A BELLY dancer has charted the history of the ancient art form to show how a healthy "shake" has helped people throughout the ages.

From fertility rights to glories of battle, a subtle wiggle can hold a thousand tales and author and practitioner Tina Hobin, of Mamble, Worcestershire, has captured the memories behind the movements in her latest book.

Belly Dance - Dance of Mother Earth is the latest work from the 62-year-old, which charts the history of the dance as it moved from Ancient Egypt to the Middle-East and Europe to its modern reincarnation as a stress-busting keep-fit exercise.

"People believe the dance may have come from Gipsies in the Indian sub-continent, who then brought the dance to Ancient Egypt," said Mrs Hobin.

"There are hundreds of different forms of belly dancing. In the Middle East the dance is mostly performed by men as a storytelling form, but women also perform a fertility dance."

With more than 30 years of the art to her name and 10 years as an occupational therapist aid, Mrs Hobin believes the modern world can benefit from belly dancing both mentally and physically.

"It is a unique form of fitness, it helps to remove stress and can benefit people with back pain, arthritis and other physical discomfort as it works muscles without any stress or strains," she said.

Mrs Hobin currently teaches belly-dancing to around 500 people, in classes at Perdiswell Young People's Club in Worcester, as well as Bromyard, Kidderminster, Oxford and even as far as Northern Ireland.

She has also appeared on more than 200 TV shows as diverse as Blue Peter, The Good Sex Guide and A Question of Sport to help improve the profile of belly dancing.

As well as her penmanship, which has included several books, Tina's aim is to eventually create approved teaching courses at colleges in Kidderminster and Northern Ireland, for people to achieve qualifications in the art.

For further information on classes or to obtain a book, contact Tina on 01299 832515.