Belly Dancing: An Ancient Art for the New Millenium

In 1893 at the Chicago World Exposition an unknown Middle Eastern dancer shocked and delighted Americans with hypnotic and undulating movements never before seen by anyone who had never traveled to the Middle East. Undoubtedly, the dancer known only as “Little Egypt” was performing a style of dance Americans now recognize as “belly dance.”

Belly dancing is an ancient dance style of North Africa and the Middle East that is believed to be at least 5000 years old. Traditionally, women and girls performed this dance in private for each other to celebrate the female spirit. They also danced during child labor, making belly dancing the only performance art with movements specifically aimed at easing childbirth. This practice has dwindled in the Middle East with the dominance of Western medicine, but it is becoming more popular among Western women. Belly dancing emphasizes intricate and isolated movements of the hips and rib cage, such as tracing distinct patterns like figure 8’s and circles, or executing lifts and drops. Movements can be flowing or shimmying with posture and poise being of utmost importance. Young girls grow up learning the dance from mothers, grandmothers and other female family members. Dancing and music is part of every gathering and everyone from the toddler to the great grandmother participates.Movements in belly dance can be graceful and flowing or shaking and shimmying. Belly dancing is family entertainment. It is a dance that children can enjoy as well as older women and men.

The dance predates both Islam and the development of the culture that now dominates the Arabian Peninsula. With its origins firmly rooted as female ritualistic practice, belly dancing developed with a variety of styles simultaneously throughout the countries of the Near and Middle East over thousands of years (Egypt, Turkey, Iran, Iraq, India, etc.), where it is known as “Danse Orientale” (Dance of the East) or Raks Sharqi.

After its appearance at the Chicago Exposition at the turn of the century, Americans discovered it, and the French name, “danse du ventre” (dance of the stomach) was translated into the "belly dance".

Belly dancing does not require a certain body type, fitness level or age. Today women, and even men, of all ages in America, Europe, Australia and Japan practice and perform belly dancing as an art form for fun, fitness and to entertain. There are belly dancing classes offered in or near every major city as well as many small towns. There are no age or weight requirements to enjoy belly dancing. For many overweight women belly dancing is the ideal activity because it is a form of gentle non-impact exercise. In the Middle East a large woman is considered very attractive physically and spiritually and the dance reflects this ideal.

When performing, whether in restaurants, community festivals or private events, belly dancers wear a variety of costume styles inspired by ethnic Middle Eastern traditions, contemporary Hollywood depictions as well as their own imaginations. The glitzy mid-riff -bearing costume or cabaret (what most people recognize as belly dancing attire) was specifically designed for nightclub performers in the Middle East. Though the cabaret costume is very popular among dancers and audiences, there are a number of costume styles that are just as elegant and captivating.

To learn more about belly dancing or to find instructors and performers near you visit the following websites or contact Katayoun “Kathy” Hutson at (850) 315-0217 (email: katayoun@destin.net).

www.shira.net (The Ancient Art of Middle Eastern Belly Dancing by Shira)

www.syspac.com/~parker/index.html (Yasmina’s Belly Dance Page)

www.bdancer.com/med-guide/ (Middle Eastern Dance Resource Guide)