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Middle Eastern Dance as a "Cure" for Clumsiness:
A Torso-Based Dance
In 24 years [as of 2002] of studying this dance, I've found this again and
again that people who are told they are 'clumsy' or 'not good at' other
[western] forms of dance do *beautifully* with Middle Eastern.
Speaking as a medical student [4 years!] and someone with training in
various forms of bodywork [The Alexander Technique, The Feldenkrais Method,
certification in Being in Movement Mindbody (R) Training], Middle Eastern is
a *torso-based* dance rather than an extremity-focused dance. The wish to
move an arm, to place a hand, begins in your core; feet are sometimes placed
using the hips!
My theory is that people whose natural tendency is to initiate and move from
their centers may get confused if they feel they are being directed to focus
on their *extremities* 'instead' [Of course, any really good movement
involves the entire body *and* the core--that's just not often taught or
perhaps even recognized ;-)]. But when they get into a form that moves from
where they do naturally, they look great! And also feel much more
confident.
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