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Of a Certain Age
My
mother used to tell about Maurice Chevalier, recounting the story of "Leetle
Red Riding Hoode." Red Riding Hood, of course, was "gor-joos." And so was "her
grandmother," who was "at eighty-one years of age, but gor-joos!"
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"The resistance of a woman is not always proof of her virtue but more frequently of her experience."
Ninon de Lenclos, French courtesan, 1620 - 1705.From:
"The Speaker's Electronic Reference Collection," AApex Software,
1994.
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May
we all be "gorgeous," especially as we become "of a certain age." The
question is, of course, "how?" And if you are visiting this page, then
perhaps the question is also, "and how does belly dance fit in?"
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"Much more genius is needed to make love than to command armies."
Ninon de Lenclos, French courtesan, 1620 - 1705.From:
"The Speaker's Electronic Reference Collection," AApex Software,
1994.
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Belly Dance, Beauty, and Being Your Best
(when over X-ty years of age)
Sometimes
a prospective student will say to me, "But I'm over [whatever the number
is]. Can I still learn belly dance?"
Yes,
and there's no better time to begin.
Belly dance gives you three things that NO OTHER ART or EXERCISE FORM can give you.
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Belly dance teaches you how to move in a beautiful, graceful, connected
way.
"Pretty is as pretty does."
Have you ever taken this literally? Have you ever learned how
to - simply put - be beautiful? There is an
art to everyday gestures; something as simple as walking,
or lifing a cup of coffee. Each gesture and movement offers you an opportunity
to be beautiful.
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Belly dance teaches is the best thing for a woman's health.
From releasing neck tension, to mobilizing your pelvis and spine, to
strengthening your abs, abdominal structure.
Belly dance teaches you how to use your abdominal muscles and internal
diaphragms. (We have three! Did you know that?) This way, you hold all
your internal organs inside, the way they should be. The benefits for
us include reduced risk of prolapse or hernia. Far greater control over
our sexual experience - especially as we mature! And while we focus
on learning how to build intrinsic abdominal support, we are simultaneously
taking the pressure off our lower spines, releaseing tension in our
upper backs, and just plain feeling a whole lot better.
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Belly dance helps you to "create juice."
There's nothing better for creating "juiciness" than combining knowledge
that you look gorgeous with acting in a gorgeous manner.
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"Only older women," declared Mrs. Frank Leslie, "had the 'gift of fascination.'"
Betsy Prioleau, Seductress: Women Who Rafished the World
and Their Lost Art of Love, p. 110., taken from Mrs. Leslie's
article, "Are Men Gay Deceivers?" (Chicago: Neely, 1893), p.
227.
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<TO TOP>
Ninon's Story
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"As the story is told, the young man could not fathom why everone raved about Ninon de Lenclos.
Her fabled powers of seduction would have no effect on him, he boasted to a friend.
"'What appeal can a woman of her age possibly have?' he asked.
"So it was that his friend, who had been a lover of Ninon, proposed
a wager, betting that his friend would not be able to resist
her charms."
Ninon de Lenclos, French courtesan, 1620 - 1705.
From:
"The Book of the Courtesans: A Catalogue of Their Virtues,"
by Susan Griffith, 2001. p. 128
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<TO TOP>
Getting Juice (Part 1)
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Absolutely fantastic! Totally recommended - A.
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Email your thoughts on this book to: alaynya@alaynya.com
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I've found that this helps - thinking about the "whole picture"
- diet plus exercise plus yogic breathing patterns (for tantric
energy) - A.
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Email your thoughts on this book to: alaynya@alaynya.com
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"Now, since she makes no effort to conceal the fact that she finds him charming,
and since no one else has cared to see what he concealed, much less responded so well,
he begins to feel the full force of her fabled seductiveness."
Ninon de Lenclos, French courtesan, 1620 - 1705.
From"The
Book of the Courtesans: A Catalogue of Their Virtues," by Susan
Griffith, 2001. p. 130
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<TO TOP>
Creating "Juice"
Years ago, I was
in a workshop with the famed Elena Lentini. As she took us through a beautiful
Flamenco-Mori choreography, she paused in the midst of one step. "This needs
more juice," she murmured, more to herself than to us. And she revised the choreography
right there to be softer, more rounded, and yes - more "juicy."
Many
of us make the wonderful, delightful, and freeing discovery that belly dance not
only gives us "juice" it can be learned and practiced throughout our lives.
Two of the teachers whom I love and revere the most,
Elena Lentini and
Anahid Sofian ,
are not only captivating dancers and world-class teachers, they have also reached
a certain level of mastery where their movements are so soft and relaxed, yet
so expressive, that watching either of them dance is nearly a "spiritual experience."
And yes, both of these women are "of a certain age." In that, they provide inspiration for
all of us, whatever our ages might be.
Recently,
a number of us have been thrilled to read Awakening the Spine by Vanda Scaravelli,
who was an active teacher and practitioner of yoga until her death at the age of 91.
Vanda
Scaravelli |
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Vanda Scaravelli was 85 years old when she wrote this - an inspiration
for all of us - A.
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Email your thoughts on this book to: alaynya@alaynya.com
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Elena
Lentini |
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The video contains a beautiful closing performance by Elena Lentini, and
just might be the only commercially available video of her work.
Click
on Festival on the Nile Vol XI to go to Dahlal's
website and order this video
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"The end of the story, repeated now for over three hundred years, is that the young man
lost his bet. Ninon was several years older when the young Abbe Gedolyn began to pursue
her with an unmistakable ardor. She put him off for a while and when she finally agreed to be his lover
she said he would have to wait for one month and a day. He agreed eagerly, counting the hours
until the appointed time. When the day arrived, she was good for her word. Happy in her arms
at last, he asked her why she had made him wait for exactly a month and a day."
Ninon de Lenclos, French courtesan, 1620 - 1705.
From"The
Book of the Courtesans: A Catalogue of Their Virtues," by Susan
Griffith, 2001. p. 130
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Section 5
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"'Because today is my birthday,' she answered, 'and I wanted to prove to myselve that
at the age of seventy, I am still capable of entertaining a lover.'"
Ninon de Lenclos, French courtesan, 1620 - 1705.
From "The Book of the Courtesans: A Catalogue of Their Virtues,"
by Susan Griffith, 2001. p. 130
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