Belly Dance in Modern Culture

The art of Belly Dance in America's modern culture is a part of several facets of society and may appear in more places than you think. You can find bellydancers of course as entertainment in Indian restaurants and at street fairs. However, bellydance is also now being widely taught as a form of exercise and as a workout for pregnant women because the fluid movements and muslce toning moves are both healthy and since the dance was originally a fertility and birthing dance, there are many routines meant to help ease pregnant women into childbirth. However, the dance is not just slow and fluid movements. It has also evolved to include several props such as swords, fire, and flowing veils. There is not just one kind of belly dance, but several different varieties to choose from.

The opinion of belldancers ranges from respect to scorn. Many people appreciate belly dance for it's beauty, form, and skill. The other end of the spectrum includes people that believe the dance is too sexual and is parallel with exotic dancing. Belly dancers are often scorned for the costumes and moves, but when preformed correctly the dance can be a respectful homage to the female form and also to the culture from which it came.

The link below will lead you to a studio that has locations in Atlanta, Perimeter, and Windy Hill if you are interested in finding places to study the dance and have a great time!
Belly Dance Courses Near You

Misconceptions

Costuming
There are several misconceptions about belly dance. Firstly, knowing that the dance was originally a dance performed by women for other women, I became very frustrated when searching for images for this blog because 99% of what I found was pictures of modern dancers in the westernized costumes performing for an audience or, when the pictures did reflect older forms of dance, the women were still scantily clad and dancing for a group of men. In reality, dancing for entertainment did not come until later in the history of the dance and for the most part, the women wore their everyday clothes. The costumes that dancers wear now are nothing like the actual garments worn by original performers of the dance but and it is in fact illegal for dancers in Egypt to preform with a bare stomach. The costumes wore today more than likely 
Harems
Another misconception is the presence of bellydancers in harems. This idea is perpetrated by Western Hollywood and its portrayal of dancers under the ownership of Middle Eastern Sultans. Harems were not collections of beautiful women lying around all day for the Sultan's pleasure, but included women of all ages who were slaves to the sultan and is not at all like the exotic places shown in movies today. 
Just for Women
While it is true that in Western culture belly dance is a primarily female dance, in the Middle Eastern countries where the dance originated it is preformed by men, women, and children. The dance is a family and social activity so everyone participates, not just the women anymore. 

Here is a link an article featuring great explanations of how several misconceptions arose and how they can be proved wrong. 
http://www.shira.net/advice/lifestyle/servingmen.htm

Types of Belly Dance

Because belly dance came from so many different origins, there are many different styles and forms of the dance. The most commonly seen are Egyptian and Turkish styles. The Egyptian style dance is characterized by precise movements and more cabaret style costumes. Most Egyptian dances also do not include floorwork, however it is very popular in Turkish belly dance. Other characteristics of Turkish bellydancing includes more fluid movements and the more commonly seen half-top and skirt costume. Another more recent style of belly dance is known as Tribal Fusion which is a darker variation of the dance including both sharp and fluid movements. It does not look like any one style but instead fuses together several different styles to make something new. Below are some examples of the different styles of belly dance. 

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1) Example of Turkish style belly dance. You can see the characteristic floorwork, costuming, and fluid movements.  

2) Example of Egyptian style belly dance. You can see the characteristic costuming and precise movements, most above the hips and rib cage. 
3) Example of the Americanize Tribal Fusion style of belly dance. This particular clip works very well because we see the dancer combine both the fluid and precise movements along with fusing together two styles of music to match her different styles of dance. 

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.

Origins

      The history of belly dance is key to understanding the culture that surrounds the art today. Knowing the history of the dance also helps to distinguish the actual historical elements of the dance from the westernized elements of the dance. The true origins of the dance is a controversial topic but most experts agree that it's oldest origins lie in Egypt, India, and Persia. In these cultures, the dance was most often a dance of fertility and a wedding dance. For many years the dance was only known to exist by women and was passed down from mother to daughter. The term belly dance is an American term but in Arabic the dance is known as "Raqs Sharqi" or "The Dance of the East". The dance is also celebrated in Roma cultures. They originally traveled through India, the Middle East, and Europe bringing their dances with them. A lot of what we know about the history of the dance comes from ancient artwork that reveals how dancers might have dressed and preformed. Art from the 1st century AD to the 5th century AD, like Egyptian paintings and mosaics, support the idea of the dance as being "for women only". However by the 7th century AD it appears that dancers had begun to perform publicly at festivals and celebrations. Historians have found a contract for a dancer preserved on a sheet of papyrus that is between a woman a dancer she is hiring to preform at an event. These historical depictions and references to the dance help make it easier to track it's progression through history. The picture above shows an ancient Egyptian painting of what is believed to be an early form of the dance. This most likely portrays the dance being preformed in a fertility ceremony. I have included links to some other pieces of art that portray early bellydancers.

Drawing of a Group of Women Dancers

Veiled Dancer - Alexandria, Egypt 3rd-2nd century BC, Metropolitan Museum of Art

Greek Dancers