Noura says: This book is full of beautiful pictures and provides a really good overview of the history of dance in Egypt. It's not the most historically accurate book, and often the authors opinion is presented as fact (especially in the chapters concerning pre-historic dance) but it is a good introduction. There are some interesting chapters on the Almeh & Ghwazee, the Chicago World Trade Fair and the Orientalists of the 18th & 19th century.
In all this is an excellent coffee table book, worth having for the pictures alone.

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Product Description

A celebration of the female dancers of the Arab world and their impact on the West, this book explains the origins of this ancient art, which has survived in the face of commercialism, religious disapproval and changing times. Focusing on the 19th- and early-20th centuries, the book shows how Arabic dance came to be influenced by Western ideas about art and entertainment. But the influence was two-way. In the heyday of Orientalism, Arabic dance exerted a powerful influence on the Western imagination - on such writers and artists as Flaubert, David Robers and Jean-Leon Gerome, and imitators Colette and Mata Hari. Their fascination was often based on common fantasies about the women of the Middle East. Yet, as the book's illustrations show, this obsession also produced evocative images. At the turn of the century, the genre also had an impact on fashion, theatre and popular entertainment.

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Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #413276 in Books
• Published on: 2001-02-14
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 224 pages

Review
'A delight to browse through and just as interesting to read...sumptuously illustrated.' Time Out 'A lively and lavishly illustrated excursion into the history of the solo woman's dance.' The New York Times Book Review

About the Author
Wendy Buonaventura is an Anglo-Italian dancer and writer. Her first book on Oriental dance was published in London in 1983.Serpent of the Nile was chosen as The Observer Book of the Year. She has also written and presented programmes for the BBC World Service. She has pioneered the development of Arabic dance as a theatre art in the West and her work has been featured at festivals throughout Europe and in the United States.

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Customer Reviews

Expensive, but comprehensive
"Serpent of the Nile" may on first glance seem expensive...but it is in fact a comprehensive history of the origins and meaning of bellydance. It is well illustrated with many photos beautiful photos that are helpful if you are making an authentic costume. A bellydancers bible, this book is well worth the cost.

Good visual reference for Arabic dance enthusiasts
'Serpents of the Nile' seeks to explain how female Arabic dance has evolved from its pagan origins and how it has influenced - and been influenced by - European culture. It also comments on how Arabic dance has been misinterpreted by Western society and, on how present-day dancers are trying to re-educate audiences and repair the dance to its rightful place as a sensual expression of life - not a lascivious cabaret act. The book contains a host of wonderful illustrations mostly drawn from a Western perspective, that convey the fascination Western culture has long held for the 'mystic' East and its seemingly exotic and unhibited dance forms. The illustrations - both paintings and photographs - also serve as good reference material for costuming purposes and, as such, are useful for students of the dance or theatrical costumiers.

Whilst there does seem to be a focus on the inherent sensuality of the dance and its effect on Western viewers, the publication does seek to restore the image of the dance to a respectable artform and, to help readers understand the ancient origins of a dance that never ceases to relinquish its hold on the imagination and psyche of both occidental and oriental audiences.

Best reference work on belly dancing
I first read this book many, many years ago, and it lead me to start dancing. I now give talks and demos, and find it invaluable as a reference work, and source of pictures.It has lovely illustrations. It is such an interesting subject, I am surprised there aren't more scholarly books on the subject.