Dr. Rosina-Fawzia Al-Rawi was born in Baghdad and spent her childhood in Iraq and Lebanon. She is the author of Grandmother's Secrets: The Ancient Rituals and Healing Power of Belly Dancing, Divine Names: The 99 Healing Names of the One God, and Midnight Tales: A Woman's Journey through the Middle East. She holds a PhD in Islamic studies. She completed her Arabic, Islamic, and ethnological studies at the Universities of Vienna and Cairo and has been teaching Sufism for over 20 years. She holds workshops in various countries and her books were translated into Arabic, German, English and French. Al-Rawi's workshops, classes, and training courses are based on knowledge drawn from psychology, spirituality, cultural anthropology, and medicine. They are underpinned in particular by a body of knowledge known as Sufism, which has been collected and passed down over centuries, especially in Africa, the Middle East and Asia. Dancing, meditation, breathing techniques, traditional Sufi-practices such as zikr, whirling or working with the Divine Names all focus on opening the heart and embedding oneself into the great universal laws, beyond egocentric and social norms, connecting body, soul and spirit. In Vienna she set up a center for female spirituality, where seminars, workshops, and personal support on the path to self-discovery are offered.
Al-Rawi has written a strikingly graceful and original book that
blends personal memoir with the history and theory of the folk
dance known in the West as belly dancing.... Grandmother's Secrets
is a unique and highly engaging work of considerable merit."
'Belly dancing, so aptly named, leads to the deep, dark cave, the
center of the earth, before flying, in all its pride and
life-force, up to the light, to inspiration, and to new awareness.
The way to the spirit is found via the body, via the matter.' With
words fluidly chasing the literary face of an intangible essence-a
fleeting silhouette veiled beneath music, dance and ritual-Al-Rawi
cleverly reveals the secret of ancient Oriental dance, and revels
in its mystery. Al-Rawi, an Arabic studies and ethnology authority,
presents her impressions in this book that melds memoir, history
and philosophy in an effort to capture and celebrate the timeless
feminine spirit that is incarnated in dance. Launching into a
delicate web of dreamlike vignettes within the opening pages,
Al-Rawi warmly draws readers into her childhood awakening to her
culture and her place therein. Following these passages of personal
inflection, she supplies a comprehensive, yet refreshingly concise
history of cultural and ritual dance ranging from primitive to
present day civilization. Concurrent with the tracing of this
history is Al-Rawi's careful attention to the social and spiritual
position of women in each successive era, as well as the specific
influences of religion and economics. Al-Rawi discusses the ancient
goddesses that once represented the Divine Feminine, the decline of
ancient matriarchal times and ascension of the modern day
patriarchal worldview. The inclusion of this analytical and
philosophical retrospect is an unexpected and surprisingly powerful
turn for the book. The author's lucid account of the shifting
feminine role in society provides an effective springboard into the
instructional balance of the book. The book transforms again,
becoming a guide to awareness of the body, in and out of motion,
while outlining numerous techniques of dance. The inclusion of
numerous photographs for posture and stance garnish the pages. The
book may have, however, benefited from diagrams or a photo series
to better illustrate movement. Well suited for a general audience
in addition to cultural dance or women's studies enthusiasts,
Grandmother's Secrets flows easily, untaxed by its serious
undertone. With the descriptions of ritual dances that mark a
woman's life-her birth, womanhood, seduction and mourning-this book
unveils a commonality that transcends all cultures and offers hope.
These women pass their lives gently, each one as a single day in
the greater, endless lifetime of a collective spirit, dancing to a
rhythm nearly circadian in nature.
Al-Rawi relates movement to ideas and art to philosophy so
that...'belly dancing becomes a source of inspiration...and a clear
and dynamic way of discovering...understanding oneself.' An
interesting glimpse into a culture, an art form, and a means for
women's healing and self-expression.
Both a philosophy of belly dancing and a primer....provides clear
instructions on how to perform belly dancing...the results are
lucid and informative. The book also provides important insights
into Sufism...so engagingly written...that the reader longs for
more...This view of the dance is new to the literature and provides
a fascinating contribution to belly dance theory....It provides
original and valuable perspectives on a dance form and life style
that are misunderstood.
In her lovely and lyrical book Al-Rawi explains how the ancient
Eastern art of belly dancing is both source and symbol of women's
identity and strength in the Arab world, and how she gained this
knowledge from her grandmother. Part memoir, part dance history and
part instruction guide...Al-Rawi offers women of all ages a window
into another culture and into themselves. Her earthy wisdom may
remind readers of such fictional works as Amy Tan's The Joy Luck
Club and Anita Diament's The Red Tent.
Upon careful reading, the seemingly incongruous mixture of personal
narrative, historical analysis, and technical discussion blends
serendipitously into an intriguing and insightful interpretation of
the spiritual and social roles of belly dancing as a uniquely
feminine and personal expression of women's life experiences,
desires and emotions. Due to the highly technical nature of the
discussion, this book will be most appropriate for specialists in
the anthropology of dance and for teachers and practitioners of
belly dancing.
A beautifully written guide to a much-misunderstood
tradition.--Natural Living Today
A significant cause for celebration....This beautifully bound book
is an ambitious attempt to cover as much ground relevant to the
dance as possible...a worthy contribution to the discourse on
Middle Eastern dance.--Habibi (Dance Magazine)
In a strikingly graceful and original book, Al-Rawi tells the
history of the dance from the earliest times...to the Arab world of
the last three centuries....inspired...Most important, she explains
the significance of belly dancing as an expression of the feminine
principle and a way for all women to find their inner
strength.--One Spirit
More than a dance book. It is about being a woman; about female
empowerment, from its early connotations to the final vestiges of
matriarchal societies.--Arabica
Warmly readable...Unpendantic and enjoyable reading, the tale
reveals astonishing similarities between East and West when it
comes to the use of breath and the body.--Dance Magazine
Al-Rawi has written a strikingly graceful and original book that
blends personal memoir with the history and theory of the folk
dance known in the West as belly dancing.... Grandmother's Secrets
is a unique and highly engaging work of considerable merit."
'Belly dancing, so aptly named, leads to the deep, dark cave, the
center of the earth, before flying, in all its pride and
life-force, up to the light, to inspiration, and to new awareness.
The way to the spirit is found via the body, via the matter.' With
words fluidly chasing the literary face of an intangible essence-a
fleeting silhouette veiled beneath music, dance and ritual-Al-Rawi
cleverly reveals the secret of ancient Oriental dance, and revels
in its mystery. Al-Rawi, an Arabic studies and ethnology authority,
presents her impressions in this book that melds memoir, history
and philosophy in an effort to capture and celebrate the timeless
feminine spirit that is incarnated in dance. Launching into a
delicate web of dreamlike vignettes within the opening pages,
Al-Rawi warmly draws readers into her childhood awakening to her
culture and her place therein. Following these passages of personal
inflection, she supplies a comprehensive, yet refreshingly concise
history of cultural and ritual dance ranging from primitive to
present day civilization. Concurrent with the tracing of this
history is Al-Rawi's careful attention to the social and spiritual
position of women in each successive era, as well as the specific
influences of religion and economics. Al-Rawi discusses the ancient
goddesses that once represented the Divine Feminine, the decline of
ancient matriarchal times and ascension of the modern day
patriarchal worldview. The inclusion of this analytical and
philosophical retrospect is an unexpected and surprisingly powerful
turn for the book. The author's lucid account of the shifting
feminine role in society provides an effective springboard into the
instructional balance of the book. The book transforms again,
becoming a guide to awareness of the body, in and out of motion,
while outlining numerous techniques of dance. The inclusion of
numerous photographs for posture and stance garnish the pages. The
book may have, however, benefited from diagrams or a photo series
to better illustrate movement. Well suited for a general audience
in addition to cultural dance or women's studies enthusiasts,
Grandmother's Secrets flows easily, untaxed by its serious
undertone. With the descriptions of ritual dances that mark a
woman's life-her birth, womanhood, seduction and mourning-this book
unveils a commonality that transcends all cultures and offers hope.
These women pass their lives gently, each one as a single day in
the greater, endless lifetime of a collective spirit, dancing to a
rhythm nearly circadian in nature.
Al-Rawi relates movement to ideas and art to philosophy so
that...'belly dancing becomes a source of inspiration...and a clear
and dynamic way of discovering...understanding oneself.' An
interesting glimpse into a culture, an art form, and a means for
women's healing and self-expression.
Both a philosophy of belly dancing and a primer....provides clear
instructions on how to perform belly dancing...the results are
lucid and informative. The book also provides important insights
into Sufism...so engagingly written...that the reader longs for
more...This view of the dance is new to the literature and provides
a fascinating contribution to belly dance theory....It provides
original and valuable perspectives on a dance form and life style
that are misunderstood.
In her lovely and lyrical book Al-Rawi explains how the ancient
Eastern art of belly dancing is both source and symbol of women's
identity and strength in the Arab world, and how she gained this
knowledge from her grandmother. Part memoir, part dance history and
part instruction guide...Al-Rawi offers women of all ages a window
into another culture and into themselves. Her earthy wisdom may
remind readers of such fictional works as Amy Tan's The Joy Luck
Club and Anita Diament's The Red Tent.
Upon careful reading, the seemingly incongruous mixture of personal
narrative, historical analysis, and technical discussion blends
serendipitously into an intriguing and insightful interpretation of
the spiritual and social roles of belly dancing as a uniquely
feminine and personal expression of women's life experiences,
desires and emotions. Due to the highly technical nature of the
discussion, this book will be most appropriate for specialists in
the anthropology of dance and for teachers and practitioners of
belly dancing.
A beautifully written guide to a much-misunderstood
tradition.--Natural Living Today
A significant cause for celebration....This beautifully bound book
is an ambitious attempt to cover as much ground relevant to the
dance as possible...a worthy contribution to the discourse on
Middle Eastern dance.--Habibi (Dance Magazine)
In a strikingly graceful and original book, Al-Rawi tells the
history of the dance from the earliest times...to the Arab world of
the last three centuries....inspired...Most important, she explains
the significance of belly dancing as an expression of the feminine
principle and a way for all women to find their inner
strength.--One Spirit
More than a dance book. It is about being a woman; about female
empowerment, from its early connotations to the final vestiges of
matriarchal societies.--Arabica
Warmly readable...Unpendantic and enjoyable reading, the tale
reveals astonishing similarities between East and West when it
comes to the use of breath and the body.--Dance Magazine
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