Oriental dance has its origins in Egypt and was brought to the West in the early 1900’s. Historically, it was danced only by women for women.
Belly dance (Egyptian Arabic: رقص بلدى Egyptian Arabic pronunciation: [ɾɑʔs bælædi], translated: Country Dance / Folk Dance, Romanized: Raks / Raas Baladi) is a dance that originated in Egypt with hips and torso movements. It has evolved to take different forms depending on the country and region, both in the style of costumes and dance. Egyptian styles and costumes are the most recognized in the world due to Egyptian cinema. Traditional Egyptian rhythms have become the most popular in the world, being practiced in most international belly dance schools.
The term “belly dance” is a translation of the French term “danse du ventre”, which referred to Victorian-era dance and probably originally to dancers from the Ouled Nail tribes of Algeria. Its current use is a misnomer, as the Ouled Nail dance used more abdominal movements than the dances described today as “belly dance” or “Raks Sharki” in Arabic. In the ancient Middle East, belly dance was first used as a birth aid, with the sisters of the woman giving birth performing a symbolic snake-like movement to facilitate the birth of their sister.
Many consider belly dance to be an Egyptian art, and the best dancers are gypsies from Egypt. Belly dance was later brought to America in 1893 by the famous Little Egypt dancer as an exotic event.
Oriental dance is a spiritual connection between mind and body to achieve a sense of holistic fulfillment. It celebrates the feminine soul and the joy of the woman. It is not an erotic or “exotic” type of dance, and the costume is an inseparable part of the dance. The dancer uses a combination of agility, fluidity, grace, creativity and physical strength, as well as a well-trained technique.
