Belly dance is an ancient spiritual tradition, one of the oldest forms of dance originated in the Middle East.

Belly dance is called “Raqs Shargi’ in Arabic and “Oryantal Dansi” in Turkish and they both mean the dance of the east. So, we know for sure that this is the dance of the east.

In 1893 belly dancing entered United States when Sol Bloom created an exhibition of Middle Eastern dance and culture at the Chicago World’s Fair. He brought Middle Eastern belly dancers to the American audience.

Belly dancing has been evolved in time as it traveled through Europe and U.S. Dancers are not doing the classic belly dance necessarily. It is experimented with some other dance forms like jazz, modern dance or even ballet. These new forms are not called Middle Eastern Belly Dance any longer, but get new names like ‘fusion’, ‘ethno-modern fusion’, etc.

Egyptian and Turkish belly dances differ, too. Egyptian dance is inspired by the traditional Beledi dance, The dance involves feminine, internal movements with emotional facial expressions, walking and posing steps, intricate hip movements and isolated movements of the body. Turkish style is faster, livelier than the Egyptian style. Movements are extended throughout the body, larger and more athletic. The dance is also influenced by the Turkish folkloric dance.

Today, belly dance is not a only Middle Eastern or Mediterranean dance any more. It is becoming more and more popular all around the world. People love doing and watching it. Belly dance festivals, workshops and seminars take place constantly attracting many men and women. Even pop or rap songs now have belly dance rhythms and motives and popular singers incorporate belly dance moves into their dance choreography.