Once again linking belly dance to Arab, Egyptian and Turkish identities, it becomes a way to empower women and challenge cultural notions of the role of women in Middle Eastern culture and Islam.
Belly dancing is allowed in Islam if it occurs within contexts not forbidden by the Quran or the hadith. Islamic sources generally discourage libidinous displays from women, but the details are often known, and some clothed forms of belly dancing adhere to Islamic standards.
Although belly dancing began as a social and celebratory dance, it was later banned in public places due to restrictions on viewing the female body. By removing dance from the public spectacle and gaze of men, belly dancing has become a common dance in society and a source of joy for women in the private sector. Historically, however, the practice of belly dancing did not originate from a desire to be sexually attractive, but rather from a celebration between communities of women.
The Origins of Belly Dancing in the Middle East
According to some reports, belly dancing is very ancient and its traces can be found up to 6000 years ago, in some pagan societies that worshiped a female deity to glorify female fertility as something magical.
Dance has been a form of self-expression for thousands of years, and there are several theories regarding the origin of belly dancing. Belly dancing is a form of dance that originated centuries ago; involves isolating the muscles for movements such as twisting the abdomen and moving the hips. It is a dance that can be learned for fun, entertainment or fitness.
Dancing is a good cardiovascular workout and helps increase flexibility and strength by focusing on the muscles in your torso or core, as well as increasing leg strength. The belly dance involves a lot of skin for Westerners and is also based on a long tradition, but according to the Akim’s website, it traditionally belongs to the haram, the women’s quarter, and is only performed in front of women.
Islam and Dancing Women
In traditional Muslim societies, women often gather after dinner to perform a belly dance, which they call “rax-sharki”. These performances used Middle Eastern elements of belly dancing to adorn the bodies of white women, rather than glorify women who were actually of Egyptian or Arab ancestry.
Middle Eastern dance images consist of forbidden and exotic women in luxurious costumes. Hollywood films regularly include sexualized belly dancers as part of oriental and exotic performances of the Middle East. Belly dance performances in films and in many performing groups in America fit the aesthetic by destroying the bodies of Arab women in favor of white women.
While middle-class white women practice belly dancing more often in Canada and the U.S., Middle Eastern women are working to revive belly dancing as a way to build a positive attitude toward their bodies. Today, many countries in the Middle East ban women from performing this dance.
In modern times, professional performers (including dancers, singers and actors) are not considered respectable in the more conservative Middle Eastern countries, especially when female performers are subjected to intense displays of their bodies in public of social stigma. This is considered a holy place in Islam. Strict followers of Islam demand that women not be seen in performances and stigmatize women who are considered sex animals in any sense.
It Is a Fine Form of Wedding Dancing
Behavior that would be considered reprehensible in nightclubs is acceptable in the most respectable setting of a wedding, and it would be a mistake not to put on a belly dancer exhibition. According to the text, this verse of the Qur’an forbids women’s dance performances, especially belly dancing, which viewers consider to be sexually suggestive. If the act of dancing does not lead to any other haram activity, then it is permissible. It has always been a tradition for male transvestites to imitate women and dance with a feminine touch.
There are also all-female dances in the Muslim world, such as the traditional murada in Qatar, Bahrain, and Saudi Arabia, and couple dances, such as the Yemeni Sharh. However, rural Muslims, representing the majority of the faithful, have developed rich dance traditions. Approximately 30 years ago, dance was a mandatory attribute of village Muslim weddings in the Muslim world.
Lebanon as a Center for the Dance
Lebanon is one of the main centers of Eastern dance in the Middle East, but while you can still dance there, only the most daring belly dancers work there. 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.
Before, if a dancer with a name was dancing, she would be visited every night. “Unfortunately in India, belly dancing is associated with cabaret shows and bachelorette parties and few people know that there are different styles of belly dancing, just like ballet, both men and women dance, even belly dancing.
You can dance in whatever suits you – you don’t have to expose your belly to see the moves, so a tee is fine if you don’t like a swimsuit or crop top. Most people dance barefoot, but if you’re into something more substantial, soft dance shoes will do.
Over time, in Colombian singer Shakira’s performances, Shakira added belly dancing, mixing it with Latin American dances like salsa and Afro-Colombia, which she says she danced since she was a child The moves are thanks to her Lebanese grandmother. Ruth St. Denis also used Middle Eastern-style dance in D. W. Griffith’s silent film Intolerance. Her goal was to elevate dance as a respected art form in an era when dancers were considered free-spirited women.
