Introduction to the Legend of the Origin of Belly Dance

Introduction to the Legend of the Origin of Belly Dance

Belly dance originated from fertility and religion.

Representative legend: women's prayer dance-

"According to legend, a beautiful young woman came to the temple to pray because she could not have children after marriage. She threw herself in front of her idol, twisting her waist and hips, as if dancing, praying to the god of fertility to fulfill her dream. Her graceful dancing charmed the priests present and immediately reported it to Pharaoh. Later, she regarded her' dance' as a priest dance. " According to this view, oriental dance is developed from this kind of dance.

Proof-the tradition of belly dancers dancing barefoot just proves that belly dancing was a religious ceremony in ancient times. Barefoot is to show that they are close to nature and keep the most direct contact with the earth, showing the profound artistic conception of nature and the vitality of human reproduction. There is also a typical example of this statement-the two slow movements in belly dancing are imitations of the abdominal rhythm of women during childbirth. There is also a theory that belly dancing originated from pregnant women in the Middle East to prepare for a smooth delivery. An American folklorist recorded the thrilling "dance birth ceremony" she witnessed in a remote village in Morocco. She recorded the scene with amazing brushstrokes: when a Moroccan woman was in labor, other women in the village formed three circles around her. As they sang, they turned their bellies and pulled back from time to time. This action is slower and more powerful than the "flapping" in our belly dance now. They move the arranged circles clockwise and repeat these actions at the same time ... Life is so sacred and precious, and belly dancing is a tribute to life-this is also the original spirit of belly dancing. Today, when we dance to the drums that seem to come from ancient times, can we appreciate these ancient meanings?

Belly dance originated from court and lust.

Representative legend: Salome's story-Salome is the stepdaughter of Herod in ancient times, and her mother Herodias asked Salome to dance the seven-layer tulle dance for Herod in order to kill John, a believer who opposed her marriage to Herod. She danced in front of Herod in seven layers of tulle, and then with the rhythm of music, every tulle dress on her body slowly receded in turn, the jade arm relaxed, and the dance steps floated ... When Salome's crystal-clear body faded the last layer of tulle, Herod was crazy about the beauty of the girl, and the king promised her a wish, even if it was half of Babylon, the king agreed. So Salome followed her mother's instructions and asked the king to give John's head to her on a plate. There is a saying that Salome's Dance of Seven Veils is the predecessor of belly dance. The "Dance of Seven Veils" originated from the Babylonian myth that Ishtar, a goddess of war and love, was also the goddess of the earth. It is said that she is the daughter of the moon, with a beautiful appearance that can make the devil fall for her, in pursuit of the dead. Legend has it that when the goddess went down from heaven to hell, she took off a veil and gradually lost her divinity every time she entered a heavy door. Desperate for love, people can't help but think of the white snake in China's classical legend, and Du Liniang who died for love and was reborn for love. The dance of the seven-veil is to imitate Hista's descent from celestial bodies to hell, and take off her veil again and again. In this process, constantly mobilizing all kinds of body language is a very functional and exciting dance.

Proof-Another historical legend also proves that belly dancing originated from palace lust: during the Ottoman-Manchu Turkish Empire, the harem of the Sultan dynasty was full of beautiful women, with 3,000 beautiful women. Therefore, how to win the favor of the Sultan and gather 3,000 favorites has become a concern of harem women. It is said that the way to choose beautiful women in Sudan is to let the ladies-in-waiting cover their faces with scarves and dance in front of Sudan with their bellies bare, so whether the ladies-in-waiting have superb abdominal skills has become a major factor to attract the king's attention. Oriental dance gradually became popular in the harem under such circumstances. Moreover, because most maids bought and sold into the palace, according to the regulations at that time, they could leave the palace after the expiration of the seven-year contract, so it was logical for these maids who left the palace to bring the harem dance to the people. This dance gradually became a form of entertainment performance at parties or festivals and gradually became a part of people's lives. In the old days, Wang thanked Tang and flew into the homes of ordinary people. This legend can also explain why today's Turkish belly dance is more charming, hotter and more unrestrained than other styles in action and dress, and why Turkish belly dance has more floor movements. In a word, whether belly dance really originated from the court or not, there is no doubt that belly dance was once the court dance in the Arab world. No wonder some people call belly dancing Arabic ballet, and it is really equivalent to17th century French court ballet. People who love belly dancing today, do you still remember the beautiful images in the Arab court thousands of years ago? They use all their love to make every movement, and love gives them the strength to dance. In this sense, belly dancing is an expression of love and an eternal theme.

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