Belly dance

Belly dance is a Middle Eastern art form centered on the movements of the hips and torso. It is a deeply rooted cultural practice with many regional variations in style and costume. While often called "belly dance" in the West, it is also known as Middle Eastern dance or Arabic dance. In professional circles, it is categorized as Raqs sharqi, which means "Eastern Dance" or "Dance of the Orient." This broad category includes several specific styles like Raqs Baladi, Sa'idi, Ghawazee, and Awalim.

The mechanics of the dance rely on muscle isolation rather than limb movement. Unlike many Western dance styles that focus on moving arms and legs through space, belly dance emphasizes the torso. Dancers use intense abdominal muscle control to achieve precise movements. These movements are often categorized into three distinct types: percussive, fluid, and shimmies. Percussive movements are staccato hits, such as hip rocks or chest lifts, used to accent a drum beat. Fluid movements are sinuous and continuous, creating shapes like horizontal or vertical figure-eights.

Shimmies and vibrations add texture and depth to a performance. A shimmy is a small, fast, and continuous movement of the hips or ribcage. Dancers use many different types of shimmies, including straight-legged knee-driven versions or bouncing "earthquake" shimmies. These vibrations are often layered over other movements to interpret the fast strumming of instruments like the oud or qanun. While the torso drives the dance, performers also use their arms to frame the body or create dramatic gestures. They may also incorporate traveling steps, turns, spins, and even backbends.

The history of the dance is long and complex. Depictions of female dancers can be found in the tombs of ancient Egypt in the Minya Governorate. The Greek historian Herodotus described Egyptians creating spontaneous fun through singing and dancing on the Nile. During the eras of the Umayyad, Abbasid, and Fatimid caliphs, belly dancing was part of courtly entertainment. In the Ottoman Empire, the dance was performed in the sultan's palace by women and later by boys. Historically, professional performers included the Awalim, who were often musicians and poets, and the Ghawazi.

The terminology used today has specific origins. The term "belly dance" is a translation of a French term. It first appeared in a 1864 review of the painting "Dance of the Almeh" by Jean-Léon Gérôme. The first known use of the English term "belly dance" occurred in 1883 in the writings of Charles James Wills. In the United States, the dance gained national attention at the 1893 Chicago World's Fair. Although the term is often credited to Sol Bloom, the Fair's entertainment director, he actually used the French term for the dance in Algeria.

In the modern era, the dance holds different meanings depending on the region. In Egypt, it exists in two social contexts: professional performance and social folk dance. The social version, called Raqs Baladi or Raqs Shaabi, is performed by ordinary people at celebrations in their everyday clothes. In Turkey, the dance is called Oryantal, and many professional dancers there are of Romani heritage. While the dance is popular globally, some parts of the modern Middle East consider it a disreputable art form, and it is even outlawed in certain regions.

Belly dance has also made a significant impact on global pop culture. The Colombian singer Shakira is a major representative of the dance, having made it her trademark through songs like "Whenever Wherever" and "Hips Don't Lie." She has blended belly dance with Latin styles like Salsa and Afro-Colombian movements. Her success helped popularize the dance across Latin America and the United States. Her influence even reached other major artists, such as Beyoncé, who explored these movements in their "Beautiful Liar" collaboration. This connection shows how a traditional Middle Eastern art can influence modern global music systems.