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Serpent of the Nile: Women and Dance in the Arab World
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.
223 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1989
About the author
Wendy Buonaventura
11 books5 followersI am a writer, choreographer and performer. My books - mainly non-fiction - and dance theatre work explore women’s social history and the cultural myths surrounding female sensuality. I was the subject of the tv documentary 'Making Mimi' and in 2008 I founded the dance festival SIROCCO. http://www.siroccofestival.org.uk. I have taken a leap into biographical fiction with my latest book 'Midnight Rose: a life of Maud Allan'.
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Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
August 12, 2026
I don't really have an inherent interest in the subject, but I have to commend the assembly of such a variety of historical and orientalist art, statues, photos of both genuine eastern dancers and western cosplayers, and miscellaneous statues, advertisements and film stills.
In addition to examination of eastern dance and its history as such, Buonaventura also chronicles its influence on the west, from the early orientalists, to the reactions to travelling dancers in World's Fairs, an Armenian dancer's memoirs, and imitators and adaptors of varying levels of sincerity, including the infamous Mata Hari.
Buonaventura surprisingly has a basically positive view of the orientalists, accusing their critics of cherry-picking, and suggesting many if not all were genuinely interested in foreign cultures. She also claims that orientalist paintings of dancers (if not the harems) often portrayed fairly accurate, if exaggerated, clothing.
In addition to examination of eastern dance and its history as such, Buonaventura also chronicles its influence on the west, from the early orientalists, to the reactions to travelling dancers in World's Fairs, an Armenian dancer's memoirs, and imitators and adaptors of varying levels of sincerity, including the infamous Mata Hari.
Buonaventura surprisingly has a basically positive view of the orientalists, accusing their critics of cherry-picking, and suggesting many if not all were genuinely interested in foreign cultures. She also claims that orientalist paintings of dancers (if not the harems) often portrayed fairly accurate, if exaggerated, clothing.
November 11, 2010
Meh. Love the historical images, but Buonaventura puts too much of herself in the book. Too much goddess stuff and personal interpretation, not enough facts.
July 19, 2017
If you're going to buy this book, buy it for the photos, which are beautiful. Otherwise, it's long on the author's goddess-style interpretations of history, and short on actual historical facts.
This book was originally written in the 1980's and it shows! A friend from the bellydance scene of that era tells me it came out of the Feminist Separatist Movement, and the writing is heavily distorted by that viewpoint.
I'm a belly dancer but not an expert on its history. However I studied Western dance history extensively in my youth - and I could see that where Ms Buonaventura touched on Western dance, she often picked and chose her facts to suit her argument, and then drew conclusions based on flimsy logic. That makes me suspicious of her claims in the rest of the book.
I can understand why this book is popular. Like the "belly dance by women for women" myth and the "birthing" myth, it appeals to dancers who are desperate to "rescue" belly dance from the sexualised reputation it has in some countries, so they want to believe the author's views - not because it's based on solid historical research.
This book was originally written in the 1980's and it shows! A friend from the bellydance scene of that era tells me it came out of the Feminist Separatist Movement, and the writing is heavily distorted by that viewpoint.
I'm a belly dancer but not an expert on its history. However I studied Western dance history extensively in my youth - and I could see that where Ms Buonaventura touched on Western dance, she often picked and chose her facts to suit her argument, and then drew conclusions based on flimsy logic. That makes me suspicious of her claims in the rest of the book.
I can understand why this book is popular. Like the "belly dance by women for women" myth and the "birthing" myth, it appeals to dancers who are desperate to "rescue" belly dance from the sexualised reputation it has in some countries, so they want to believe the author's views - not because it's based on solid historical research.
August 28, 2008
You *have* to read this book if you are at all interested in the art and history of belly dance. Great images, great information.
April 8, 2020
I found this book very interesting. Lots of history and interesting stories. Beautiful pictures.
February 5, 2022
Alors c'est peut-être de ma faute : je m'attendais à un livre scientifique.
En fait, c'est plutôt le récit exalté d'une danseuse des années 80, à fond dans le féminin sacré et la "danse des femmes" qui balance des affirmations sans amener aucune preuve tout le long du livre.
Rien que pour comprendre le problème : elle parle bien plus longuement de Ruth Saint Denis et limite la glorifie alors que Badia Masabni et Samia Gamal ont le droit à un pauvre chapitre.
Quant aux images, les tableaux orientalistes se mêlent aux cartes postales coloniales hyper problématiques sans que rien ne soit vraiment remis dans son contexte ou un temps soit peu analysé.
Ah oui, et l'autrice a visiblement un énorme problème avec Mata Hari, qu'elle bashe sur plusieurs pages avant de (presque) se réjouir de sa mort.
Si vous aimez vraiment la danse "orientale", fuyez ou ayez un esprit critique très affûté.
En fait, c'est plutôt le récit exalté d'une danseuse des années 80, à fond dans le féminin sacré et la "danse des femmes" qui balance des affirmations sans amener aucune preuve tout le long du livre.
Rien que pour comprendre le problème : elle parle bien plus longuement de Ruth Saint Denis et limite la glorifie alors que Badia Masabni et Samia Gamal ont le droit à un pauvre chapitre.
Quant aux images, les tableaux orientalistes se mêlent aux cartes postales coloniales hyper problématiques sans que rien ne soit vraiment remis dans son contexte ou un temps soit peu analysé.
Ah oui, et l'autrice a visiblement un énorme problème avec Mata Hari, qu'elle bashe sur plusieurs pages avant de (presque) se réjouir de sa mort.
Si vous aimez vraiment la danse "orientale", fuyez ou ayez un esprit critique très affûté.
April 26, 2025
I read this book as an introduction to the history and evolution of oriental dance over the years. Some parts were genuinely interesting, especially the sections about the Ghawazee and Kuchuk Hanem.
That said, I have quite a few criticisms:
- A lot of “historical” information is thrown around without footnotes or sources, which made me question how accurate some of it really is.
- The author seems very attached to the idea that oriental dance started as a “goddess” dance created by women for women. She often presents this as fact, without really backing it up. As a feminist, I would love for that to be true, but at the end of the day, it’s a theory, not a proven fact, and it should be treated as such.
- What bothered me most, though, was the constant Western gaze. You can tell right away that the book wasn’t written by someone from North Africa or the Middle East. I get that a lot of the history of oriental dance wasn’t properly documented locally, and that Orientalist accounts are sometimes all we have. Still, I don’t understand why legends like Badia Masabni, Samia Gamal, Naima Akef, and Tahia Carioca weren’t given more space. The same goes for Egyptian movies from the Golden Era in general, which, in my opinion, deserved a LONG chapter.
Instead, the book spends far more time talking about Ruth St. Denis (and concludes with the American Tribal Style) than about the Egyptian dancers who truly shaped and transformed this art form. These women are still seen as icons by dancers around the world today, and it feels wrong that they weren’t given the recognition they deserve.
The author does acknowledge how important the tradition of women dancing together in private spaces is (supporting and hyping each other up with zaghareet) in the MENA region. Yet, she almost erases the local women who took that tradition and turned it into a real, professional, global art form.
It leaves me wondering: does she really appreciate oriental dance for what it is, an art form intrinsically tied to a specific culture and that cannot be separated from it, or mainly for what it brings to her personally?
That said, I have quite a few criticisms:
- A lot of “historical” information is thrown around without footnotes or sources, which made me question how accurate some of it really is.
- The author seems very attached to the idea that oriental dance started as a “goddess” dance created by women for women. She often presents this as fact, without really backing it up. As a feminist, I would love for that to be true, but at the end of the day, it’s a theory, not a proven fact, and it should be treated as such.
- What bothered me most, though, was the constant Western gaze. You can tell right away that the book wasn’t written by someone from North Africa or the Middle East. I get that a lot of the history of oriental dance wasn’t properly documented locally, and that Orientalist accounts are sometimes all we have. Still, I don’t understand why legends like Badia Masabni, Samia Gamal, Naima Akef, and Tahia Carioca weren’t given more space. The same goes for Egyptian movies from the Golden Era in general, which, in my opinion, deserved a LONG chapter.
Instead, the book spends far more time talking about Ruth St. Denis (and concludes with the American Tribal Style) than about the Egyptian dancers who truly shaped and transformed this art form. These women are still seen as icons by dancers around the world today, and it feels wrong that they weren’t given the recognition they deserve.
The author does acknowledge how important the tradition of women dancing together in private spaces is (supporting and hyping each other up with zaghareet) in the MENA region. Yet, she almost erases the local women who took that tradition and turned it into a real, professional, global art form.
It leaves me wondering: does she really appreciate oriental dance for what it is, an art form intrinsically tied to a specific culture and that cannot be separated from it, or mainly for what it brings to her personally?
January 12, 2025
This glossy tome has been a subject of debate among Maghreb / Egyptian / belly dance dweebs for a number of years now.
It's an entertaining read, but is very much informed by the author's association with the Suraya Hilal dance school, whose authenticity, and take on the origins - and interpretation of - this dance form are questioned widely in the UK.
A whole Khan el-Khalili's worth of lavish imagery (with some Orientalism for those who are / aren't keen) helps to mitigate the more contentious elements of the text.
Treat this as an anecdotal, rather than historically accurate, read, and think of it as a very good-looking coffee table book, and you won't go far wrong.
It's an entertaining read, but is very much informed by the author's association with the Suraya Hilal dance school, whose authenticity, and take on the origins - and interpretation of - this dance form are questioned widely in the UK.
A whole Khan el-Khalili's worth of lavish imagery (with some Orientalism for those who are / aren't keen) helps to mitigate the more contentious elements of the text.
Treat this as an anecdotal, rather than historically accurate, read, and think of it as a very good-looking coffee table book, and you won't go far wrong.
March 11, 2021
Ah, ok, recimo. Morda sem pričakovala več v tekstu, nekatere zadeve so čisto subjektivne in veliko tega se bere kot kakšna seminarska naloga. Če ne pričakuješ več kot to, je seveda čisto legit knjiga s precej zanimivimi anekdotami, vendar bi vseeno pričakovala širšo sliko, morda bolj objektiven pogled ... slike so sicer čudovite. In dva vira v knjigi sem šla raziskovati dalje, zato 3 zvezdice.
September 6, 2017
A fantastic and informative book on the history of the dance. A must read!
November 23, 2021
Shaking it like I’m getting paid is a favorite hobby of mine. Belly Dancing is sensual and fun. The book was cool. Lovely photos.
Read
August 11, 2008An odd cross between scholarly book and coffee table book. I was interested to learn that the traditional cabaret-style bellydancing outfit, with sequinned bra and bare midriff, comes from the middle east via glamorous orientalist Hollywood films in the twenties: there was a major bellydancing craze in the movies then, and Egypt and Turkey subsequently adopted a version of it. Traditionally, in the middle east, you would wear real clothes and hold your arms up in the air, as you danced more or less in place: Hollywood added graceful arm gestures and made the whole thing travel across the floor, with turns etc. The footnotes disappeared for a while while the author was doing the standard thing about the profoundly woman-centered origins of the belly dance: no one really seems to know its origins for sure. Dance is especially ephemeral and resistant to the efforts of historians.
January 6, 2013
A delightful book to look at with several wonderful illustrations (paintings and photos). The text is very readable and stays away from technical terms on dance techniques.
The main focus is on Arab dance and how it has influenced Western Art (dance, painting, architecture, music) and also how Arab dance (and culture) has been altered by the West. Any viable art form must change over time – absorbing and dispersing its’ splendour to other cultures.
The book has many magnificent reproductions of “Oriental Art”. The only reservation I would have is that words and pictures alone cannot capture the emotional and sensual art of dance.
The main focus is on Arab dance and how it has influenced Western Art (dance, painting, architecture, music) and also how Arab dance (and culture) has been altered by the West. Any viable art form must change over time – absorbing and dispersing its’ splendour to other cultures.
The book has many magnificent reproductions of “Oriental Art”. The only reservation I would have is that words and pictures alone cannot capture the emotional and sensual art of dance.
September 10, 2008
If you can get ahold of a copy of this, get it! It's got a very well-researched history of bellydance in it. Its main focus is the Orientalist movement. Very interesting for seeing where some of our modern day ideas about bellydance come from.
July 18, 2007
Well, admittedly it's been a while since I *read* the book, but durn if the pictures aren't enchanting!!!
September 3, 2009
if only for the artwork alone it gets 5 stars. I understand that not all the history is accurate but whenever is it (honestly)?
October 15, 2011
It's been some years since I read this. But it's mostly good for the images. The photos are amazing .
May 24, 2012
The ultimate source for Middle Eastern dance history.
June 5, 2012
See my review of this book in Fuse: A Tribal and Tribal Fusion Belly Dance Magazine. http://fusetribalmag.wordpress.com/20...
February 20, 2013
Ce que je retiens de ce livre, ce sont les belles illustrations qui y figurent et rien d'autre.
December 13, 2013
Essential reading for any belly dancer.
Want to Read
February 25, 2013SK notes chapter 1, perhaps not whole book
April 14, 2017
A fascinating discussion on the history and influence of womens' dance from the Middle East to North America.
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews