Sword Dance

Belly dancing and sword dancing expresses a joy, exuberance, energy and happiness. The beautiful movements of the body to music are to celebrate life... more

by Ursula Freer

Title

Sword Dance

Artist

Ursula Freer

Medium

Painting - Fine Art Print

Description

Belly dancing and sword dancing expresses a joy, exuberance, energy and happiness. The beautiful movements of the body to music are to celebrate life and the joy of the body. Middle Eastern women's sword dancing, or "Raqs al Saïf" or Raqs Sharqi, is dramatic to watch and clearly requires skill to perform. Traditionally men do the sword dance as a proof of their power and skill.
There are many stories as to why women do the sword dance, in the Arabic, Egyptian, generally Middle Eastern tradition. One story is that in times past a woman was presented with her husband's sword on his death. She would dance to honor him. Even though the sword dance and the accompanying music is a celebration of art, joy and energy, there is quite a bit of training in balance and skill involved.

Uploaded

July 11th, 2013