Islamic Art and lessons for Belly Dance  -- 
   
The study of Islamic Art has been a most fascinating one and through the study of this I have gained a really strong insight into the fundamental differences between Western Thought and Middle Eastern Thought, and the valuable lessons that run through the entire way that Westerners and Middle Eastern people regard Belly Dance. 

Most people will be familiar with Islamic Art, the Persian carpets, the interior decorations of the Mosques and the beauty of the Alhambra had inspired countless European scholars and artists in the early 19th century. But let us look a little bit below the surface. The representation of living things was prohibited though the Qur'an does not utter a word for or against the representation of living things. The justification for the prohibition tended to be that any representation of a living thing was an act of competition with God, for he alone can create something that is alive. The typical expression of Muslim art is the arabesque, both in its geometric and in its vegetabilic form--one leaf, one flower growing out of the other, without beginning and end and capable of almost innumerable variations--only gradually detected by the eye--which never lose their charm. An aversion to empty spaces distinguishes that art; neither the tile-covered walls of a mosque nor the rich imagery of a poem allows an unembellished area; and the decoration of a carpet can be extended almost without limit.

The underpinning belief is that that God is Master of everything and thus there is a sort of "fatalistic" view on everything. "It is Allah's Will." The whole thrust was to "take what comes" and follow the teachings of the Qur'an to the letter. Everything was directed to the idea that God or Allah is absolute and Belief in the Qur'anic dictum "Whatever is on earth will perish save His face" discouraged artistic endeavour on a large scale; but the Prophetic tradition "Verily God is beautiful and loves beauty" has inspired numberless artists and artisans, writers and poets, musicians, and mystics to develop their arts and crafts as a reflection of that divine beauty. Therefore as a global generalisation Islamic Art is meant to reflect the harmoniousness and beauty of what is around, and the artist was regarded not as a prophet or a genius but as a technically equipped individual who succeeds in beautifying the surroundings of all men.

In the West with Christianity the underpinning mentality was very different. Personal Absolution by way of Deeds created a completely different ethos, one of control on one's personal destiny rather than an attitude of no control on one's destiny. Art reflected this fundamental difference with the most common religious subject matter being the Crucifix and the endless sagas of the Crusades was really an extension of the idea that life was a non stop struggle over the force of Satan and that Jesus Christ died for our sins, thus we are obliged to work hard and strive upwards and onwards against the Forces of Evil. Western Art reflected this mentality clearly. Very strong and dramatic stuff. 

By contrast drama and opera in the Western sense did not develop in the Islamic countries until the 19th century; and the art of the novel is a very recent development. There was no reason for drama in the Muslim perception God is the only actor who can do whatever he pleases, whose will is inscrutable. Man is meant "to just live" it is not his place to start dramatising anything, this implies that there may well be outcomes that in order to create drama, have to be by definition, ambiguous, in the Muslim World the outcome is always certain, it is dictated by Allah. Neither is there a need for cathartic or need to purge emotion, again whatever emotion man has is what is meant to be there by Allah's Will. 

There is thus a hedonistic element in Islamic art, therefore, but this hedonism is intellectually and emotionally mitigated by the conscious knowledge of the perishable character of all things human. So that is why Islamic Art is so restful and satisfying. It is meant to please and satisfy the soul and reflect the wonder and beauty of the Order of Things. It is not meant to stir up or disturb. The Muslims have a great belief in the stability and order of things and the idea of Islamic Art is not meant to disturb. Neither is it meant to be dramatic or give the idea of lofty or inspirational ideas. We can see how the complex Art of Belly Dance can really work in this way. Movements of the body that are subtle, don't have a clear beginning, middle and ending, are done well within the comfort zone, and if the mentality is one of effectively "Waves on a Shore" type of idea then we are hitting the mark dead on. Personally I love dancing like this, I can lose myself and completely relax. 

Even Arabic writing has this flavour. It has a lovely aesthetical quality, just the harmony, and shaping of the lettering.  The call to Prayer 5 times a day has a similar quality in the endless and poetical way the call is uttered is around wherever you go in the Middle East. 

The way the Middle Eastern people dance. They would have a far narrower portfolio of moves than Westerners often but the way they would vary that one move in a very subtle way endlessly and stay with it gives the whole thing that timeless quality. Generally the impression I get with the Middle East is a pervading sense of timeless beauty and spiritual depth that pervades everything.  With Islam you don't have to "prove yourself", you are a son/daughter of Allah, what happens, happens, you don't have to show off or prove anything, you have value in the world without having to do that. So you can get into the comfort zone and do just that one move you learnt from your Mother and enjoy it, really sink into it and enjoy that one move with having to feel you got to go on and on and learn more and more. But we will notice that the way that one move is executed is so skillful! By working within the comfort zone on a narrow range of things means that a very high level of skill is achieved in a sustainable and relatively pleasant way. 

But we Westerners have to Work very Hard indeed! After all Jane Fonda said that the worst thing is to be "soggy" It means we have to get onto that treadmill and learn just about every Ethnic Dance style in the world, we need to try hard and strive and get into that mentality of "no pain, no gain." We seem to get onto that Puritanical Treadmill too easily. 

Now these are my purely personal viewpoints that are not meant to be taken too literally. I'm not advocating - just sit there and "let it be," but I think, and that includes me as well, could do with not getting too hung up and worrying about whether we are "doing enough", simply pick a few things, stick with them and develop them over the years to a high level of skill rather than go and try and learn just about everything that comes your way.