Belly Dance Classes

Belly dance is a fusion of dance from several different places. It is based upon Middle Eastern dances especially of Arabic areas. It has evolved with popular culture and even more traditional dances have elements of popular culture. It is really the result of the Westernization of an Eastern art form. The movements are largely based upon the hips. But the entire body is used. It has existed for centuries as the tribal dance of the Middle East and North Africa. The West became mesmerized by this dance form in the 18th and 19th centuries as these dances were introduced at World's Fairs and by Orientalist artists that depicted harem life in the Ottoman Empire.
Dances of the Middle East would not remain pure for long after introduction into the West.

Victorian sensibilities were shocked and amazed at such dance but that didn't stop its progress. Egyptian style belly dance was especially affected by the West with European colonial forces present and urbanization of the area. The Western craze over Eastern dance transformed it because it was modified to suit the taste of Western paying customers.
Costume is a very important part of belly dancing. The costume most associated with this dance is a fusion of Western ideas of the dance and traditional Eastern costume. A cabaret owner in Cairo actually imported costumes from the West that reflected the Hollywood version of the dance to draw in more customers. The costume worn today is basically composed of the fitted top usually with a fringe of beads or coins, and a hip belt that also has a fringe. The top can be a bra type piece or similar, but the midriff is almost always showing. The bottoms can be either a skirt or harem pants. Even though it has been banned since 1950 for Egyptian dancers to show too much skin, they have found a way to adjust the costumes to fit both tradition and law with flesh colored inserts in the midriff area.

There are distinct costume styles for Turkey, Lebanon, and America. Props are also an important part of belly dance such as finger cymbals, veil, sword, tambourine, fire sticks, fans, and even snakes. The basic steps of the dance include a shimmy which is a vibration of the hips; hip hits which are hip taps away from the body these can also be done with shoulders or chest; and undulations which are movements of the hips of chest in a rotation. Lessons at dance schools are available all over the world.