Belly dance in Chichester - Belly Dance Articles

I have contemplated attending the Beltain festival at Butser Ancient Farm since 2008. I have contemplated attending the Beltain festival at Butser Ancient Farm since 2008. This year, I finally put my foot down and decide I want to experience the fun and mythical origin of this event... and I was not disappointed....MORE

The sound of swirling silk crackles softly as I spin, my veil catching the air like a sail from Cleopatra's ancient barge. The scent of my jasmine perfume evokes feminine mysteries, an aroma associated with a timeless dance that has fascinated people since the age of the Pharaohs.

Belly dancing grabs hold of your imagination and links modern times with earth's ancient past. This dance evokes timeless archetypal images and movements inspired by animals such as camels, snakes and birds; totem animals for a dancer. Belly dancing expresses all those feelings inside us that we can't put words to, and tells stories of love and life with mystic movements.....MORE

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.

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

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