancers are almost always women who have gone through a surgery that makes them feel “less of a woman,” a surgery that undermines their personal feelings of femininity and their identity as women. No wonder these women choose Belly Dance over other dance forms to help them heal from such experiences!

Belly Dance is also used as a means of therapy for eating disorders. The reason for this is very obvious: most people suffering from eating disorders have a distorted body image with which they are not satisfied. As explained above, Belly Dance is an optimal art and exercise to help women build a positive body image and befriend their own bodies. Additionally, Belly Dance is not an art form that venerates slim bodies or demands uncommon, extraordinary abilities from the dancers’ bodies. It is a dance that not only values, but also needs and longs for curves. It is a dance built with movements that come naturally to women, and that run smoothly through the human body. Information on Belly Dance utilized as the sole or main therapy form for the treatment of eating disorders is not yet readily available. Nevertheless, there is plenty of information about women who found Belly Dance helpful in healing from and overcoming anorexia and bulimia (Izzo).

Like many other enjoyable forms of exercise, Belly Dance is an exceptionally useful therapy to help treat depression (Lafata, 2000). The release of endorphins affects the brain chemistry, improving the dancer’s mood. Practicing Belly Dance also heightens creativity, lowers stress, and helps regulate metabolism and sleep patterns, all factors that affect clinical depression (Lara). Belly Dance is practiced in a comfortable, non-threatening environment. A proficient Belly Dance instructor is supportive and puts little pressure on her students. All of this results in a student’s feelings of fulfillment and improvement of self- confidence.

Belly dance is also particularly useful as a healing process for survivors of sexual abuse. Belly Dance teaches women how to embody their sexuality, how to overcome shame, and how to love, celebrate and be proud of their bodies. Belly Dance is a reaffirmation of the beauty and sacredness of love, sex, passion, pleasure and fertility. Additionally, Belly Dance, as any other art form, can be a way to express anger and other inner feelings (Maria). Although it may take years for the healing process to occur, Belly Dancing has helped many women resolve their issues with sexuality and their own bodies (Lipschitz).

Belly Dance is a valid means of therapy through movement. It obviously has the power to touch women’s emotional core and generate change, evolutions, and revolutions in women’s psyche by connecting us to a higher archetype of femininity. Getting in touch with this inner power through Belly Dance starts a healing domino effect that runs like the fertile overflow of a river, gently running through the dancer’s body, mind, and spirit, flooding them with well being and strength.

An Introduction to Dance Therapy

Dance Therapy is a form of Creative Arts Therapy, such as Art, Psychodrama, and Music Therapy. According to the American Dance Therapy Association (A.D.T.A.), Dance/Movement Therapy is “the psychotherapeutic use of movement as a process which furthers the emotional, social, cognitive and physical integration of the individual” (American Dance Therapy Association).

Dance/Movement Therapy emerged as a distinct profession in the 1940s with the work of pioneers such as Marian Chance, Mary Whitehouse, Franziska Boas and, Liljan Espenaki. Today there are over twenty universities and institutions in the United States and abroad offering post-graduate academic programs in Dance Therapy. Presently, the A.D.T.A. is represented in forty-eight states of the U.S. and in twenty-four countries. In the academic, psychological, and medical research fields, Dance Therapy is currently accepted and valued as an effective treatment for people with developmental, medical, social, physical, and psychological impairments. Dance/Movement Therapy (D.M.T.) is practiced in educational, medical, and mental health rehabilitation settings, nursing homes, day cares and in health promotion programs, as well as in private D.M.T. clinics and studios, with patients raging from normal, to neurotic, to psychotic. D.M.T. is implemented in individual, couple, family, and group therapy formats.

The practice of Dance Therapy delves into the use of somatic psychology by applying the body-mind interface to find alternative means for therapy. The body-mind interface refers to the in-depth understanding of how the body and mind interact in health and illness, whether physiological or psychological. Dance Therapy utilizes Laban Movement Analysis as a means of patient-therapist communication, and as an assessment, treatment, and diagnostic tool. It is rooted on the premise that the body, spirit, and mind form an integral human being in contrast to the dualistic concept of body and mind as opposite and independent parts of a being. Dance Therapy is based on the fact that body movement reflects inner emotional states; likewise, alterations and adjustments in movement behavior can lead to transformation in the psyche.

The use of dance as a cathartic and therapeutic tool or medium is an ancient concept, universal to many cultures, times, and societies. So is the use of body movement as a means of expression and an instrument to communicate feelings. D.M.T. does not always exclude therapeutic techniques based on verbal communication, but adds and builds on to the meaning and usefulness of words within the realm of actions. Movement allows individuals to express, and therapists to notice, that which words sometimes cannot convey fully or vividly enough.

Dance/Movement Therapy can be used with depressed, anxious, and even schizophrenic clients or in-patients; with patients in recovery from illnesses such as cancer in hospitals; with children who are hyperactive, suffer from attention deficit disorder, autism or have motor development difficulties; with the mentally retarded and the physically handicapped; with individuals in the process of psychosocial rehabilitation and reintegration; with mothers that suffer from post-partum depression, as well as to assess and cultivate the mother-child attachment; with families in group therapy; with the elderly; with women who suffer from eating disorders and/or were sexually abused; with people in body image building, substance abuse and addiction, trauma recovery, stress management, and personality development programs, etc. Such are some of the many current common uses of Dance and Movement Therapy and contemporary focuses of research.

The concept that movement can be an acceptable healing force, an effective way to take care of our physical and emotional well-being, and an adequate treatment for illness, might seem revolutionary in our present Western society. Nevertheless, it is both a valid and ancient concept, as well as an idea clearly reflected in the words and movement of our present times dance masters:

• Natural forces within us are the true healers of disease. (Hippocrates)
• To watch us dance is to hear our hearts speak. (Hopi Indian Saying)
• We dance for laughter, we dance for tears, we dance for madness, we dance for fears, we dance for hopes, we dance for screams, we are the dancers, we create the dreams. (Albert Einstein)
• In my dance (..) the profundities of consciousness are given a channel to the light of our social day. (Isadora Duncan)
• I see dance being used as communication between body and soul, to express what it’s too deep to find for words. (Ruth St. Denis)
• Dance is a song of the body. Either of joy or pain. (…) Movement never lies. It is a barometer telling the state of the soul's weather. (Martha Graham)

Belly Dance: New Trend, Old Tradition; Overcoming the Stereotypes

Even though typing the words "stripper, striptease, burlesque, or lap-dance" in a search engine, would certainly take you to a number of web pages related with "belly dance", authentic Belly Dance is not necessarily the dance of seduction of the Western stereotype. It has been misrepresented by cabaret dancers who copied some of its movement, and incorrectly portrayed to the public by the media. Sadly, it is indignant the way in which such an earthly, natural, enjoyable and completely ethical dance that honors women, is often downgraded to a sexy dance performed by women whose act has more to do with their bodies than their dance technique.

According to the literal translation of the Arabic term for the dance form (raks sharki), the proper term for this dance, which is not a jiggle show but a highly disciplined art, is Oriental Dance. In fact, the first American teachers used to dislike the word "belly dance" because of its wrong sexual connotation and focus on the women torsos and not their dancing technique. In her article Roots the well-known and respected teacher Morocco (Carolina Vargas Dinicu), who has more than thirty years studying, performing and teaching Belly Dance, states: “To use the disgusting misnomer ‘belly dance’ is not only incorrect, it is an insult equivalent to calling Flamenco ‘cockroach killing’”[1]. Nowadays, the term Belly Dance has been accepted by many teachers and reclaimed by new dancers because the body part where the movements are focused is, indeed, the belly. It would seem, this has more to do with fertility than with a seductive goal.

Many dance scholars support a theory that places Belly Dance as the oldest dance in the history of humanity, stating that it originated as a fertility ritual thousands of years ago. As evidence for their theory, they cite 17,000 years-old rock engravings found in southern Italy, Greece and Egypt, as well as famous fertility goddesses/ women statutes such as the Venus of Willendorf. Furthermore, some dance researchers, such as dancer, writer and editor Daniella Gioseffi in her book Earth Dancing, claim that Belly Dancing was originally a ritual form for the Mother Earth Goddess in primal matriarchal or polytheistic societies where the dance honored femininity and was passed down from mothers to daughters.

Another important theory about the origin of Belly Dance is the one based on its childbirth therapeutic and training capability. Several dancers including the famed dance ethnologist La Meri, who traveled extensively through out the Middle East for research and training purposes in the ‘20s and ‘30s, claim to have witnessed rituals in which a women in labor is surrounded by other women who perform Belly Dancing in a sort of hypnotizing inducing ritual for moral support.

Belly Dancing arrived to American as an imported cabaret spectacle referred to as Danse du ventre, which originated in the Middle East during the colonization of Africa by European countries. Referring to this degradation process, the Armenian dancer Armen Ohanian states in her book The Dancer of Shamahka:

“Thus in Cairo one evening I saw, with sick incredulous eyes, one of our most sacred dances degraded into a bestiality horrible and revolting. It is our poem of the mystery and pain of motherhood, which all true Asiatic men watch with reverence and humility, in the far corners of Asia where the destructive breath of the Occident has not yet penetrated. In this olden Asia, which has kept the dance in its primitive purity, it represent maternity, the mysterious conception of life, the suffering and the joy with which a new soul is brought in the world. Could any man born of woman contemplate this most holy subject, expressed in an art so pure and so ritualistic as our eastern dance, with less than profound reverence? Such is our Asiatic veneration of motherhood, that there are countries and tribes whose most sacred oath is sworn upon the stomach, because it is from this sacred cup that humanity has issued. But the spirit of the Occident had touched this holy dance, and it became the horrible ‘danse du ventre’ … I heard the lean Europeans chuckling, I saw lascivious smiles upon even the lips of Asiatics, and I fled”

In some Muslim societies, women gather to perform regional forms of Belly Dance, in informal and familial settings – getting together in a separate location from the men, to dance by themselves, have fun and interact. Nevertheless, in many regions of the Middle East the rise of Political Islam has led to more puritanical attitudes in general, creating a backlash against Belly Dance. Dancers who appear in public, dancing in front of men who are not family to them, contradict orthodox Islamic values. As a result, the widely held notion that professional dancers are prostitutes is being reinforced through the Arab countries, from Afghanistan to Morocco. By law, in Egypt, the country that names itself as the place where Belly Dance was born, these dancers cannot dance in television, and police monitors life performances to ensure that the dancer's skirt starts below the knee and that the navel is covered, even if only with transparent material.

These attitudes might sound opposite to Western values of freedom and free will, but they most be looked at considering the context of Muslim religious and cultural values. Therefore, it seems more contradictory that even in the Western world dancing Belly Dance can often also be a cause to suffer the weight of many prejudices. Nevertheless, it is often through to behavior in which some those who call themselves Belly Dancer engage in, that stereotypes are perpetuated. Once again, the dancer Morocco states this indignation in wonderful words in her article Roots:

“When I first came into Oriental dance (…), I was drawn by the beauty of its music and movements and gave no thought to the possibility that it might be misinterpreted by ignorant or misinformed viewers. Innocent that I was, I assumed that the grace of a skilled dancer was sufficient to prove the beauty and legitimacy of this ancient art form. How wrong I was! I’ve lost count of the times that an erroneous and degrading value judgment of my morality and worthiness was made, based on (…) previous performances of those who, in every profession, cater to the lowest common denominator”.[2]

Nevertheless, Belly Dance has much to offer to us as a cultural, especially to our young women. First of all, individuals who practice Belly Dance reap countless physiological and psychological benefits, such as improving self-image and confidence. Furthermore, Western culture is filled with one of two opposite attitudes toward the female body: either moms telling their daughters "don't look men in the eye and don't swing your hip when you walk", or pop starts yelling out loud "if you look sickly thin and show your boobs, you'll succeed". None of these extreme ideas benefit young women. Belly Dance lets us get in contact with our body and accept it as it is. Belly Dance makes any thin or fat woman enjoy feminine dancing. This acceptance of ourselves in front of the mirror image as much as in front of other people, is aided by the “only girls” atmosphere cultivated in many Belly Dance studios. Second, Belly Dance is not a competitive dance form, and it often develops friendly relationships amongst its practitioners, and a deep feeling of sisterhood among the members of a group of dancers, including teachers and students.

Dance should be respected as a universal language that allows us to better understand the cultures different to our own. To appreciate Belly Dance, we must start with an non-judgmental frame of mind, going beyond superficial matters, such as the amount or type of clothes worn by the dancers; and make an effort, instead, to acknowledge and be aware of the cultural nuances and ramifications attached to this particularly ethnic dance form.

Bibliography

Vargas Dinicu, Carolina (Morocco), Roots, Habibi, Vol.5 No.12

_________________________________, Belly Dancing and Childbirth, Sexology Magazine, 1964.

_________________________________, Giving to Light- Dancing the baby into the world, Habibi, Winter 1996, Vol. 15, No. 1

Shay, Anthony. “Bazi-ha-ye Namayeshi: Iranian Women’s Theatrical Plays.” Dance Research Journal. 27/2 Fall 1995, p: 209-244.

Seller-Young, Barbara; Shay. Belly Dance: Orientalism—Exoticism—Self-Exoticism Anthongy Dance Research Journal (0149-7677), vol: 35, 2003. p:13 – 25

Seller-Young, Barbara. Raks El Sharki: Transculturation of a Folk Form, Journal of Popular Culture, Fall 1996, p: 141 – 153

Gioseffi, Daniela. Earth Dancing, Mother Nature’s Oldest Rite, Harrisburg, Pa. : Stackpole Books, c1980

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[1] Vargas Dinicu, Carolina (Morocco), Roots, Habibi Vol.5 No.12

[2] Vargas Dinicu, Carolina (Morocco), Roots, Habibi Vol.5 No.12

Improvisation Tribal Style Belly Dance

Tribal Group Improvisation

TGI is a form of Belly Dance that has its roots in American Tribal Style (or ATS), a style of Belly Dance created by Carolena Nerriccio of San Francisco with her troupe FatChance BellyDance.[1] Stylistically, it borrows heavily from Indian, Flamenco, and Gypsy traditions blended with the conventional Middle Eastern dance forms and rhythms of traditional Belly Dance. Compared to traditional (for example, Egyptian or Cabaret Style) Belly Dance, Tribal Belly Dance portrays a more earthy and folkloric style, both in its movements and its costumes.

TGI’s main characteristic is collective improvisation: the dancers learn a common vocabulary of movements, as well as subtle cues related to each movement. A leader improvises pulling from those movements and communicates with the other dancers through the set cues. All the dancers take turns being the leader through constant rotation, so that dance pieces are truly improvised collectively, creating a real communal experience. Synchronization is obtained through practice, which develops non-verbal communication skills and a working relationship amongst the dancers, so that a dance can be created on-the-spot, and appear choreographed to an audience. The dance is often perform for the troupe member’s enjoyment of the group dynamics and the camaraderie atmosphere it creates, without the intention of performing on stage for an audience. Movement and cues vocabularies vary from tribe to tribe, much like a regional language or slang, and may include individual moves or short combos. “This dance draws also on some of the cultural conventions of the tribal peoples it emulates, and many women find great camaraderie, comfort, trust, and friendship through the dance experience, and devote their time to the social and emotional aspects of the dance. The opportunity to communicate through the body, through the music, and through the group dynamic appeals to many dancer's sense of community, which is encouraged and fostered in classes and "open dance" venues.”[2]

“Watching a Tribal troupe do their thing well can be spell-binding, hypnotic, trance-inducing. Like watching a flock of birds that shift and turn at once, with no visible communication.” Aziza Said[3]

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[1] For more info, visit http://www.fcbd.com/about/

[2] “The Elusive Definition of Tribal Belly Dance” by Sharon Moore. http://www.tribalbellydance.org/about.html

[3] http://www.pedralta.com/tribal/ats-fusion.htm

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Impromptu Dance at Bowling Green International Festival 08


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Impromptu Tribal Belly Dance - La Casona, Panama. June 7, 2008

Abuse Dance

From diversity Dance Theater of 1999
Danse contre les maltraitances familliales
Dance against family violences

Gender Equality Dance "Two Wings of a Bird"

Equality Dance at a Women's Day celebration in Kosovo
Choreography: Rena Robinson-Steiner. Dancers: Marion Frischeisen, Jesse Fish. Editing: Cloee Cooper. Filmed in Kosovo for 8 March International Women's Day 2003.

WildFire Dance Theatre Performance of "Equality"

The whole of humanity is like one powerful bird, where one wing is women and the other is men. The problem is, when one wing is somehow hampered or restricted, the bird cannot take flight. Until and unless both wings receive equal opportunities neither women nor men will ever achieve their full potential.

Embodying Feminism: Dance/Movement Therapy, Education, and Social Activism

Cynthia Kaufman, author of "Ideas for Action: Relevant Theory for Radical Change" states: "Deep within the consciousness of the western worldview is the idea that reason is superior to emotion and the mind should rule over the body."[1] I strongly believe that this mind-body dualism is at the root of many of the issues we face as a society, including racism, but also sexism (not just as inflected upon women by men, but to ourselves), exploitation of the environment (the domination of men [reason] over nature is also an extension of the mental/spiritual over the emotional/physical), etc. This worldview is firmly based in the Cartesian concept that the mental is somehow not physical, and that there is a definite boundary between spirit and matter. The use of dance and other movement disciplines deeply rooted in mind-body-spirit integrity, as tools for psychotherapy, education, and social activism, defies this dualist worldview.

The negative effects of mind-body dualism can be observed in a myriad of problems we face now a days, such as:
· Body issues, including negative body image, low self-esteem, and eating disorders, which are all at all-time high among young women and girls at an all-time high.[2]
· Disregard for the arts, which are considered less important than “mental disciplines” such as the sciences. This results in the lack of access to the arts, and particularly dance (or any other holistic practice), in the schools or communities. [3]
· Interpersonal relationships and sexuality, which includes a number of issues such as sex education, domestic violence, sexual assault, divorce rates, etc.[4]

How did we get here? What are the problems we are facing? And, how can the power of dance, as well as other movement and interdisciplinary art forms, be used to create positive change in society as whole and for individuals?

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[1] P. 132

[2] A U.S. based survey by Psychology Today revealed that the majority of women are dissatisfied with their appearance. http://www.psychologytoday.com/articles/index.php?term=19970201-000023&page=2

[3] A study by Americans for the Arts shows that arts instruction has declined by 35% since the implementation of No Child Left Behind. http://www.cep-dc.org/_data/n_0001/resources/live/InstructionalTimeFeb2008.pdf

[4] For statistics on violence against women, visit http://endabuse.org/resources/facts/

For documentation on effective sex education, please visit http://www.advocatesforyouth.org/publications/factsheet/fssexcur.pdf

Breaking the Silence, Breaking the Cycle

Rehearsal of Healing from An Abusive Relationship choroegraphy for Hope Harbor's Take Back the Night 05 at WKU's Van Meter Auditorium