From the beginning, the human being sought to communicate through his body with hidden forces that could explain the mysteries of life that tormented him. The observation of natural cycles, the conception of a new life and new reality of his end were certainly sources of inspiration to seek for a language that could convey his innermost torments.

The relationship between micro and macro cosmos was a way that the ancient man found to understand the nature and, in consequence, himself. What externalized in that environment and what he lived internally were in harmony. The perception that his body was a reduced version of elements presents in his habitat provided him a wisdom that was needed to live in the environment and evolve himself. Thus, the pelvis’s center fascinated the ancient man and it was the forerunner of dancing movements: move the pelvis was to connect with the primordial force of creation, and waving it was to establish a direct relationship between natural cycles and his own human body. Man as a divine image and similarity! This concept has no national or cultural boundaries it is inherent to mankind.

Over time, the geographic conditions were delimiting territories that established unique characteristics in dance. Remained the pillar of the fundamental concept, the man dances for nature and the dance takes shape based on elements that were incorporated from that.  We can affirm that pelvic movement transcended geographical barriers; however it won different qualities depending on the region that where practiced. Then, with the desire of praise the life, the fertility and fecundity rituals were danced using enigmatic snake’s movements which were allusion of natural elements belonging to the symbolic universe of the infinite. This concept kept on deploying throughout history without losing the quality of genuine spirals, as well as it was embracing and absorbing many stimuli that always motivated the human needs for communication and understanding with other, with the environment and with himself. Throughout the history distinct nomenclatures emerged in order to explain the dance of life.

Oriental Dance, translation raks del sharki, is a dance danced in Middle and Near East also known as “Belly Dance” in West. This dance had its heyday in harems of the ancient palaces belonging to the Ottoman Empire, which were women communities from different parts of the East that like slaves had the craft of entertaining the sultans and their guests. But the will of communication and overcoming established in that moment of the history, a unique opportunity for developing the language of the dance without borders, racial losses or barriers, the elements were incorporated and it formed a hybrid art with many shades and forms.

Even though there are currently discussions about the origin of these movements – different people have tried to give to themselves -, if you put your body to work for dancing and look for mimicking with different cultures, and then getting closer to what is the most genuine with proposals to dance your language, you realize that there is more similarities than differences in humanity!

"Fusión. El Universo que danza”, Patricia Passo