Rating: 
Summary: Wonderfully informative, beautiful pictures, well researched
Review: This book is well written, and well documented throughout. The history is written to lead you through the the years with a clear perspective of the people of differant regions at the time. This is a must have for anyone who loves middle eastern dance.
Rating: 
Summary: Inspirational, but Flawed
Review: Wendy Buonaventura obviously loves raks baladi ("country" or folkloric belly dance) with a passion. As sometimes happens with authors passionate about a subject, she unfortunately treats her opinions as facts upon occasion. As a dancer, I love the glorious Orientalist pictures, early 20th-century photos and fascinatingly slanted accounts from Western travellers, and I love her feelings for the dance. It's a beautiful book to peruse, and you can get some marvelous ideas for theatrical costuming from it. But like the Orientalists she reviews, Buonaventura presents an exotic and monolithic Middle East, where Egypt represents this entire diverse region and where nothing changes over time. She also perpetuates the popular myth that this is a *women's* dance, whereas in truth both sexes dance at private functions, and in both Egypt and Turkey, men historically performed as well. (Western tourists just weren't interested!) Read this for its lovely artwork and, if you're a dancer, for a feel-good spiritual connection with earlier dancers--but if you're interested in the subject of dance history, do some further research. And if you are involved in the Society for Creative Anachronism, PLEASE don't use this book for costume documentation. Egyptian clothing pre-1600 was very, very different.
Rating:
Summary: Inspirational, but Flawed
Review: Wendy Buonaventura obviously loves raks baladi ("country" or folkloric belly dance) with a passion. As sometimes happens with authors passionate about a subject, she unfortunately treats her opinions as facts upon occasion. As a dancer, I love the glorious Orientalist pictures, early 20th-century photos and fascinatingly slanted accounts from Western travellers, and I love her feelings for the dance. It's a beautiful book to peruse, and you can get some marvelous ideas for theatrical costuming from it. But like the Orientalists she reviews, Buonaventura presents an exotic and monolithic Middle East, where Egypt represents this entire diverse region and where nothing changes over time. She also perpetuates the popular myth that this is a *women's* dance, whereas in truth both sexes dance at private functions, and in both Egypt and Turkey, men historically performed as well. (Western tourists just weren't interested!) Read this for its lovely artwork and, if you're a dancer, for a feel-good spiritual connection with earlier dancers--but if you're interested in the subject of dance history, do some further research. And if you are involved in the Society for Creative Anachronism, PLEASE don't use this book for costume documentation. Egyptian clothing pre-1600 was very, very different.
Rating:
Summary: Great !!!
Review: Wendy Buonaventura takes you to a journey from the early manifestations of belly dancing to today. She shows a very good knowledge of this ancient art, and it could be a very resourceful book for people who just want to know a little bit more about belly dancing. I recommend it to everyone.
Rating: 
Summary: Best picture book on Middle-Eastern Dance
Review: While orgnization is lacking, there are great sources quoted and information on a very interesting subject. This is a wonderful resource for costume ideas. But most of all it is a soft-cover coffee table book of illustrations and paintings of dancers of the mideast. You may have to hide it to prevent excessive wear!
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