Essay On Belly Dancing

The Belly dance also known as the Middle Eastern dance coined by westerners (Byrski 12). It is essentially an oriental dance that originates from Arabic speaking countries in North Africa such as Egypt and the Middle East. Belly dance takes a number of forms that are defined and dependent on the different countries and regions both in relation to the style of dancing, as well as the costumes worn during the dance (Cooper 42). With Globalization, new styles have evolved in western and other nations of the world.

Belly dancing is an important element of a number of Middle Eastern and Arabic cultures and has been used as an attraction in various jurisdictions to accompany Middle Eastern cuisine such as Turkish cuisine. During the Victorian era, the term “Dance Du Venter” was applied about the Ouled Nail dancers from Algeria. The French term translated becomes belly dance. The dance involved the movement of the abdomen. However contrary to popular belief, every part of the dancer’s body is involved during the dancing but the hips feature most in the performance of the dance.

There are two predominant style of belly dancing. These are the Raqs Sharqi which refers to oriental and eastern dancing. It is a style that is more publicized and familiar to other parts of the world. It is mostly performed in restaurants, cabarets and eating establishments around the world. In most cases, female dancers perform it but can also be performed by men. It is performed solo as an improvisational dance although in some cases students performs choreographed dances in small or large groups. The Raqs baladi is another style that means folk or local dancing. It is the more cultural and folkloric style of dancing. It is dance...

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...tomed to the conventional bedlah style (Turkish Dancing).

The costume that is normally worn is the bedlah. This is usually a filled bra or top, hip belt and harem pants or full length skirt. The costumes are richly decorated with crystals, sequins, beads and embroidery. The modern bedlah style is credited to Badia Masabani although it is said that the bedlah may have had the inspiration from glamorous costuming from Hollywood and created to appeal to visitors of western origin.

Belly dancing is loved by audiences because of its alluring nature. It is seductive and can be able to elicit feelings from deep within (Jarrar I). The dancers also consider it is a weight bearing exercise and can also earn them money during performances (Harris and Denise 29). People that are known for belly dancing included Dina Talaat, Terezka Drnizk and Fifi Abdou.