belly

665 Words2 Pages

History on Belly Dancing

What is Belly dancing? We see bits of it on the television every day, whether it is a music video, a commercial, a new method of burning fat, or in a movie. So, what is this dance where you move your hips at different speeds? Where did it come from? I have always wondered what it was because it looked so fun. It is a dance where you can be creative with it and make it your own. Here is a brief look at the history of this popular dance craze that is sweeping the world.
The history of belly dancing began in Ancient Egypt around 5000 BC, but instead of belly dancing it was called Raks Sharki evidence has shown tomb paintings showing female dancers and musicians. The first was found in the tomb of Neb Amon it was uncovered at Thebes. However, the aspects of dance back then were for celebration and some entertainment. Also, their dance was related to the worship of the fertility goddess like Hathor in Egypt. She was a famous goddess of Ancient Egypt known as “the Great One of Many Names”. This dance would be attached to fertility or sometimes performed during childbirth. In addition, to this the way the dancers would move their hips in circles, swaying and shaking of the body like the pictures of The Banquet that was in the tomb of Netumen from 1400BC it showed the development of choreography and music in Egyptian culture. I think that Egypt kind of set the grounds for belly dancing even though many people do not know where belly dancing originated from but, have many ideas. Today, Egypt thought to be the home of belly dancing still, but their two main dance styles are Raqs Baladi and Raqs Sharqi. The oriental dance has a contained or internal feeling kind of compared to other styles.
Ne...

... middle of paper ...

...fined. So, they gave the dance nicknames like Hootchy-Kootchy or Hoochee-Coochie even the shimmy and shake. Nevertheless, using traditional Turkish and Egyptian movements, American Cabaret or American Restaurant belly dancing which has developed its own characteristic style, using props and encouraging audience interaction. As a result, many forms of the Tribal Fusion had developed incorporating elements from other dance and music styles including flamenco, ballet, burlesque, hula hoop and even hip hop Gothic Belly Dance which is a style that incorporates elements from Goth subculture.

Works Cited

• http://www.carolinebellydancer.co.uk/history_culture_bellydance.htm
• http://www.ancientegyptonline.co.uk/hathor.html
• http://www.ketisharif.com/article-healthcourse.html
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Belly_dance#Social_context_of_belly_dance_in_the_Middle_East

Open Document