Rhea’s Story. Part 14.

“Jamila Salimpour, my dance teacher, gave me the name “Rhea” in 1968. At that time, she was placing particular emphasis on the fact that Oriental Dance evolved from pre-historic, matriarchal times. She explained that goddesses were worshiped in those times. Rhea was the name of an ancient mother goddess. Rhea was the wife of Chronos (father time) and the mother of Zeus. It is instructive to understand that in more ancient times, time itself was not looked at linearly but circularly. Along with patriarchal religion came an understanding of linear time and death.

The main reason I have kept the name is that when Jamila gave the name, I immediately became pregnant after seven years of barrenness. I assumed that it was Kismet. In the ‘60s we were all into living our dreams, and my dance name and the dance itself opened up new dreams for me that previously I had not dared to dream!”

That pregnancy turned out to be me -