"Beauty is power; a smile is its sword." - John Ray

Female sword dancing, or Raks al sayf, was not widespread in the Middle East. Men in Egypt performed a dance called el ard, a martial arts dance involving upraised swords, but women were not widely known to use swords as props during their dancing in public. However, paintings and engravings of the French artist Jean-Léon Gérôme (who visited Egypt in the 18th century) show sword dancers balancing sabers on their head. Sword dancing, (Raqs al Saïf) is widespread in Turkey, Pakistan-India and Iran.

Women dancing with swords is an ancient skill in North Africa. Bedouin dancers of the Sahara dance in honor of their husbands. Some tribes had sword dancers at their wedding to bring good luck. The dancer is untouchable by other men. This ritual dance had psychic consequences: A married female sword dancer who was unfaithful to her husband lost everything, including her dancing skills.

"Never give a sword to a man who can’t dance." - Confucius

Read the rest of this fabulous article written by Jheri St James: bellydancingdiva.com/2009/09...dancing/