Art Chowder September | October 2016, Issue 5 | Page 23

I

n the 1970’s, belly dance went
through a transformation as the
feminist movement began gaining
momentum. The idea of a belly
dancer as a fantasy object shifted,
and women began looking back to
19th century photographs, paintings, and depictions of tribal dancers from North Africa as inspiration for re-creating themselves and
the belly dancer image. Long hair
was forsworn for heavy turbans
deliciously decorated with antique
silver pins and large amber beads.
Textiles of unimaginable intricacy
were draped in layers over pantaloons and heavy skirts. Patterns
were painted on the face reminiscent of the facial tattoos of Berber
women, and heavy coin belts dripping with beaded medallions accented hip and torso movements
below a bared stomach. The focus
shifted; instead of a solo, scantily clad dancer gy