25 June

Joyous Belly Dancing: The Unfettered Expression Of The Female Heart

by Jon Katz
Belly Dancing For Meals On Wheels

Belly dancing is one of the oldest, if not the oldest forms of dance, although it’s literal origins are unknown. One historian said belly dancing originated with the birth of women. French historians claim the name was first used in France, where it was called the “dance du venture,” the dance of the stomach.

The term “belly dance” was first used in the States when a promoter labeled the dance at the Chicago World’s Fair in 1893. We do not see much of it up here in Washington, County, New York, so Maria and I were excited when a friend, Kitty Farnham, told us she was emceeing a belly dance at the Bennington Mason’s Auditorium in Bennington, Vt. last night for the benefit of Meals on Wheels, a non-profit organization that helps to feed the elderly and the poor.

We jumped at the chance, and were not sorry.

We had one of the warmest, most joyous and entertaining evenings in memory at the dance, which drew belly dancers from all over New England and New York.It was just a pleasure to see these woman – not just the stick figures we associate with dancing, but beautiful, ordinary looking women of different ages, all dressed in the traditional garb of the belly dancer.

The  women were gorgeous, on many levels. Ordinary people rarely make into the American entertainment business. But these women knew how to entertain, and they gather in towns all over the Northeast to work hard with one another to keep this ancient art alive.

They women just radiated enthusiasm and warmth and an impressive kind of athleticism.  The dancers were difficult, complex, to-tapping and they were performed flawlessly, at least to my eye.

It was great to see this kind of dancing under the grim portrait of some stuffpot Mason  bigshot hanging over the fireplace. The setting – a beautiful old Mason auditorium – made it all the more appealing. This wasn’t Lincoln Center or some other performance hall.

The fun the dancers were having was infectious, as was the informality of it. We were all clapping along and clucking our tongues  and yip-yipping in the Middle Eastern way – one dancer taught us how to do it, they call it ululation.  And the whole audience – it was a smallish crowd in a beautify and musty old space – jumped right in. We were ululating all evening.

Meals and Wheels is a great cause, they are becoming more and more important to so many people all the time. So great to see all of these belly dancers coming together to support them.

The belly dancing reminded me that you don’t have to be something other than human to be creative and bring joy,  and I was touched to see yet another sub-culture where people connect with one another to express the best of the human spirit.

There are no male belly dancers that I know of, and if you think about it, it is, sadly, not surprising.

Men do not gather together in that way to shake off the restrictions of the modern world. I could see that Mason above the fireplace turning in his grave.

I believe this connection is far more natural than arguing, and perhaps it is no accident that belly dancing is the unfettered expression of the female heart.

Afterwards, we just made it to Johnny T’s clam and ice cream shack. We both will remember the night for a long time. And thanks to Kitty for telling us about it, she was a great emcee. I learned later that she is a belly dancer herself.

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