About Belly Dance

Graciously written by Diana Shahein

Known by many names, `belly dance` is one of the oldest celebrations of the female form and spirit. With roots in the Near, Middle and Far East, the dance has been used for secular and religious celebrations.

In ancient times it was tied to the honoring of `Mother Earth` and the eternal Goddess, surviving by becoming the dance of traveling Gypsies adding the cultural dimensions of each place visited and also remaining as to become national dances of various countries, Egypt possessing the most traditional and classical form of the dance.

In 17th century Europe, Orientalist painters used the dance as the subject for their masterpieces.

Then in 1893 at the Chicago Worlds Fair the dance became a product of American ingenuity. A young woman calling herself Little Egypt, commercialized the dances of Algerian folk dancers and the phenomenon of the `belly dance ` was born.

Today, women of all ages, shapes and sizes and walks of life practice this sensuous art form for exercise, stress reduction and just for the fun of it. Some belong to troupes and perform the dance at cultural and community functions while some advance to a professional status dancing at parties, restaurants and night clubs.

The natural movements of belly dance promote balance, flexibility and grace in movement and help to develop spontaneity and creative expression.