Belly Dance: The Dance of Mother Earth

by Tina Hobin

Tina Hobin has written a book outlining the roots of dance in myth and religious practices around the globe. She takes the evolution of the belly dance as a representation of the rites of passage from Ancient Greece to modern times, focusing on different forms of belly dancing and its place at the core of fertility rites and marriage ceremonies in Middle Eastern societies.

Myths, including those of Isis and Osiris, and the role of the Shaman or Witch doctor in African tribes, are explained. The belly dance, with its roots in the birth dance of Saudi Arabia, is described through accounts of present day native societies. The book also contains examples of belly dance movements and exercises for enthusiasts.

Genres: Nonfiction

204 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2003

Reviews

[Leslie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read like a text book....

[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.