About Us:
Hip-circle Dance Productions
Based in the Niagara Region, Hip-circle Dance
Productions' mission is to find, create, present and produce empowering
opportunities which allow women to explore their creative and
expressive potential through the art of Middle-Eastern Dance.
Hip-circle accomplishes its
mission through a variety of means which
include dance classes, public performances and social gatherings.
It is the primary objective of Hip-circle
Dance Productions through its classes, productions and appearances to
increase public awareness, regard and respect for the Art of
bellydance.
It is the secondary objective of Hip-circle Dance
Productions to expand public awareness and appreciation toward other
forms of international dance, music and movement.
An Ancient Present
The ‘bellydance’, our western name for
raks al-sharky
("dance of the east") and raks al-baladi
("dance
of the people"), has its roots deeply imbedded
in ancient culture. Belly-dance is believed to have
originated in
Egypt where, even now, folk dances
are an integral part of both
popular entertainment
and cultural celebrations. Dances with dominant
hip movementspre-date Islam, Christianity and Judaism
and played a
primarily spiritual role in the celebration and expression of
life’s mysteries.
Bellydance variations continue to
evolve while
maintaining a common vocabulary. Today’s
performers
create and re-create this dance, paying tribute to
a time when femininity and the body were held sacred.
By bringing this ancient art into the
present, we
transcend the mundane and begin to realize our true
potential. Through study and performance, dancers
are granted wonderful opportunities to explore and
nurture their own
inner creativity. By choosing
bellydance women celebrate the divine
within in all
its perfection and mystery.
"A form [of dance]
that exults
in the female body,…"
The Globe and Mail, August 14, 1999
"Bellying up for Some Respect"
by Deirdre Kelly
"It has always been
therapeutic,
or healing, and has traditionally
been a way of
attracting a partner."
Serpent of the Nile
by Wendy Buonaventura
