Erin

P.S. And I don't mean to say that we should not be respectful of culture. We most definitely should. I am just saying that we should recognize that Culture is not static. It evolves and changes and grows. We should by all means do everything we can to learn about and respect the culture from which we are borrowing this dance form. It will enlighten us and help us grow as human beings as well as dancers.

On the subject of Goddess Temple dances. I wouldn't discount it. I would say that Middle Eastern dance , in its current incarnation, is probably not related in any way to New Age Goddess worship. However, considering that most Middle Eastern cultures, before the advent of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, were sometimes Goddess oriented, as were many prior cultures and civilizations. So since human beings have probably been dancing since they walked upright, I would say there may have been some similar forms of dance practiced in Goddess Temples in the Middle East in ancient times.
Erin