Middle Eastern Dance:
The Spiritual Connection

by Shira

In fall of 2000, a new book titled The Belly Dance Book made its debut, containing several chapters I had written. Unfortunately, the book was published using an early draft instead of the final version. Here on my web site, I would like to present to you the chapter the way it was intended to appear in print.

From ancient shamans to energetic gospel choirs, movement has long been integrated into spiritual practices. The Middle East has several traditions of movement for spiritual ends. Many modern-day dancers have incorporated movement into their own spiritual expressions. Some borrow from the traditional Middle Eastern forms, while others apply modern-day dance moves to creating their own new spiritual practices. People often refer to these as "trance dances", but "movement meditations" or "rituals" would be a more accurate description.

Movement Meditation Traditions

Spiritual movement has taken many forms throughout the traditions of the Middle East and northern Africa. People in these regions continue to practice these rituals today. Morocco, from New York City, has spent extensive time in the Middle East studying the dance traditions there, and through her work she has shared her knowledge with the rest of the Western dance community.

Guedra

In Morocco, the Guedra is performed as a ritual of blessing. According to oral tradition, it is many thousands of years old, part of the traditions of a sub-grouping of the nomadic Tuareg known as the Blue People because of the indigo powder they use to dye clothing. This powder also coats their skin as it comes off their apparel, thus literally turning them blue. "Guedra" is the classical Arabic word for the cauldron or cooking pot used by the Blue People. When they stretch a skin over it and beat it, it serves as a drum, also called a "Guedra". Finally, the term "Guedra" also refers to both the blessing ritual and the woman who actually performs it.

The primary physical movements of the Guedra are simple hand and finger flicks. Members of the extended family accompany her with drumming based on the human heartbeat, clapping, and chanting. The repetitive background sounds and movements lead the Guedra and often some of the participants into a trance.

Like many esoteric traditions, the Guedra begins by acknowledging the four points of the compass. She also acknowledges fire (the sun), earth, wind, and water. As the ritual progresses, she may repeat these acknowledgements if she chooses. Most of the ritual involves sending out blessings and good wishes through these finger motions to all present, either in person or in spirit. Over time, the Guedra eventually sinks to her knees and performs the remainder of the ritual from there. When more than one woman is prepared to perform the Guedra, the one who has just finished may move out of the center of the circle to sit on the sidelines while another takes her place. Once started, a Guedra may go on for many hours.

Zar

The zar is a ritual used to perform a cathartic sort of emotional healing or "exorcism" on behalf of someone, usually a woman, who has been possessed. Although technically forbidden by Islam, it continues to be an essential part of some cultures. It appears mostly in Egypt, Sudan, Somalia, and Ethiopia. In Tunisia, it is called stambali.

The accompaniment to the zar consists of strong drum rhythms, each being specific to a certain spirit. A critical part of the zar is finding the rhythm required to drive out the particular spirit possessing the individual. Sometimes the zar leader sacrifices a chicken, pigeon, sheep, or other animal as part of the ritual.

Hadra

Hadra, which is part of a ceremony by a Sufi brotherhood called the Aissawa, is another exorcism ritual. It opens with improvisational vocals, then moves on to accompaniment on 'bendirs' (frame drums with string stretched across for resonance), and the tarija, a very small drum. A ghaita (similar to an oboe) plays a melody line. The participating men move slowly at first, then as the accompaniment picks up speed their movements become wilder and faster until they eventually move into a trance.

Whirling

The image of the whirling dervish has captured the imagination of people worldwide. The Mevlevi and Jerahi sects of Islam are two examples who use whirling as a devotional tool in a spiritual group event known as a Sema. It moves the practitioner into an enhanced state of awareness, a kind of ecstasy.

While whirling, the individual holds both arms outstretched to each side, with the right hand slightly above shoulder height and the left hand slightly below. The palm of the right hand faces toward the sky to receive the blessings of heaven, and the left palm faces toward the floor to channel them to earth. The eyes slip out of focus, which is what protects against dizziness or motion sickness.

New Spiritual Connections

As people in the United States and other Western countries have embraced Middle Eastern dance, many have found ways to integrate it into their personal spiritual practices. Although some have embraced the traditional Middle Eastern forms described above, most have created their own ways of exploring their spiritual journeys within the dance.

The majority of Western dancers who use the dance for spiritual exploration today do so outside of any particular religion or belief system. Modern day leaders in bringing together spirituality and dance include Delilah, Z-Helene, and Goddess Dancing.

According to Delilah, the spiritual side of dance has always been there for her. There was no "first" experience with it. She sees creativity itself as being deeply spiritual. "The need for a spiritual connection with in belly dance is brought about by the individual's search and desire for deeper meanings. It directly contrasts the superficial notions that the dance is only physical culture or that it is something women do to placate men. This dance nourishes the body and the soul."

Delilah sees the traditional Middle Eastern forms of guedra, zar, and the others as applications of movement to spiritual practice. It's not necessary to conform to one of these traditions in order to realize dance as a spiritual practice. Connection with spirituality is not something you have to seek out and put on. It's an everyday thing. Delilah's advice to those who want to explore a spiritual dimension to their dance: "Open your heart."

However, the dance can also play a role within the context of mainstream Western religion, and many dancers who practice these religions look for ways to bring together these two things that are very important to them. The Lutheran and Episcopalian denominations of Christianity have both been progressive in introducing liturgical dance to the altar at their church services. Although their liturgical dance workshops focus on ballet and modern dance movement vocabularies, some Middle Eastern dance artists have successfully introduced this art form to their congregations as liturgical dance. These artists usually choose not to wear the midriff-baring nightclub costume, and the mood they portray is usually one of worship.

The Unitarian church has long supported the use of the performing arts at the altar. I've seen folk dances from Eastern Europe performed as part of a church service, and many Unitarian congregations have welcomed performances by Middle Eastern dance artists.

Even more conservative Christian denominations have accepted Middle Eastern dance as part of special events: parish talent shows, shepherdess portrayals in Christmas pageants, and celebratory dances in Palm Sunday services, to name a few. Biblical costumes and moods appropriate to the role being portrayed (such as joy for Palm Sunday) are often the key to earning the trust and respect of the congregation.

Many modern-day Pagans, who also happen to be part of the Middle Eastern dance community, have brought their dance talents into their spiritual practices. Some have studied the Middle Eastern rituals and brought modified versions of them into their own lives.

Delilah has developed a number of spiritual exercises that she uses in her workshops and retreats, including veil therapy, veil origami, and circle baladi, among others. She has sponsored retreats focused on the myth of Inanna's descent to the underworld, with a ritual applied to Inanna's passage through each of the seven gates.

In one very moving California show that I saw, Bonney Grey performed a dance she called "Blessings of the Moon Goddess" at a benefit for a woman who had recently fallen on very difficult times. The sense of warmth and blessing for everyone in the room was palpable. She has presented this dance, always wearing a mask and a flowing costume, in many places in the greater San Francisco area, including a concert at Fort Mason and many rituals. The dance was inspired when Bonney made a trip to Bali. There, the locals believe that a spirit inhabits a mask--when you wear the mask, you invoke the spirit.

The group Goddess Dancing in the Boston area advertises that it delivers "belly blessings". Dhyanis, based in the San Francisco area, sponsors an annual production at the time of the Summer Solstice called The Living Goddess, which features dance portrayals by a wide variety of artists, many of whom come from the local belly dancing community.

Many dancers feel a deep sense of spirituality simply from the act of dancing, even when they are not consciously seeking it. A dancer named An. said, "I feel that the dance attracts more that just physical spectators. I call them Witnesses. I can almost feel these silent watchful archetypal beings gathering about the circle, called by the drums and the power of the moment. The people in the audience are archetypal as well. Here the Adolescent Man, there the Women Lovers, there the Tribal Elder, and here the Child. Even the Trickster shows as the crying baby or the heckling frat boy or even the toddler who decides a duet is really warranted. Maiden, Mother, and Crone always attend."

Acknowledgements

This article originally appeared on the Suite101 web site, in the Middle Eastern Dance category, on May 18, 2001.

I am deeply indebted to Morocco (Carolina Varga Dinicu) for freely sharing the knowledge she acquired of Middle Eastern dance and ritual traditions through her on-location field research. Most of the information described in Movement Meditation Traditions comes from what I have learned from her.

I also want to thank the many dancers who have shared their spiritual journeys in dance with me, especially Delilah who first awakened me to the possibilities and the Inanna sisters who traveled with me for a time.

Middle Eastern Dance: The Spiritual Connection