Unusual juxtaposition – bellydancing shepherdesses!

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Yesterday I saw a display which at first struck me as quite a strange juxtaposition of traditions – belly dancing to English and Irish folk music. The performers were wearing variations on the traditional belly-dance-style costumes and performing their interpretations of dance to traditional songs such as ‘the wraggle taggle gypsies’. Their initial impression was even more odd because the first dance involved the sensuous waving of sparkly shepherd’s crooks. After I had got over my initial surprise I realised it isn’t really that strange; as someone else commented, if Britain’s climate was warmer then there probably would have been belly dancing in the Yorkshire dales. The dancers certainly made quite an impression though. You can see the same group performing at a different event in this video – what do you think? All rights reserved. © Text copyright Fleur 2016.