Publisher Description

Newly updated and reissued in an appealing new format, this classic book is a lavishly illustrated celebration of female dancers of the Arab world and their impact on the West. "I think it is the most eloquent of female dances, with is haunting lyricism, its fire, its endlessly shifting kaleidoscope of sensual movement." With these words, Wendy Buonaventura explains her own fascination with Arabic dance and gives the reader a thorough understanding of the origins, history and development of this ancient art, which has survived in the face of commercialism, religious disapproval, and changing times.

Author Biography

Wendy Buonaventura is a writer and dancer who pioneered the development of Arabic dance as a theater art in the West. She has toured widely throughout the U.S., Europe and the Middle East, teaching and performing in festivals. She is the author of Beauty and the East.

Review

"A lively and lavishly illustrated excursion into the history of the solo woman's dance?"
"An articulate book that speaks with many voices of the glory as well as the shadows surrounding the oriental dance of yesteryear and today. Buonaventura's amalgamation of materials- textual and visual- evoke a work by someone whose respect for the subject is both tasteful and thoughtful...Arabesque salutes the authoress..."
"Serpent of the Nile features a perceptive discussion of the history of female solo dancing in the Middle East and its effect on dancers and artists throughout the world. The ninety full-color and fifty black-and-white sumptuous illustrations communicate the color and sensuality, poetry and passion, sophistication and subtlety of her subject."

Review Quote

"A lively and lavishly illustrated excursion into the history of the solo woman's dance?"

Details