Belly Dance: The Dance of Mother Earth

by Tina Hobin

Tina Hobin - acknowledged expert and practitioner of belly dance, with many years experience of teaching and dancing throughout the world - introduces us to the history of this ancient and mystical dance in an accessible style, both enjoyable and easy to read. Tracing the evolution of belly dance from prehistoric fertility rites, the cult of the shaman and temple dances of Ancient Egypt, she explores how the music and motion of the belly dance featured in the rise and fall of entire empires. Looking also at modern belly dance and its growth across the Western world, Tina Hobin combines the history of dance with an explanation of the health benefits of dance, and a step-by-step guide to modern dance movements. Hobin also asks that we dismiss the commercial exploitation of dance, which is in danger of hiding the art behind this oldest of art forms.

Genres: Nonfiction

206 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2003

Reviews

[Mandy · Rating 2 out of 5]

If you're looking for a book on the history of belly dance (a very, in depth, overwhelming, dryly written history), this book is crammed with info. But it's written like a dissertation or a scholarly article, with a little too much rambling for my taste. This reminds me of a book I would have to read for school, not something I would enjoy reading for entertainment. I normally really enjoy learning about the history of Middle Eastern dance, but this just requires too much effort.

[Green Iona · Rating 3 out of 5]

A historical account of Belly Dancing. I haven't finished it yet. I'm actually not sure about it. From what I've read so far it seems like pretty standard anthropological information that you can find anywhere but I want to give it more time.