Belly Dancing Articles

Belly Dance Costumes

To the uninitiated Belly dance costumes may seem all the same. But in fact the costuming, along with the music, essence, and expression of movement are regionally distinct. This paper is devoted to identifying the current characteristics of mass produced and designer costumes from Turkey, Egypt and America....MORE

Belly  Dancing: Mind, Body and Soul

Belly Dancing, also known as Oriental Dance or Raks Sharqi ("Dance of the East"), is an excellent workout, a celebration of life and a spiritual experience all rolled into one.

You may be drawn to belly dancing by the exotic costumes, or because you have seen dancers perform and want to move your body in the same way. Perhaps you are sick of the gym and looking for a fun activity to get you in shape.

These are all wonderful reasons to start belly dancing. It is ideal for....MORE

Belly Dance and The Feminine Image

History shows us through paintings that the veil came to symbolize the untouchable and tantalizing appeal of women in the Middle East. To show just a little part of the body was alluring enough to cause men to pine for women’s affection. If we look at 19th Century paintings of various scenes of women dancing, the look of the belly dancer is quite refined. The distinctive folds in the belt or the accessories from the ankle all the way to the headpiece tell the individual story of each dancer. This is how dancers from the past to the present set themselves apart from their contemporaries....MORE

A brief history of Oriental Dance 

In Arabic, the folk dance that mothered Oriental dance came to be identified as Raks Baladi. Raks meaning dance and Baladi roughly meaning of the country. A distinction between native and foreign dance became necessary after European occupation. Before this it was simply referred to as Raks (derived from the word rejoice)....MORE