ARISIKA RAZAK: WOMEN DANCING TO RECLAIM REVERENCE
Dance as a vehicle for self-transformation is not simply a lofty sounding idea to many who study the art of Middle Eastern dance. Many dancers have experienced (in fact, live for) a sense of exultation and release achieved through dance. Some of us even believe dance is a true expression of our inner spiritual selves.
Arisika Razak is dedicated to dance that reclaims ancient "reverence for the physical body of Woman." She says, "I view dance as a vehicle for the personal and individual expression of spirit; it is a form of language and communication as well as one of the highest forms of prayer."
Arisika's influences in dance derive from her study of African, Native American and Wiccan traditions and mythologies. She has worked in the field of women's health care since 1974, has a B.S. degree in Nursing, a Master's of Public Health degree, and a certificate of Nurse Midwifery. Today, she is a midwife at Highland Hospital in Oakland, California. Her work with birthing women inspired her to teach people of the strength and power of the feminine body.
Arisika leads women's workshops dealing with acceptance of the female body. She performs a dance representing acceptance of the vulva. Arisika points out that in many cultures women have been taught their genital areas are dirty and disgusting. It has become increasingly clear to Arisika that to work in the areas of women's bodies and women's sexuality, means to work in the area of sexual abuse and healing. Many women, particularly rape or incest survivors, have learned to disassociate from their bodies and to view their sexuality and genital organs with fear, shame, pain or contempt. It is important to examine and repudiate attitudes that alienate women from their own bodies.
"In my workshops," writes Arisika, "if only briefly, women begin to come into their bodies through the use of movement. They begin to reclaim lost and dishonored parts of themselves through the witnessing and embodiment of the Sacred Feminine."
Another of Arisika's dance workshops is about creativity. "Creation Dance" celebrates the creation of the earth, animals and humans by a Female Goddess. Arisika asks for four volunteers whose ancestry represents four different continents to stand at the corners of the dance area. She then shows hand and arm movements and explains their symbolism: gestures for earth, sky, stars, water, animals, serpents, and more. Then she performs her dance representing creation: rhythmic, slow and dreamy, with small, crescent moon-shaped steps. A sheer violet veil covers her head and face for much of the performance.
Other parts of the workshop include a guided meditation, followed by coloring and drawing images and ideas that are evoked; more dancing by Arisika to represent reclaiming the dignity and spirituality of the female body; and finally an energetic improvisation in which all participants are invited to dance and celebrate creativity.
Afterwards, many women are so moved by their experiences that they rush up to Arisika to thank her and share their feelings. Some women are able to experience themselves as dancers for the first time in their adult lives.
"Dance is language for me," Arisika writes. "It is how we speak Spirit, or how Spirit speaks us. When I lead movement in a workshop, I do not try to teach a particular dance or way of moving. Every woman's body is different; every woman comes with a different level of agility, resistance or expertise. What is important for me is that every woman has the opportunity to experience for herself a way of moving that feels strong, sacred, life-affirming and safe. For someone who is young, with lots of dance experience, a movement that feels sacred many require lots of flexibility. For an older woman, it may involve the minimal movement of one hand. Either of these movements is right and perfect and beautiful, for it is in the natural union of our psyches and bodies that true dance emerges."
Future plans for Arisika include workshops, performances, and the creation of a dance and ritual theatre piece that focuses on sexual abuse, addiction, recovery, and healing. This warm, caring woman has come a long way since she began sharing her dance through workshops only a few years ago. She is an inspiring teacher and healer who seems certain to achieve much more while on her spiritual dance journey.
(Copyright 1989 Donna Carlton. First published in _Mid-East Dance News_)
IDD Dancezine is electronically published International Dance Discovery, Donna Carlton, Editor. All rights reserved.