Bringing it all back to the navel
By Julieta Sánchez, June 23, 2006


"Come sit next to me," says grandmother. "Take this chalk in your hand. Now draw a dot and concentrate all your energy into this one dot. It is the beginning and the end, the navel of the world." 

-Rosina-Fawzia Al-Rawi,"Grandmother's Secrets"

Once upon a time, there was a place where mothers and grandmothers taught the young girls around them the art of worshiping the divine and celebrating life with its coexistence of opposite values through the movement of their hips. While experiencing this ebb and flow, a woman often came to the ecstatic realization of her own beauty from the inside out.

Nowadays, when we hear of the ancient art of belly dancing, perhaps we have the idea that it is an exotic and sensual dance performed by women with the aim of enticing men. There is no denying that it has served that purpose, and yet there is much more to it. "Raks Sharki" is the name given to belly dance in Egypt, where the oldest allusions to it have been found. It has evolved through the influence of many cultures, and continues to do so. Today, it has been used as a powerful tool to reconnect people, particularly women, with their inner power and self-love.

One of the pioneers of the therapeutic use of belly dance in this country is Ricardo Antonio Campos Díaz, who resides in Durango most of the year. He graduated in Psychology and Psychotherapy of Movement and Dance at the University of Juárez and the Institute for Humanistic Psychotherapies in Aguascalientes. He is a teacher of dance and body expression, as well as director of the Arab dance ensemble Raks Alam.

As a dancer of Raks Sharki, Ricardo has studied with the best on this side of the globe, including Yousry and Nourhan Sharif, Amir Thaleb, Ansuya, and Maraia, as well as the Mexican teacher Lolis Mendoza. He is currently using his combined knowledge to help heal the trauma of cancer patients who have undergone surgery, victims of sexual assault and people in the battle to overcome addictions. As a performer, Ricardo has intrigued the minds and delighted the eyes of audiences throughout the country. He recently had the opportunity to open the show for the master Amir Thaleb. Ricardo's presentation was celebrated by the belly dance community in Mexico and helped dissipate any doubts as to whether Mexican men had something to say in this art form. Ricardo's style is a very personal blend of Arab-Andaluz folklore, mysticism and masculine strength.

As part of his visit to San Miguel, Ricardo will be holding an intensive belly dance workshop for beginners and intermediate dancers on July 1 and 2. If you would like to join the workshop, call 415-100-7731 or 154-7569. 

"Alas de Angel - Hidshab Mystic", Thursday, June 29, 7pm
Teatro Santa Ana, Reloj 50, 50 pesos Biblioteca members, 70 pesos nonmembers




"La Yerbabuena" students perform flamenco

Brilliant flamenco rhythms, alegrías, sevillanas and bulerías, along with the wondrous sounds of flamenco cante and guitar, fill the Teatro Ángela Peralta in a performance by the students of "La Yerbabuena."

The students range in age from 6 to 15 years, and instructor Angela García has taught them to shine on stage. These talented students, who perform with an enchanting freshness, are accompanied by the internationally renowned flamenco guitarist Guillermo Blanco and the exciting young percussionist Victor Monterrubio, as well as the impressive and accomplished flamenco singer Maridel García.

Tickets, which cost 40 pesos, are available at the Teatro Ángela Peralta, at the corner of Mesones and Hernández Macías.

Flamenco performance by students of "La Yerbabuena"
Wednesday, June 28, 7pm, Teatro Ángela Peralta, Mesones & Hernández Macías
40 pesos