Grandmother's Secrets: The Ancient Rituals and Healing Power of Belly Dancing

The author blends personal memoir with an instructional guide to the dance known in the West as belly dancing. It is not only the story of a young Arab girl as she is initiated into womanhood, but a history of the dance from the earliest times to the present and a personal investigation into the effects of the dance's movements on individual parts of the body and the whole psyche. Originally published in German as Der Ruf der Grobmutter by Promedia (1996). Annotation c. by Book News, Inc., Portland, Or.

After recounting her own childhood and coming of age in the Arab world, Al-Rawi reviews the history of women's dancing and reflects on the individual movements used in this ancient art form. In a section titled "Variations and Rituals," she describes nine different dances (e.g., the Wedding Dance, the Birth Dance) and sets them in context. Photographs evoke the mood of each dance, suggesting a general impression rather than step-by-step instruction. The narrative, however, supplies enough detail that the interested reader may wish to try a dance. Throughout, Al-Rawi relates movement to ideas and art to philosophy so that, in her words, "belly dancing becomes a source of inspiration, a means of collecting and strengthening oneself, and a clear and dynamic way of discovering...and understanding oneself." An interesting glimpse into a culture, an art form, and a means for women's healing and self-expression; suitable for most circulating collections, especially those whose readers are interested in Arab culture, dance, and women's studies.ACarolyn M. Mulac, Chicago P.L.
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