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Mission Statement
We believe
that belly dance can heal, transform, and empower humanity and our planet.
Our work is deeply rooted in these beliefs. We teach by honoring
The Divine Feminine in us all. We create dances which enact myths,
tell stories, and celebrate women. We recognize that belly dance has
its origins as a birth dance and restore it to its rightful place in this sacred
process.
In our attempts to
define ourselves and what we do, our mission statement, like our group, has gone
through a number of incarnations over the years... A couple of things have
remained constant: Our belief in the ability of belly dance to heal,
transform and empower those who adopt it, and our dedication to distinguishing
and bringing recognition to the feminine face of The Divine.
Following
is a progression of The Goddess Dancing's mission statements
since its' beginning:
1980-1990
A group of women birthing a new sacred
dance form, rooted in the ancient dances of creation
from the Fertile Crescent, in honor of the Goddess.
1991
We are a group of women re-creating a sacred
dance form, drawing from the ancient dances of the
Fertile Crescent. What is Goddess Dancing?
Goddess dancing is dance done with the intention of
honoring the divine feminine. It has been performed in many
cultures over time. It depicts women in supportive
and loving relationship to each other, with caring
attitudes toward their own bodies and a sense of
worshipfulness that pervades their everyday lives. Beyond this, it celebrates
the role of the feminine principle in the overall
balance of the forces that shape our existence. Our
version of Goddess dancing draws inspiration from
ancient dance done by the priestesses in the temples
of the Goddess, with movements which have been passed
from woman to woman for thousands of years, paying
homage to the cycle of life.
1992-1993
We are a group of women creating
sacred dance, drawing our movement style mainly from
the dances of the Middle East and our inspiration from
the Goddess archetypes and myths of many cultures. We
dance to honor the feminine aspect of the Divine,
to celebrate the cycles of women's lives, and to
express the Goddess within our hearts. Our dances
enact myths, depict Goddesses and mortal women, tell
stories, and portray a community of women in
supportive and loving relationship to each other. We
perform "belly dance" in the spirit in which we
believe it was done in ancient times: As a dance about
birth and the power of women, performed by priestesses
in the temples of the Goddess.
1994
"The Goddess Dancing" is a group of women
dancers/teachers, ritual-makers, who perform belly dancing in the spirit in which they believe it
originated - as a dance which celebrates birth and the creative powers of the Divine Feminine. The group
began in 1991, out of classes taught by Barbara Brandt
in "Belly Dancing and Women's Spirituality".
1996
We are a group of women creating sacred dance, drawing
our movement style mainly from the Middle East and our
inspiration from the goddess archetypes and myths of
many cultures. We dance to honor the feminine aspect
of the Divine, to celebrate the cycles of women's
lives, and to express the Goddess within
our hearts. We perform belly dance in the spirit in
which we believe it was done in ancient times; as a
dance about birth and the power of women, performed by
priestesses in the temples of the goddesses.
1999
We are a group of women creating sacred dance, drawing
our movement style mainly from the Middle East and our
inspiration from the goddess archetypes and myths of
many cultures. We dance to honor the feminine aspect
of the Divine, to celebrate the cycles of women's
lives, and to express the Goddess within our hearts.
Our dances enact myths, depict goddesses and mortal
women, and tell stories. Together, we create a
community of women in supportive and loving
relationship. We perform Belly Dance in the spirit we
believe it was done in ancient times: as a dance about
birth and the power of women, performed by priestesses
in the temples of the goddess.
2000
We are a group of women creating a new kind of dance.
Goddess Dancing is sacred dance done to honor the
divine feminine, through the movements and language of
Belly Dance. Our dances tell stories, enact myths,
and depict goddesses and mortal women. We draw
on the music and dances of the Middle East, Africa,
and Asia. We honor the traditions of Belly Dance and
offer our own uniquely American interpretation. We
teach and perform Belly Dance in the spirit we believe
it was done in ancient times: as a dance about
creation and the power of women, performed by
priestesses in the temple of the Goddess.
2001
We are a group of women creating sacred dance for a
new millennium. Goddess Dancing is sacred dance, done
to honor the divine feminine and the cycles of women's
lives. We use the movements and language of Belly
Dance, a sacred dance with a long tradition of which
we are proudly a part. Our dances tell stories, enact
myths, and depict goddesses and mortal women. We
draw on the music and dances of the Middle East,
Africa, and Asia. We honor the traditions of belly
dance in the spirit in which we believe it was done in
ancient times - as a dance about creation and the
power of women, performed by priestesses in the
temples of the Goddess. We believe that the body is a great place to be.
We teach and perform rooted in this belief. It is our
goal to create community and to bring the tools of
empowerment to as many people as we can. We have found
that the sacred symbols inherent in this dance are our
greatest tools for change.
2004
We are women who believe that Belly Dance is an
outward expression of honoring, healing, and transforming. We honor The Divine Feminine in us all.
We seek to heal ourselves and our planet. We witness
the transformation of our humanity. We teach and
perform Belly Dance rooted in these beliefs. We
create dances to enact myths, to tell stories, to
honor goddesses & mortal women, & to bestow blessings.
2006
We believe
that belly dance can heal, transform, and empower humanity and our planet.
Our work is deeply rooted in these beliefs. We teach by honoring
The Divine Feminine in us all. We create dances which enact myths,
tell stories, and celebrate women. We recognize that belly dance has
its origins as a birth dance and restore it to its rightful place in this sacred
process.
If you would like to
learn more about The Goddess Dancing, read our
History of TGD and
Before and Beside Us
pages. Another good resource is the series of articles by our founding
mother, Barbara Brandt, on our
Articles page.
If you want to know
more about the current members of The Goddess Dancing, visit our
Meet the Goddesses
page.
Check out our
Curriculum Vitae to see all of the fun and cool
workshops, performances, and presentations we have been involved in over the
years...
And don't forget to
check our
Calendar
page to see what is coming up.
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