When most people think of Belly Dancing, they get an image of skimpily dressed women dancing in provocative ways. This erroneous
image of this
traditional dance delimits its true meaning and purpose. Raqs sharqi (literally Oriental dance) is meant to celebrate being a woman and was traditional used to ready women for easy labor and to aid with menstruation. Belly Dancing: The Sensual Art of Energy and Spirit looks at the myths and realities of this form of traditional dance. This book also examines the benefits of this
exercise for modern women and gives them a basics (complete with illustrations) on how to perform the various steps. I love the idea of Belly Dancing because it is one of the only forms of dance that is made for real women. Skinny little stick women look funny doing this dance but regular sized women suddenly look graceful, elegant, and confidently sexy. It’s a great whole body exercise and it’s fun too.