My favorite Christmas present last month was a beautiful book called “Serpent of the Nile: Women and Dance in the Arab World” by Wendy Buonaventura.
Apart from being a beautiful, glossy “coffee table” book, full of wonderful photos and illustrations, it is also a comprehensive look at the history and origins of dance in the Middle East and how it has influenced dance, art and film throughout the world.
If your interest in Belly Dancing goes beyond attending lessons and current trends, and you are fascinated by the women who have come before you and how the dance has survived the centuries (often against the odds) then you will love this book.
Not only does author Wendy Buonaventura communicate her own love of Arabic dance to the reader but she brings the history to life and celebrates the beauty of all women of many different cultures who dance for fun or entertainment.
I have had this book on the coffee table for the last month and I’m amazed at the number of people (male and female) who are not dancers, that have picked it up, had a look through and asked me questions about it. I think it is probably the beautiful photos/illustrations and the fact they had no idea just how ancient Belly Dancing was.
If you love the sound of Serpent of the Nile you can grab your own copy over at Amazon, or add it to your wishlist like I did and let someone buy it for you (hey, Valentine’s Day is coming up).
[...] reviewed Serpent of the Nile: Women and Dance in the Arab World earlier in the year so you can read more about it [...]