The original Arabic word for belly dance has nothing to do with body part, it simply translates as oriental dance or folk dance. The word “belly dance” belongs to Saul Bloom, an American promoter who coined the word in 1899.
It is not known who invented belly dancing, but it came from Egypt and has an ancient history. Belly dancing did not become popular, though, until the 19th century. Groups of Romani dancers were exiled from Egypt and brought the dance with them to Europe, where the French took interest in it.
In those early days, belly dancing was known as an oriental dance, and the term “belly dance” came from the Europeans when they looked at the women who performed such a belly dance. and hip movements as part of the dance. Belly dancing comes from various dance styles that were performed in the Middle East and North Africa.
Belly Dancing’s Movement into the West
In the Western world, belly dancing is considered a traditional dance form and an exotic form of entertainment, but it did not originate as an exotic form of entertainment in the Middle East. Another idea believed to be behind the various belly dances is that they originated from the cult of the great mother goddess and matured from a combination of fertility cults, religious rituals, and magical and secular dances in particularly related ancient civilizations. to the cult of the great mother goddess.
A unique and completely modern style, it uses steps from existing cultural dance styles, including dances from India, the Middle East and Africa.
Some sources state that the style originated in the 1960s when Jamila Salimpour taught and performed folk dance in her belly dance, other sources cite Jamila Salimpours’ student Masha Archer, while others cite Masha Archers’ student Carolina Nerriccio. The latter created the name and common dance language for this style, allowing companies to perform impromptu dances.
Although there were dancers performing Middle Eastern styles at the much smaller 1876 centenary celebration in Philadelphia, it was not until the Chicago World’s Fair in 1893 that belly dancing caught national attention. It is believed that belly dancing first appeared in America in 1893 when a dancer known as “Little Egypt” performed at the Chicago World’s Fair.
Europeans Brought Belly Dancing to America
Middle Eastern dance first spread to Europe and the United States thanks to European travelers who traveled through the Middle East and North Africa from the late 1700s to the 1800s. Around this time, dancers from the Middle East began to perform at various fairs around the world, often attracting crowds of people who rivaled the crowds of visitors to science and technology exhibitions. International dance moves were incorporated into oriental dances and costumes were changed to suit popular tastes.
The public was shocked, and entrepreneurs began to make a fortune by hiring strippers to perform the “Little Egypt” dance as they emerged from the pirogues. The few non-native Egyptians who are allowed to perform authentically have revived the dance network and helped spread the word about the art form around the world.
Professional belly dancing in Cairo is not unique to native Egyptians, although Egypt banned dancers of foreign origin from obtaining solo work permits for much of 2004 amid concerns that potentially inauthentic performances would weaken Egyptian culture. In Egypt, dance has always been a part of wedding celebrations, danced socially by partygoers and professionally by artists who get paid for special occasions. Historically, professional dancers were Awalims (mostly musicians and poets), Ghawazis and Kotzeklers.
Music Styles Commonly Associated with Belly Dancing
The music may be traditional or contemporary Middle Eastern, although in many regions dancers may still belly dance to non-traditional songs (such as American pop songs) in cabaret style clothing and are still considered cabaret belly dancers. Belly dancers usually dance to Turkish or Middle Eastern music played on a tape recorder by a band with drums, clarinet-like instruments, harp and Turkish mandolin. This style still exists in some places, but there are also many Turkish belly dancers in more modest outfits.
Modern belly dancing is also influenced by spiritual dances such as Sultan King and Tuareg Godra (in Niger, Mali and other parts of Northwest Africa), martial arts dances such as Egyptian tatib and Nubian sword dance, and Western standard dances such as Like ballet or even hip hop.
In recent years, mainly due to the feminist movement of the 70s and 80s, more and more women (first in the United States and then around the world, including Europe, Oceania and the Far East) have discovered the inspiring nature of belly dancing. female. In recent years, belly dancers from Eastern Europe, Russia, Latin America and elsewhere have dominated Egypt, which has long been considered the birthplace of belly dancing.
A Few Men Belly Dance as Well
As for the men, they are still dancing folkloric styles in the countries of origin of belly dance, and not the dancer named Little Egypt. Rax sharqi seems to refer to a specific style in recent times, which does not include dances such as rax shaabi, baladi, or the American tribal. While I like the term, I don’t think it fits any kind of what we call belly dancing, such as tribal when performed in a group, and rax sharki when performed outside of his home countries. performed in a group and choreographed rather than improvised.
Several dancers, including the French writer Colette, tried their hand at “oriental” dancing, sometimes pretending to be authentic interpretations of different dancers.
Some examples of what the dances represented range from blessing and healing people to simulating harvesting and planting crops, preparing for childbirth, preparing for a wedding ceremony, and social entertainment. In the field of belly dancing, the video has greatly contributed to the huge popularity of “Egyptian style” as a rage of the 90s – so different in concept that a new category dedicated to the place has been created in some dance competitions.
Some credit Saul Bloom for introducing the English term for belly dancing (remember, 1893 was a time when a woman’s bare ankle was considered shocking). Indian Bollywood dance. Bollywood dance is a form of dance widely used in Indian Bollywood films.
