Ba'thani Method of Oriental Dance

originated by Bri Hurley

This method of teaching Oriental dance makes flexibility, control and strength it's priority. The emphasis is on posture first, then on movements and variations. Using the elements strengthens the movements and makes the dancer aware of a larger whole. Connection between the dancers is also stressed and a system of leading and following (improvised choreography) is used to broaden scope of the dancer. In following this method, the dancer becomes aware of not only how the body works but of what they are actually doing with their own bodies.



This method is structured so that the students have a chance to develop the muscles they need for the movements without straining them. The proper posture allows the body to move freely and to isolate easily. By using this  posture, which keeps the weight centrally located, all the basic movements are well supported and transitions between them are fluid. In developing the long muscles of the legs, arms and core muscles of the back and torso, each movement can be gracefully completed while enhancing in strength and tone .  The entire body benefits from this exercise as the ligaments and joints are strengthened and all the internal systems function better. Flexibility is encouraged with a series of stretches at the beginning of each session and through out the lessons.

The Ba'thani method teaches the students to be able to gracefully perform the motions and to consciously employ them in the dance.  The music is broken down into comprehensive parts as the students learn to interpret it to suit their needs (whether it be for solo, improvisational group dance or choreography). All aspects of performance are covered.



The Ba'thani method has evolved through the needs of the students, my experience with other techers and through my experiences teaching.
The movements I use have gathered over more than 30 years of experience and study with numerous teachers in a variety of styles.
American Tribal Style and it's originator Carolina Nariccio have had a big influence on my dancing and teaching. But I do not teach her method. Other dancers and  teachers such as Jamila Salimpour (troupe: Baal-Anat), John Compton (troupe: Habhi Ru), Jill Parker (troupe: Ultra Gypsy), Khairyia Mazim (Egypt/Ghawazee), Amel Tafsoot (Algerian/folkloric), Sharlyn Sawyer (Cabaret style/Persian), and Bert Baladine (Egyptian Cabaret style) among others, have influenced me as well as every dancer I have ever seen.

The name Ba'thani comes from the Sumerian word Dat Ba'thani, meaning Lady of the Serpent. The words Lady and Goddess were often interchangeable and I use it with great respect. I have also used "of the Serpent" as a way of  invoking the fluidity of  the movements and a connection to some ancient memory in all of us.



The serpent was a symbol of life and healing (and is still used in the symbols the caduceus for doctors and pharmacies). To control the serpent was a sign of  the purest strength, both physical and mental, that was conveyed through the spirit. This ability was a sign of  dedication of purpose to Dat Ba'thani and a manifestation of her favor.



Archeologists have found the depiction of a bare breasted woman holding  a snake in each hand. She is thought to be a priestess of  the Queen of Heaven or the highest deity of that time. They have found other varied forms and representations of  women with serpents, of serpents and their relation to the spiritual life of the time. It is surmised that some priestess used the toxic bite of a serpent to help them enter a different consciousness and connect with God, the Queen of  Heaven.

The name Dat Ba'thani is related to Tannit and Tanith, wherein scholars link the word "Tan" meaning serpent with "it" or later "ith" as the female word ending. Both are related to the goddess Asherah as her  later Punic/ Carthaginian form. Ashirat from Ugarit, Dat Ba'thani from Sumerian, Tannit from Phoenician, and so on across the civilizations of our ancestors. Her symbols have been unearthed from the Sinai, to Levant, to Syria, throughout the Mediterranean, all across the Middle East  and even in Western most reaches of  Europe in Ireland, Wales and England.



By using Ba'thani, I am also making a connection with an ancient, primal, energy and strength of woman. It is from a time and place that archeologists have shown to be matriarchal and matrilineal. That is:  there were Gods (female) above Gods (male) and the property belonged to the woman, whether it be land,  house or  child. It is a connection that predates the later, Judeo cultures, the later Christian cultures and the later Islamic cultures who share this same place of fruition.



Every culture and people are influenced by the peoples that they came in contact with, be they neighbors or invaders. I acknowledge the more recent, common history of this dance and also honor a far older origin, as I believe that this dance has not only survived the onslaught of many invaders, but encompassed them and celebrated them to persist in the form we see today. May every woman celebrate her strength through the motions of this dance. May every woman revel in that which makes her so purely feminine and express it through this dance.
And may the men who do this dance, express joy and connect with something greater than themselves.