The Secret Language of Belly Dancing [Paperback]

Maria Strova (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 25, 2006

Bellydance is incredibly popular today, but many prejudices remain about this art because it is not understood deeply enough. In the Secret Language of Bellydance, the author Maria Strova, renown dancer and master teacher, reveals the inner meaning of this dance, far beyond the taboos of the body and the imaginary images of the harem - where the dance is erroneously considered to have originated. This confusion has influenced, not always in a positive way, the image of bellydance even today. But where did bellydance originate? What inspired its gestures, what is the meaning of the veil, the jewel on the navel or the serpentine movements? “Everything in bellydance is secretly intentional and its movements hide an eternal language,” affirms the author. From this concept, she takes the reader on a fascinating journey into its prehistoric roots in the Neolithic Age. Imbued with a sacred character, the dance was part of ancient conception and birth rites and sought to explore the cyclic and cosmic processes of life. To illustrate this “original image,” Maria Strova utilizes the symbols of the dance: belly, omphalos or navel, waist, breasts, hands, eyes, hair, veil, spiral, serpent, and the elements earth, air, fire and water. All of the images are used as a key to reveal the poetic language of bellydance and its collection of myths, verse, secrets and personal experiences. In the actual practice of bellydance, this symbolic approach playfully calls on the imagination to reconnect us, through movement, with the instinctive, sensual and sacred wisdom of the body. Dance becomes a powerful instrument which reveals the profound life of the belly.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Maria Strova was born in Colombia, where she began to study classic Russian dance at the age of 12. At 17, Maria moved to States, where she studied a variety of modern dance styles (Graham, Ailey, Cunningham). She also worked with Ellen Burstyn, director of the Actors Studio, Michael Douglas (The Jewel of the Nile), Danny De Vito and Quentin Tarantino (Reservoir Dogs). One day, as she was walking down the street in New York, she happened to hear the sound of a drum, a darbouka, and thus discovered Belly Dancing. At that moment, the long journey of study and research began which would ultimately lead Maria to present her own work in many countries: Japan, Mexico, Egypt, Colombia, France and Tunisia. Interested in the theme of motherhood, she recognized in that discipline an effective compendium of Belly Dancing – particularly with respect to breathing techniques – and became the first teacher in Italy to teach a fusion of the two as preparation for childbirth. She has produced a variety of teaching DVDs, and wrote and directed Searching for Scheherazade, the first documentary in Italy on the art of belly dancing and the daily efforts to keep the dance alive. She currently teaches at the IALS in Rome and has the Omphalos Cultural Center and the Breath Theatre, based in Fiano Romano (Rome), where she develops new talent, in collaboration with other teachers, through the search for a Belly Dance adapted to theatre and choreographic experimentation.

Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Macro Edizioni (October 25, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 8875076162
• ISBN-13: 978-8875076160
• Product Dimensions: 9.9 x 7.8 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,116,005 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Shiny and Worth It Too, August 15, 2007

By 

D. Taylor "Real AND Considerate" (PNW) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Secret Language of Belly Dancing (Paperback)

This book loses 5 stars for bad publishing and formatting, and for its sheer verbocity, but gains it all back for vivacious content. Not a primary reference book for dance, but a nice addition to anyone's dance library solely based on the author's intent and the scant few exercises the author prescribes.

Look, I instantly shy away from books that have flotsam photos and illustrations as well as over-fonted re-quotes in the margins as they smack too much of a publisher's interference and attempts to market to those folks who appreciate shiny objects (like me). It also is sad to see autobiographical information taking up more than a few pages in any book that wasn't meant to be an autobiography. I was disappointed to find this book had all of these symptoms of kitsche writing styles and cheap marketing. I blame the publisher, solely and completely. If I could roll this book up like a newspaper and swat the publisher, exclaiming "BAD, BAD PUBLISHER" I would (but security won't let me in the front door anymore).

I was pleasantly surprized to see that Ms. Strova actually listed her research references at the end of each chapter as well as in a full blown bibliography section at the end of the book. Now that is truly impressive and it made me want to actually READ the book instead of just look at the pretty fonts and pictures.

The content was not ordinary at all, and this is its most saving grace. Despite the spotty-but-good attempt to justify her "her"storical assertions, Ms. Strova really, really tries hard to put across the idea that dance is sacred (no longer a marketing ploy to neo-pagans, but a true attempt to reawaken artistic self-expression). In my opinion, she succeeds. Here, this book earns all its stars back.

I found myself "getting it" - now inspired to experiment a bit more beyond the mechanics of belly dance and the choreography of others, this book helps one to actually listen to the rhythm of Life. It inspires dancers and non-dancers alike to be better at recognizing their own, internal rhythms, without being too blunt (I did mention verbocity, but how can one put in words that which is without description otherwise, short of physically being in the room with you and demonstrating it?). Yes, Ms. Strova, I get it. You get waaaay more than 5 stars.

If just for that inspiration, this book is worth every penny.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Knowledge and Depth for Every Woman, June 13, 2007

By 

Mesmera "Mesmera" (Los Angeles, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Secret Language of Belly Dancing (Paperback)

I love Maria's book because it contains my favorite aspects of Bellydance, with answers to questions that have drawn us to it for a thousand generations, yet so few teachers include with technique in class. Her vast research and perspective reveal historic and cultural wisdom that allows each woman to integrate the most precious attributes of dance: feminine knowledge and the power of creation. What an inspiring gift! -- MESMERA

11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars A bit of a struggle, March 16, 2008

By 

Zakiyah - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Secret Language of Belly Dancing (Paperback)

I really struggled with this book. It is not well written, with fairly average (OK, bad) grammar, a few instances of incorrect word usage and lots of typos. With the amount of editorial influence in this book, with multiple extracted quotations in the margins of each page, I would have thought they would bother to proofread and copy-edit the material of the book, as well.

It is clear that the author is very passionate about bellydance, which I salute despite disagreeing with many of her viewpoints on various matters. I felt that in a number of instances, she tried using words outside her regular vocab to portray her feelings, or other aspects of bellydance, which gave the prose somewhat of a overbearing, superior tone. I would have liked to see her describe these things in her own words rather than pulling the thesaurus out at every turn.