Abstract
During the second phase of the feminist movement, in the 1960s and 1970s, women turned to belly dance as a form they argued had its origin in the goddess religions of the ancient Near East. This chapter examines the unfolding of this belief system and its influence on performance styles and the extension of these beliefs into mainstream culture as the dance form was incorporated into programmes for women preparing for pregnancy, dealing with issues of body image and recovering from forms of sexual abuse. This chapter reveals how a dance as a popular culture form has been influenced by contemporary politics and ultimately evolved a mythic ethos that has become the foundation for healing modalities.
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