Belly dance is a name for one variation on raqs, a style of dance developed in the Middle East and other Arabic-influenced areas. Known in Arabic language as raqs sharqi or raks sharki (translation is "Oriental Dance", or, really, "Dance of the East"), the phrase "belly dance" is utilized now as the best-known name in the West for this form.

Table of contents

1 Raqs sharqi
2 Belly dance
3 Health
4 Male belly dancing
5 References
6 Related links
7 External links

Raqs sharqi

The dance has been known through the oral tradition in Egypt since the pre-Islamic times.

Despite its alias, "belly dance", raqs sharqi dancing involves motion of the whole body, from head to feet.

Belly dance

The term "belly dancing" is generally credited to Sol Bloom, entertainment director of the 1893 World's Fair, the World Colombian Exposition in Chicago. It was here in the Egyptian Theater, where the USA first got a look at raqs dancers, when Bloom presented "The Algerian dancers of Morocco". The dancer who stole the show, and who continued to popularize this form of dancing was "Fatima", also known as Little Egypt. Her real name was Farida Mazar Spyropoulos.

The dance performed by Little Egypt had also been called "Hootchy-Kootchy" or "Hoochee-Coochee", the origin of the name is unknown, and "danse du ventre", which is French for "belly dance".

Today the word "hootchy-kootchy" means simply an erotic suggestive dance.

Health

(to do)

Male belly dancing

(to do)

References

Donna Carlton, Looking for Little Egypt, Bloomington, IN, IDD Books, 1995.