Development in the West

The first appearances of belly dance in America can be traced back to the 1893 World Fair in New York. The dance probably was in America before the fair, but the pavilions at the fair featured dancers from several Middle Eastern countries and helped to usher the dance into American culture. It took off in popularity in the vaudeville theatre where dancers were loved by some and looked down upon by others. The World Fair performance is credited to a dancer named "Little Egypt" but one Little Egypt never truly existed but instead was the name given to all the dancers at the fair. Pictured above are two dancers from the World Fair that inspired the birth of bellydance in America. The Victorian Era American society was very proper so the free-spirited dancers provided an entertainment not found elsewhere in the culture. In the 1960's the dance hit a second wave of popularity as the 'free love' culture became more and more popular. Since the dance is very fluid and free-spirited it fit in perfectly with the times. Bellydance has stayed a part of American culture since then.

This video is of dancer Fatima Djemille. She is one of the dancers credited with being the original Little Egypt. I found it interesting that it is noted that when this film was to be shown in Chicago after the World Fair that the image was censored. Even though the American culture was fascinated with belly dance, society still saw the dance as being shameful. The same aspects society loved it for, they also condemned it for.