The Dance of Life

By, Amita Graham 5/10/06

In researching this topic I was surprised to find a plethora of information on the ritualistic practices of Oriental Dance and its relationship to childbirth. From a cultural point of view many ethnic groups practice traditional movements to tone, strengthen, and refine the muscles of the abdomen, thighs and pelvic floor. Researchers and devotees of mixed educational and practical backgrounds bring valuable insight to the table of discussion on this topic. Dancers, writers, performers, teachers, psychologists, midwives and childbirth educators all contribute to the evidence leading to the conclusion that dance oriental or “belly dance” as we know it in the west, is a valid form of childbirth preparation. Some with more radical views on the desensitization of the natural process of childbirth, others with the logical view of scientific data which proves it is beneficial, and still others with historical authentication which confirms the beliefs and origins of the practice of this dance as a birth/fertility ritual.

Personally this topic intrigues me on many levels; as a certified breastfeeding counselor, health educator, as a certified Doula (childbirth partner) of seven years, as an oriental dancer of fourteen years, and as a mother of one nine year old daughter. Culturally speaking I can not confine this subject matter to one ethnic group, rather it must include not only many varied ethnic peoples such as, Arabs, North Africans, Turkish, Hawaiians, and the Mooris of New Zealand, but I must also include the culture in which I will refer to as the oriental dance community. Ideally this is a community that embraces the traditions of these ancient cultures and the movements indicative of their dance. Yet, I cannot limit this community to only oriental dancers but I must include every woman who wishes to regain or ignite her self-empowerment in regards to the gift of giving life. To do this one will have to let go of recent belief systems of “religious propaganda and medical maneuvering” as it is put by Morocco in her article Giving to Light: Dancing the baby into the world. To revert back to ancient ways of understanding the female body, honoring the Goddess and uniting with community, is to dance when bringing life into the world and to honor the traditional culture of the birth ritual.

The transformation of this ceremonial dance of woman for woman, and woman to Goddess became a dance of observation by men and other viewers for entertainment purposes. As the patriarchal religions became the prevalent form of worship, the traditional oriental dance or Raks Sharki was performed for princes rather than offered to the deities (Sacred Woman Sacred Dance 2000). As it is documented in the Cairo Museum of Egypt, the goddess Bess was worshiped for fertility. Habbi Magazine published an issue (15.1) in the winter of 1996, dedicated to articles, and other information on this topic. In a telephone interview in 2003, Shereen El Safy, (then editor of Habbi Magazine)  states, that the famous Egyptian choreographer Mohammad Cloieal says the basic movements of this dance such as undulations, hip circles and pelvic tilts were offered up to the goddess Bess in ancient times saying ‘here is my body isn’t it good?’ as it is meant for birth and fertility.

These same exercises are mentioned in the article Giving The Light: Dancing the Baby Into The World written by famous oriental dancer/instructor Morocco. In her research at Mt. Cyanide hospital, Morocco made record of the childbirth class instructions. The movements asked of the woman were essentially identical to the basic traditional movements of Raks Sharki. When speaking of childbirth preparation and natural childbirth it is well known that relaxation, concentration and atonement of the pelvic floor and abdominal muscles will aid in the easement of labor. Labor can be a stressful situation physically and emotionally. Dance in and of itself has the capability to relieve stress as it “develops enhanced well being and higher tolerance to stressors” (Dance and Stress 1988). Couple the benefits of dance with the precise muscular isolations found in oriental dance and you have the ancient form of childbirth preparation ritual. Morocco compares the Lamaze labor technique to the exercises, which women from Arabian Cultures such as the Bedouin and Berber tribes practice in childhood. Undulations of the hips and flutters of the abdominal and diaphragm muscles are traditionally passed from grandmother to daughter in these long-established cultures. In Morocco’s captivating article she retells the story of her visit to a remote Tunisian village where she posses as a mute Moroccan servant who witnesses the birth of twins in a traditional birth ritual. The birthing woman and her female family members are separated 100 yards from the men in a tent were the birth ritual takes place. The woman stands above a hole which is dug in the earth as her female companions circle her in a clock wise fashion repeating hip circles and pelvic thrusts as the laboring woman goes into a form of dance trance, subsequently naturally birthing healthy twins into the earth hole beneath her. This practice took place in1967, it is unknown weather or not this practice still takes place, though it is apparent the “Belly Dance” has purposes beyond entertainment or the single satisfaction of dance for the sake of dance

How would you describe your own body? Do positive words come to mind? Probably not. As for many women, the negative messages for me began when I was a young girl shopping in the chubette department. Anyone out there remember similar horrifying shopping experiences? How could they use that word, chubette?

I’m not saying we shouldn’t watch our weight. In fact, I’m very into health, exercise and weight management. But I’m also concerned about the emotional scars these negative words and images perpetrate on women and girls.

Let’s get real with a few facts from a recent Stanford University study:

The average American woman is 5'4" tall and weighs 140 pounds. The average American model is 5'11" tall and weighs 117 pounds.

On any given day, 25 percent of men and 45 percent of women are on a diet.

Each year Americans spend more than $40 billion on dieting and diet-related products