The History of Egyptian Belly Dancing
Belly dancing is a style that is designed for the female body, emphasizing movements in the chest, stomach and hip areas. There are many folk and classical styles that combine elements from various cultures. While it is considered an exotic art form, there are many places that teach belly dancing today. Versions of the history of belly dancing differ among some of these places.
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Origin
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Experts think that belly dancing originated in the Middle East, the Mediterranean region and Africa. Some theorize that the dance was linked to medieval Islamic culture and ancient Spain, while others claim that it was a fertility ritual to help pregnant women in childbirth (see Resources).
Names
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The Arabs called it raqs sharqi, while the Turks named it oryantal dansi, which translates roughly to "exotic oriental dance." The French called it danse du ventre, which means dance of the stomach (see Resources).
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Clothing
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The clothing that women wear while dancing is called bedlah (Arabic for "suit"), and was adopted by Egyptians in the 1930s (see Resources).
Depictions
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Egyptian tomb paintings depicted belly dancers as far back as the fourteenth century B.C., while Persian miniature paintings also depicted belly dancers during the twelfth and thirteenth centuries (see Resources).
Censure
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Romantic artists in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries interpreted the dance as done only by women in harems in the Ottoman Empire. During the 1950s, belly dancing was outlawed in Egypt; however, this law was repealed after a public outcry, with the condition that belly dancers do not show their stomachs (see Resources).
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Resources
- Photo Credit wellesley.edu
