- Playing
- Finding My Inner Belly Dancer
- From
- Ellen Birkett Morris
Remember those cheesy belly dancing commercials from the 1970s? Tales of "amazing belly dancing secrets for $19.99 plus shipping and handling" left me cold to the art of Middle Eastern dance. But after sharing body image issues with my friend Laura, I was amazed to see how empowering belly dancing was for her. Take a listen to this beautifully written tale of the power of learning to love your body!
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Piece Description
Remember those cheesy belly dancing commercials from the 1970s? Tales of "amazing belly dancing secrets for $19.99 plus shipping and handling" left me cold to the art of Middle Eastern dance. But after sharing body image issues with my friend Laura, I was amazed to see how empowering belly dancing was for her. Take a listen to this beautifully written tale of the power of learning to love your body!
Broadcast History
WFPL, Louisville, Summer 05
Transcript
If you grew up in the 70s, you probably remember the commercial. A scantily clad woman touted her amazing belly dancing secrets, yours for $19.99 plus shipping and handling.
She instructed women in a special dance that a wife could do to make her husband happy. There was no mention of any dance that a husband could do to please his wife.
Thus began my almost lifelong aversion to belly dancing, until a cold November night when I attended my friend Laura’s belly-dancing recital.
Laura and I met in high school. We shared the same offbeat sense of humor and a passion for Hagen-Daz. We looked out for each other, laughing together when things got tough. We traded clothes and painful stories about being size 16 in a size 6 world.
Our friendship has endured through college, first jobs, and into our 30-something years. When she mentioned her belly-dancing recital I didn’t scoff....
Read the full transcript
Timing and Cues
Ellen Birkett Morris is an essayist, journalist and poet living in Louisville, KY.
Steve Yasko
Posted on September 28, 2005 at 05:44 PM | Permalink
Review of Finding My Inner Belly Dancer
Shake your groove thing baby and enjoy it!
This is a great commentary and personal diary that brings us together in our fears and mixes in our body image struggles. Great! I love the topic!
The writing is wonderful. Air This! It brings a short and wonderful story is sure to make your listeners smile. Use it inside a themed program of our own, or even in a music based music station morning show.