|
Ancient Art of Cat Dancing
Discover the lost art of cat dancing! Practiced by priestesses of Asia Minor 25 centuries ago, cat dancing has been preserved through the ages in the remote highlands of Lechistan.
Lechistan is a mountainous region, with natural wonders, including
caverns, hot springs, and caves decorated with prehistoric paintings women dancing with domestic and wild cats.Villages in are inaccessible six months out of the year because of heavy snows and,in the spring, dangerous mudslides.
In Lechistan, the New Year is celebrated at the Spring Equinox.
Little is known today of these ancient dances; scholars are forced to speculate based on enigmatic depictions in ancient artifacts.
Cat dancing is a vestige of "secret womens dance" and most probably a remnant
of a coming-of-age celebration involving red and white hankies, or twirling little white balls on a short string chased by young kittens,to insure fertility.
The folk saying about a confined space -- "not enough room to swing a cat" -- derived from Lechistani cat dancing movements, specifically "the back inside death spiral." As alarming as the movement may sound, it never endangered the cats since they were carefully supported during the performance and actually enjoyed the spinning sensations. The priestesses,however, were not so fortunate.
Modern day remnants include synchronized water ballets performed by the famous Turkish swimming cats of Lake Van. A few rare cats found in North America that are linked genetically to the Lechistani cats show a predesposition to choreography and have been known to actively participate in dance rehearsals.
The recent and exciting discovery of a burial mound of a Lechistani priestess and her cats has lead to speculation that the DNA may be extracted from remaining feline teeth in an attempt to restore this rare breed.
|
|
