Belly Dance

The captivating art of bellydance has its roots in the temples and fertility religions of the ancient world. Today, it enjoys unprecedented popularity in its many regional and stylistic variations. In the Arab world, bellydance is known as raqs sharqi, which translates as Oriental Dance or Dance of the East – an apt description of a dance form that has integrated and synthesized movements from many regions and cultures.

Although there are many different styles of bellydance, they all share some fundamental movements in common such as undulations, circles, figure eights and shimmies. Isolation of different parts of the body is also a hallmark of all styles, as is the important basic principal that energy moves from the core belly, radiates out through the dancers body and is then drawn back to the core to be recycled and reborn.

Egypt is arguably the most important artistic centre for bellydance in the Middle East. Though never strictly codified, Egyptian bellydance weaves together elements of sacred rite, folk tradition and cabaret entertainment into a stylized form marked by a highly refined aesthetic sensibility and a deep attunement to the intricacies of Arabic music.