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The Sacred
Shapes™ of Belly Dance are unique to The Goddess Dancing™. We developed the concept over years
of teaching and researching. The following is an excerpt from our
beginner
level instructional video Belly Dancing The Sacred Shapes™ with The Goddess
Dancing™.
In
our exploration of belly dance we discovered common patterns of movement. We
chose five of these patterns around which our basic curriculum is formed.
They are familiar symbols from ancient cultures and the natural world around us.
We call them The Sacred Shapes™. The Circle, The Crescent, The Figure Eight, The
Undulation and The Shimmy.
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The Circle
A
circle is perfect in its wholeness. One of the oldest symbols found, it has
represented the mystery of being throughout the ages.
Circles are seen
everywhere. In the full moon, ripe fruit on vine and limb, in the belly of a
pregnant woman. Circles are within our bodies too. They are in our eyes, our
belly buttons, our spinal columns. Even our cells are in the shape of a circle.
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The Crescent
The crescent is the symbolic arm of the parent that cradled us. It has the
powerful quality of the open circle that is capable of holding something.
Historically, it has been the symbol of the female organs within the body, the
sacred horns. Crescents are in our faces. They're in our smiles. They're in the world
around us, in the moon and in the crest of the wave on the ocean.
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The
Figure Eight
In a woman’s body,
the muscles guarding the gateway of life follow a figure eight. Our blood flows
in a figure eight through our bodies. The interaction between air, earth and
water create invisible figure eights. It’s not surprising that the figure eight
on its side, was adopted as our mathematical symbol for infinity.
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The Shimmy
The vibration or
shimmy is an invisible shape that surrounds us. It is the quiver of excitement
in our breath or the shaking of our limbs in fear. It is the way our heart
races, our earth shifts and light pulses. It is the tap, tapping of rain and the
sparkle of stars.
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The Undulation
The wavy line or
undulation is in the many unseen forces of our universe. It is the shape of
space, the path of heat, the way sound travels. It is seen in the way a snake
moves, the path of a river, and the belly of a woman in contractions. Tapped
into, the undulation takes us deep within our spine, delighting us with the
freedom we have as we stand upright.
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