Thus reads the mission statement of The
Goddess Dancing, the Boston-based dance collaborative that celebrates it's tenth
anniversary this year. The current incarnation of group is very different than
the original one, but the vision and mission remain the same. This article
provides a brief history of the group and introduces its current members.
The Goddess Dancing began in 1991 in the
basement of Arsenic and Old Lace in Porter Square, as an outgrowth of Barbara
Brandt’s class "Belly Dance and Women’s Spirituality." Barbara developed the
concept of the use of sacred shapes (circle, crescent, figure eight, spiral, and
wave) in belly dance, and was a pioneer in discovering and promoting the
connection between belly dance and women’s spirituality.
The troupe has had a variety of successes,
including ongoing classes (nine years running!); workshops with Delilah of
Seattle and Aszmara of New York; birthing experiences; performances in
everything from local area clubs, to Carlos Fests, to Blood Mystery Dinners; and
last but not least, several successful belly dance camps.
There have been many and various personnel
changes to the group, and each woman has added to the body of wisdom and
experience built up in the group. From Barbara Brandt’s initial concepts, the
path has spiraled out beyond the originator’s wildest dreams.
Without further ado, the 2001 line up of The Goddess Dancing
(dangling participle and all!)
Anita-Cristina Calcaterra is one of the founding members
of the Goddess Dancing. Anita-Cristina (A-C to her intimates)
has grown up with this dance, learning from her mother and her mother’s friends,
and her sensuous and well-articulated hips are the living
proof. She says, "Each time I dance, I am reminded that women have done these
movements since the beginning of time, and I feel the lineage and connection to
the entire family of women, and the Goddess who gave birth to us all." Anita-Cristina has a master’s degree in education and is an elementary school
teacher.
Karen Uminski joined The Goddess Dancing in 1995, coming
to the group after stints as student and apprentice. She has been dancing all
her life, including ballet, tap, jazz, modern, and ballroom, but it wasn’t until
she discovered belly dance that she found her true calling. Karen has a BFA in
Writing, Publishing and Literature from Emerson College. Her formal training in
writing has given her a great background in storytelling and artistic
construction, which has proved invaluable to her work as a dancer and
choreographer.
Laura Levensaler is one of the newly inducted members of The
Goddess Dancing. Her passion, from childhood through adulthood, has been to
dance at every opportunity. She studied with many different teachers in the
Boston area and performed locally. As a young woman, she moved to San Francisco
where she studied ballet and jazz, then returned to the Boston area to join the
Jeanette Neil Dance Troupe. But when she reached her 40s, she felt unable to
compete with the younger dancers. All movement ceased. About four years ago, she
began to take classes with The Goddess Dancing and fell in love. She says, "I
felt my body begin to heal, my spirituality deepen, and my self-esteem grow. I
knew I was in the right place." She has recently finished her apprenticeship
with The Goddess Dancing and currently teaches classes and performs in the
Boston and suburban areas. Her other passion is woman’s health and acupuncture;
she is a nurse, and she has an acupuncture practice in the Waltham area.
Cathy Moore is another apprentice turned member. Cathy is
developing her own style of proud, powerful, and fun dancing. Cathy is a
Certified Nurse Midwife, with over 15 years experience in women’s healthcare. She has a master’s degree in Family & Community nursing. Her work "catching
babies" (as she puts it) supports and is supported by her knowledge of this
birth dance. She has been belly dancing since 1996. She is married to Dean, and
is the mother of two canine children.
Amy Smith is the final new member of TGD. Amy has been belly
dancing for seven years, and was a member of the Blue Moon Zar Gypsies prior to
joining The Goddess Dancing. Amy first started taking belly dance lessons after
seeing The Goddess Dancing perform at a Blood Mystery Dinner. She says, "This is
truly a dance for all women, of all shapes, sizes, ages, and backgrounds. Belly
dance has not only helped me accept my body, but to be proud of it and what it
can do. Finally, I feel at home in my body." Amy is a technical writer for
IBM/Lotus, and recently completed her master's degree in technical and
professional communications. She admits to being somewhat of a computer nerd and
is helping to bring TGD into the 21st century.
As we celebrate our past, we remember and thank all of the women
who have been a part of this vital organization. Thank you to Ann, Amber,
Barbara, Cynthia, Iris, Johanna, Linda, Lisa, Liz, Lorraine, and Mia. We also
honor all of our teachers, who are too numerous to name here, but we thank you
all. We also celebrate this very special community, which has allowed The
Goddess Dancing to grow and flourish.
As we look to the future, we are working on a standard curriculum
based on The Sacred Shapes
