Belly dancing is the name given to many different styles of dance which originated in the Middle East, but which dancers all over the world have taken to their hearts and made their own.
Belly dance is known in arabic as Raks Sharki, and comes in many different forms - oriental style, cabaret style, American Tribal style, tribal fusion, and many other sub-strata.
I study and dance in the Egyptian Oriental Style, as performed by dancers in Cairo today.
Here are a few things to remember about belly dance:
- Dance in the Middle East has been kept alive by being passed from mothers to daughters, not by being performed for men.
- This is a dance for everyone - all ages, shapes, sizes and fitness levels. Some of Egypt's most respected, popular dancers would be eligible for their pensions. In Scotland, I teach women of all ages and abilities - all that is required is a desire to learn and an enjoyment of music!
- Men can do this dance too, and some are really quite amazing - for instance Tito and UK-based Khaled Mahmoud.
- Belly dancers use their hips as the heart of most movements, and there is no need to bare your belly if you don't want to.
