BELLY DANCE

A Belly Dancer must be familiar with the foundation of Middle Eastern music, it's an art form and workout for your body and spirit. Lear belly dance at home and enroll in belly dance workshop near you. Buy belly dance costumes, accessories, music CDs and DVDs. Hire belly dancer for all occassions.

History of Belly Dance
Belly dance (Arabic: raqs sharqi) is a Western term for a traditional Arab dance form. Some American devotees refer to it simply as "Middle Eastern Dance." In the Arabic language it is known as raqs sharqi literally "oriental dance" or sometimes raqs baladi literally "dance of country", and so "national" or "folk" dance. The term "raqs sharqi" may have originated in Egypt. In Greece and the Balkans, belly dance is called tsiftetelli, çiftetelli in Turkish. The term "belly dance" is a creation of Orientalism, first used in English in 1899, and translating in French to "danse du ventre.

Belly Dance Origins
Artistic depiction of belly dancing

The origins of this dance form are actively debated among dance enthusiasts, especially given the limited academic research on the topic. Much of the research in this area has been done by the dancers themselves. However, the often overlooked fact that most dancing in the Middle East occurs in a social context rather than the more visible and glamorous context of professional nightclub performance,[citation needed] has led to a misunderstanding of the dance's true nature and has given rise to many conflicting theories about its origins. Because this dance is a fusion of many different styles it undoubtedly has a variety of origins, many of which stem from ethnic folk dancing.

Many dancers subscribe to one or more of the following theories regarding the origins of belly dance:

    - It descends from indigenous dances of ancient Upper Egypt
    - It originated in Greece, spreading with Alexander the Great
    - It descends from a religious dance once practiced by temple priestesses
    - It had been a part of traditional birthing practices in the region(s) of origin
    - It had spread from the migrations of the Romani people (also called "gypsies") and related groups descended from the Banjara of Rajasthan[citation needed] in northwestern India
    - It originated in Uzbekistan, traveling to India through the slave trade

Of these theories, the first one is rarely invoked, even though it has such a highly respected proponent as the Egyptian dancer Dr. Mo Geddawi. The most well-known and publicized theory is that belly dancing descends from a religious dance, and is usually the theory referred to in mainstream articles on the topic. 1960s Persian singer/dancer Jamila Salimpour was a proponent of this theory. It was also popularized in works such as "Earth Dancing" and "Grandmother's Secrets."

The traditional birthing practices theory relates to a sub-set of dance movements found in modern raqs sharqi. Strongly publicized through the research of the dancer/layperson-anthropologist Morocco (also known as Carolina Varga Dinicu), it asserts that belly dancing is a reworking of movements traditionally utilized to demonstrate or ease childbirth. Although lacking ideas about the exact origin of belly dance, this theory does have the advantage of being supported by numerous oral historical references, and is backed by commentary in The Dancer of Shamahka.

The Roma theory suggests that the Roma, and other related groups, either brought the form over as they traveled, or picked it up along the way and spread it around. Thanks to the fusion of Roma forms of dance into the raqs sharqi sphere in the West, these theories enjoy a popularity in the West that is not necessarily reflected in their original countries - although some of that may be due to strongly-held prejudices against the Roma.

Wherever it began, the dance has a long history in Africa and the Middle East. Despite the Islamic restriction of portraying humans in paintings, depictions of dancers have been found from the pre-Islamic and Islamic world. Books such as "The Art and Architecture of Islam 650-1250" show images of dancers on palace walls, as do Persian miniature paintings from the 12th and 13th centuries.

Outside the Middle East, raqs sharqi dancing was popularized during the Romantic movement of the 18th and 19th centuries, whereby Orientalist artists depicted their interpretations of harem life in the Ottoman Empire. Around this time, dancers from different Middle Eastern countries began to perform at various World Fairs. They often drew crowds that rivaled those of the technology exhibits. Some dancers were captured in early films. The short film, "Fatima's Dance," was widely distributed in the nickelodeon movie theaters. It drew criticism for its "immodest" dancing, and was eventually censored due to public pressure.

Some Western women began to learn from and imitate the dances of the Middle East (which by this time had been subjected to European colonization). Despite posing as a Javanese dancer, Mata Hari's mystique is linked not to Indonesian dance but to Middle Eastern dance forms. The French author Colette, and many other music hall performers, engaged in "oriental" dancing, sometimes passing off their own interpretations as authentic folkloric styles. The great dancer Ruth St. Denis also engaged in Middle Eastern-inspired dancing, but her approach was to put "oriental" dancing on the stage in the context of ballet, her goal being to lift all dance to a respectable art form. (In the early 1900s, it was a common social assumption in America and Europe that dancers were women of loose morals.)

Historically, most of the dances associated with belly dance were performed with the sexes separated; men with men and women with women. Few depictions of mixed dancing exist. This practice ensured that a "good" woman would not be seen dancing by anyone but her husband, her close family, or her female friends. Sometimes a professional dancer would go to a women's gathering with several musicians and get the women up and dancing. Today, sex segregation is not as strictly practiced in many urban areas, and sometimes both men and women will dance socially among close friends at a mixed function. However, while social dancing at family functions is accepted and even encouraged, there are many people in Middle Eastern and North African societies who regard the performances of professional dancers in revealing costumes for mixed audiences as morally objectionable. Some have even gone so far as to suggest that such performances be banned.

Belly Dance Costume

Because the most visible venue for belly dance is nightclubs (as well as video and DVD recordings of popular Egyptian dance celebrities), it is this version, rather than the folk or social versions, that is most popular. The costume now associated with this dance is called bedlah in Arabic (meaning "suit"), and was adopted by dancers in Egypt in the 1930s, eventually spreading to other countries in the region. It owes its creation to the harem fantasy productions of vaudeville, burlesque, and Hollywood during the turn of the last century, rather than to actual authentic Middle Eastern dress. An enterprising dancer, singer, and night club owner in Cairo named Badia Masabni is credited with adopting this costume because it was the image that Western tourists came to expect, rather than the native caftan/kaftan - which mostly concealed the contours of the body, with a scarf or belt tied around the hips to highlight the movements. The caftan is still used by performers to cover their costumes when not on stage.

The mainstays of costuming for the bedlah style include a fitted top or bra (usually with a fringe of beads or coins), a fitted hip belt (again with a fringe of beads or coins), and a skirt(s) (straight, layered, circular, or paneled). In the western world a "veil" - a 3-1/2 to 4-yard piece of fabric - may also be used to accentuate swirling arm movements throughout an entire dance or part of a dance. In the 1940s, King Farouk of Egypt employed Russian ballet instructor Ivanova to teach his daughters, and it was she who first taught the great Egyptian dancer Samia Gamal to use the veil to improve her arm carriage. Most Egyptian dancers use the veil as an opening prop which they discard within the first few minutes of their routines.

In Egypt, dancers wear full-beaded dresses for the folkloric and baladi routines. These dresses are designed according to the type of dance and the tradition behind each dance. Similar outfits are also worn by American and European dancers when performing folk dances. Western dancers, however, have more freedom and may choose according to taste and fantasy. Costuming often varies with the particular style of dance.

In Egypt, America and Europe dancers wear full-beaded dresses for the folkloric and baladi dances. But generally costuming varies with the particular style of dance. Usually belly dance is associated with a cabaret costume. The cabaret costume usually consists of hip belt, bra, skirt and/or harem pants, and one or more veils. Decorative arm coverings, wristbands, headpieces, neckbands, scarves, face veils, jewelry and shoes are optional. Makeup usually is a very important piece of costume. The belly dancer’s belt should around the dancer’s hips, leaving the waist free to perform moves and belly rolls. The belt may have straight edge, or may be curved or angled and it should have jewels, coins, hanging fringe, or tassels on it to emphasize the movements of the hips. The dancer’s bra usually matches the belt in its decorative details and does not resemble lingerie. The classic harem pants are full, and gathered at the ankle, but could be modified. For cabaret pants are usually worn under skirt, because there could be revealed too much leg during the spins. The skirts are usually circle of different kinds of design and usually voluminous. The classic veil is usually three yards of sheer or featherweight fabric, often with decorative borders. Often to enhance the mystique of the dancer henna body art is often used. Henna is a natural vegetable dye which is prepared as a pate and topically applied to the skin. Usually henna is applied to the hands and feet. When removed after several hours, it it leaves reddish brown stain on the skin. Props are used to spark audience interest and add variety to the performance. Traditionally dancers were also performers, singers and musicians. There is a tradition to wear percussion instruments. Nevertheless today only very high skilled belly dancers use finger cymbals, many dancers rely on musicians to play for them. Some dancers use sticks and canes in their performances. Dancing with a veil which flows beautifully with dance movements adds a touch of elegance to the dance performance. Some dancers use sword for their performance, what can make the dance powerful and dramatic. The candles lights, which can dance with he dancer, add in the performance some mystery and drama. Some dancers use tambourine. This prop is very popular with Gypsy style troupes.

Belly Dance Techniques

Most of the basic steps and techniques used in belly dancing involve circular motions isolated to a certain part of the body. For example, a circular movement "drawn" parallel to the floor by the hips is known as a "hip circle", or by the rib-cage known as a "chest circle". Accents such as "hip lifts" or "drops" are use to draw the eye to hip movement such as "shimmies or hip circles", while shoulder or arm movements are to accent chest or belly undulations. Dancers often dance while balancing various props like baskets, swords or canes(canes in particular for folkloric dances.)as well as using silk or chiffon veils and wings for dramatic dance pieces.

Raqs Sharqi

Raqs Sharqi belly dancing consists of movements that are executed throughout the body. The focus of the dance is the pelvic and hip area. It is, fundamentally, a solo improvisational dance with its own unique dance vocabulary that is fluidly integrated with the music’s rhythm.

Raqs Sharqi dancers internalize and express the emotions evoked by the lyrics and the music. Appropriately, the music is integral to the dance. The most admired Raqs Sharqi dancers are those who can best project their emotions through dance, even if their dance is made up of simple movements. The dancer’s goal is to visually communicate to the audience the emotion and rhythm of the music. Raqs Sharqi translates from Arabic as "dance of the Orient" or "Oriental Dance". This is the oldest dance in the world.[citation needed] . Belly dance is a misnomer as the all parts of the body are involved in the dance, and the most important body part is the hips. The dancer’s goal is to visually communicate to the audience the emotion and rhythm of the music.

Many see Raqs Sharqi as a woman's dance, celebrating the sensuality and power of being a mature woman. A common school of thought believes that young dancers have limited life experience to use as a catalyst for dance. Sohair Zaki, Fifi Abdou, Lucy, Nagua Fouad, and Dina are all popular Egyptian dancers above the age of forty.

Despite the fame of female dancers, men often perform Raqs Sharqi as well, however, not in public in Arab countries.

Egyptian-style raqs sharqi is based on Baladi an later the work of belly dance legends Samia Gamal, Tahiya Karioka, Naima Akef, and other dancers who rose to fame during the golden years of the Egyptian film industry. Later dancers who based their styles partially on the dances of these artists are Sohair Zaki, Fifi Abdou, and Nagwa Fouad. All rose to fame between 1960 and 1980, are still popular today, and have nearly risen to the same level of stardom and influence on the style.

Though the basic movements of Raqs Sharqi have remained the same, the dance form continues to evolve. Nelly Mazloum and Mahmoud Reda are noted for incorporating elements of ballet into Raqs Sharqi and their influence can be seen in modern Egyptian dancers who stand on relevé as they turn or travel through their dance space in a circle or figure eight.

In Egypt, three main forms of the traditional dance are associated with belly dance: Baladi/Beledi, Sha'abi and Sharqi.

Egyptian belly dance was among the first styles to be witnessed by Westerners. During Napoleon's invasion of Egypt (the campaign which yielded the Rosetta stone, leading to the translation of Egyptian hieroglyphics), Napoleon's troops encountered the Ghawazee tribe. The Ghawazee made their living as professional entertainers and musicians. The women often engaged in prostitution on the side, and often had a street dedicated to their trade in the towns where they resided, though some were quasi-nomadic. At first the French were repelled by their heavy jewelry and hair, and found their dancing "barbaric", but were soon lured by the hypnotic nature of their movements.

The most important non-Egyptian forms of belly dance are the Syrian/ Lebanese, Persian and the Turkish.

Turkish forms

Some mistakenly believe that Turkish oriental dancing is known as Çiftetelli because this style of music has been incorporated into oriental dancing by Greeks and Roma, illustrated by the fact that the Greek belly dance is called Tsifteteli. However, Turkish Çiftetelli is more correctly a form of wedding folk music, the part that makes up the lively part of the dance at the wedding and is not connected with oriental dancing.

Turkish belly dance today may have been influenced by Roma people as much as by the Egyptian and Syrian/Lebanese forms, having developed from the Ottoman rakkas to the oriental dance known worldwide today. As Turkish law does not impose restrictions on Turkish dancers' movements and costuming as in Egypt, where dancers are prevented from performing floor work and certain pelvic movements, Turkish dancers are often more outwardly expressive than their Egyptian counterparts. Many professional dancers and musicians in Turkey continue to be of Romani heritage as well. (However, people of Turkish Romani heritage also have a distinct dance style which is uniquely different from the Turkish Oriental style.) Turkish dancers are known for their energetic, athletic (even gymnastic) style, and particularly, until the past few years, their adept use of finger cymbals, also known as zils. Connoisseurs of Turkish dance often say that a dancer who cannot play the zils is not an accomplished dancer. Another distinguishing element of the Turkish style is the use of the Karsilama rhythm in a 9/8 time signature, counted as 12-34-56-789. Turkish belly dance costumes can be very revealing, with the belt sometimes worn high up on the waist and split skirts which expose the entire leg, although dancers today are costuming themselves more like Egyptian dancers and wearing more modest "mermaid"-style skirts. The Turkish style is emphasized further by the dancer wearing high heels and often platform shoes. Famous Turkish belly dancers include Tulay Karaca, Nesrin Topkapi and Birgul Berai.

When immigrants from Turkey, Iran, and the Arab states began to immigrate to New York in the 1930s and 1940s, dancers started to perform a mixture of these styles in the nightclubs and restaurants. Often called "Classic Cabaret" or "American Cabaret" belly dance, these dancers are the grandmothers and great-grandmothers of some of today's most accomplished performers, such as Anahid Sofian and Artemis Mourat.

Belly dancing in the Western world
Fantasy-inspired non-historical Belly dancing costume, with coin bra, face veil, and beaded hip belt over skirt.

The term "belly dancing" (which is believed by some to be a mis-transliteration of the term for the dance style Beledi or Baladi, though it is also a literal translation of the term "danse du ventre" used by the French Orientalists) is generally credited to Sol Bloom, entertainment director of the 1893 World's Fair, the World Columbian Exposition in Chicago. Although there were dancers of this type present at the 1876 Centennial in Philadelphia, it was not until the 1893 fair that it gained national attention. There were authentic dancers from several Middle Eastern and North African countries, including Syria, Turkey and Algeria, but it was the dancers in the Egyptian Theater of The Street in Cairo exhibit who gained the most notoriety. The rapid hip movements and the fact that the dancers were uncorseted, was considered shocking to the Victorian sensibilities of the day. In fact, there were attempts by many, most notably Anthony Comstock, head of the New York Society for the Suppression of Vice, to have the Egyptian theater closed.

Although it is popularly believed that a dancer named "Fatima", also known as Little Egypt, stole the show, and continued to popularize this form of dancing, there is in fact no evidence to support this claim. Neither photographs, nor reviews of the Egyptian Theater mention any such person. The truth is that photographs, as well as accounts of the entertainments, show that there was not one solo dancer, but an entire troupe who performed in the Egyptian Theater. The popularity of these dancers spawned dozens of imitators after the Fair, many of whom claimed to have been dancers at the Chicago Fair. The most well known was Farida Mazar Spyropoulos, who supposedly stayed in the States after the Fair and married a Greek man named Spyropoulos. Oddly enough she was neither Egyptian nor Algerian, but Syrian. Although she was Middle Eastern, there is no evidence that she was one of the dancers in the Egyptian theater.

The dance performed by the many dancers calling themselves "Little Egypt" was nicknamed the "Hootchy-Kootchy" or "Hoochee-Coochee", or the shimmy and shake. Due to cultural misunderstanding about the nature of the dance and misrepresentations by the many imitators in Burlesque halls and carnival sideshows, the western world considered it risqué, leading to the stereotype of an erotic suggestive dance.

Because this dance style created such a craze, Thomas Edison made several films of dancers in the 1890s. Included in these are the Turkish dance, Ella Lola, 1898 and Crissie Sheridan in 1897 both available for on-line viewing through the Library of Congress. Another in this collection is Princess Rajah dance from 1904 which features a dancer playing Zils (finger cymbals), doing "floor work", and balancing a chair in her teeth.

In addition, the sensational stories about the pseudo-Javanese dancer Mata Hari, who was convicted in 1917 by the French for being a German spy during World War I, and the fact that belly dancing could be seen only at vaudeville and in burlesque shows gave belly dancing a questionable reputation in polite society. Hollywood did not help the reputation by only having three roles for a belly dancer (those of slave to be saved, a background dancer while the main characters talk, or a deceitful woman who uses her wiles to trick the main character), which created stereotypes of belly dancers that many dancers and instructors today are working hard to overcome. It is due to these stereotypes that many practitioners prefer to refer to their art as "Middle Eastern Dance".

While the beautiful classical Raqs Sharqi is still popular in the West, many dancers have created fusion forms such as American Tribal Style inspired by the folkloric dance styles of India, the Middle East and North Africa and even flamenco. Dancers in the United States, while respecting the origins of belly dance, are also exploring and creating within the dance form to address their own needs. Many women today in the U.S. and Europe approach belly dance as a tool for empowerment and strengthening of the body, mind, and spirit. Issues of body-image, self-esteem, healing from sexual violation, sisterhood, and self-authentication are regularly addressed in belly dance classes everywhere.

United States
Tribal-style belly dancers.

With its emergence at the 1876 Philadelphia Centennial, the last four decades of the 20th century moved belly dance in the U.S. more into the mainstream. The current interest in the dance can be traced back to the 1950s and '60s. It was in the ethnic nightclubs in major cities like New York, that most Americans first became acquainted with the dance. These clubs were owned, operated and patronized by members of the ethnic communities of Mediterranean countries like Greece, Turkey, Lebanon and Syria. At the time, most of the dancers were Greek or Turkish, but in time their ranks would grow to include Americans as well. One example of this is the dancer "Morocco" of New York, who started her career in the night clubs of Greek Town on 8th Avenue. These American dancers learned the dance by watching and imitating their Greek and Turkish sisters, as well as the patrons.

In the late 1960s and early '70s many of these dancers began offering dance classes. With increasing exploration of the East in the late 1960s, many people became interested in everything Eastern, including dance. Many touring Middle Eastern or Eastern bands took dancers with them as they toured to provide a visual representation of their music, which helped to spark interest in the dance. This had the effect of creating many beautiful dancers who have generated greater interest in belly dancing. The increased interest in belly dancing created diverse names for the same simple movements and the need to have a "style" as each teacher tried to distinguish differences in their way of teaching from other teachers. This has hampered belly dance from acceptance with the more established dance forms because there is no nationally recognized choreography terminology that can be used to create repeatable dances.

A recent movement in the U.S. called American Tribal Style Belly Dance, or ATS, represents everything from folklore-inspired dances to the fusion of ancient dance techniques from North India, the Middle East, and Africa. Created in 1987 by Carolena Nericcio, founder of FatChanceBellydance in San Francisco, ATS has a format consisting of a vocabulary of steps that are designed to be performed improvisationally in a lead-follow manner. ATS is performed in a group, typically with a chorus of dancers using zills, or finger cymbals, as accompaniment. The music can be folkloric or modern, and the costume is heavily layered, evoking traditions of any or all of its fusion of cultural influences.

Suhaila Salimpour is a belly dance teacher who was born to Middle Eastern immigrants to the United States. She recently became the first American-born belly dancer to be interviewed on Arab television, and she is consistently compared to the native belly dancers in the Middle East. Other know belly dancers are Rania Bossonis, Amira Mor, Veena Bidasha, Neena Bidasha

Multicultural trends that have shaped Western and U.S. belly dance are still at work. Ever evolving, this versatile dance keeps absorbing a blend of influences; modern fashion, film and television imagery, the worlds of country, rock, reggae, r&b, jazz, clubhouse, and hip hop music, underground subcultures, and many other contemporary influences. The umbrella term used to describe these hybrid forms of belly dance is "belly dance fusion", including "tribal fusion". One of the newest belly dance fusion trends is gothic belly dance that incorporates many belly dance styles and motifs and seeks to express the darkness of the unknown that has inspired the music, philosophies, and lifestyles of the Goth subculture.

Every year in the U.S. more fusion and personal styles added into Belly Dance. From ballet, Urban Tribal, Techno Tribal, Afrocuban Tribal, World Fusion, Popping Fusions, Hip Hop Fusions, Jazz, contemporary, Indian, Asian gymnastics, fire dancing, stilt walking, hoop twirling and the reintroduction of burlesque type movements,[citation needed] With dancers seeking out education in more than one dance form in order to incorporate something new into their Belly Dance choreographies; it has become one of the most diverse dance forms within the U.S. to date.

Canada
A belly dancer in Calgary, Alberta, Canada in 2008. Canada has a belly dance community much like the United States with many different styles ranging from Raqs Sharqi to Gypsy style. Many schools offer belly dance classes.