An Ancient Art form to a Therapeutic Intervention- Belly Dancing & Women’s Health

Abstract

Introduction: Dance or movement therapy has been proved to have a curative power for ages. Physical fitness is controlled by a combination of the potential the person has in doing his/her own regular activity and genetically inherited capability. Belly dance is an expressionistic type of dance that initially originated in Egypt which lays emphasis on complex movements of the trunk. Belly dancing has gracefully swayed its way to mainstream cardiovascular and musculoskeletal fitness all over the world, with significant impact on women’s health. Objective: To provide concise overview of Belly dancing and its effects on women’s health. Methods: A Search of PUBMED, CINHAL, Google Scholar. database was conducted to find relevant studies in relation to Belly dancing as a therapeutic intervention in the paradigm of women’s health. The studies that met with the inclusion criteria were included in this review. Results: This review provides a crisp understanding of the impact of Belly dancing on several pathologies namely, breast cancer, urinary incontinence, fibromyalgia, malignancies and low back pain. It also discusses about the biomechanical aspects of abdomen and pelvis that are involved during belly dancing. Conclusion: The study provides an up-to-date outline of the existing literature on Belly Dancing and women’s health. It lays emphasis on the effects of belly dancing as an intervention used to enhance women’s health cohesively.