A   R   T   I   C   L   E   S


A Name, a NotionA Name, a Notion
"In the Middle East it is known as Raqs Sharqi - translation, "Oriental Dance." The term "Belly Dance" was coined by promoter Sol Bloom in 1893. Sol used the term as an advertising hook to draw visitors to an exhibit called "The Streets of Cairo" at the Chicago World's Fair..."

Roots of Oriental DanceRoots of Oriental Dance
"All the women were singing softly and undulating their abdomens, then sharply pulling them in several times. The movements were much slower and stronger than what dancers call the flutter, and can be seen in some Schikhatts. They repeated the movements while slowly moving..."

A Brief History of Oriental DanceA Brief History
"In the transition from social dance to staged performance Raks Baladi emerged in an altered state becoming what we identify as Raks Sharki (Oriental dance). This metamorphosis most notably occurred in the 1930's at the Casino Opera in Cairo, Egypt..."

Just Say NoJust Say No
"Belly dance" is a dance of seduction. "Belly dance" was used by concubines to win the sultans favor. "Belly dance" is the eastern equivalent of strip tease. In a word – Erroneous! Traditionally in Muslim society men and women lived in separate quarters of the house..."

Faux or For Real?Faux or For Real?
"In the same breath emulation should be executed with care. Because a dancer in Egypt wears a spandex dress that barely covers her ass or does something very experimental doesn't mean one should follow suit in the quest to be authentic. In the words of Morocco "I'm in Egypt..."

prostitution, the eastern block and belly danceProstitution, the Eastern Block and Belly dance
"I lived primarily in Kharkov, a large city, about an hour away from the Russian border. The Belly dance community there is small but developing. You can find Egyptian costumes in the malls and coined hip scarves in the kiosks. Music is a bit harder to come by but it can be had. There are..."

A Competent TeacherA Competent Teacher
"In the meantime, the dance community must police itself; we must take on the responsibility of offering incoming and current students a variety of "signposts" with which to identify qualified, competent teachers from bad. This is difficult because the various styles take different..."

SimsimiyyaSing, o simsimiyya
"Simsimiyya is an essential part of the repertoire of the folklore troupes of the Canal district. Mohamed El Hosseny, native of Suez and known as a leading dancer of Reda Troupe and Mahmoud Reda Troupe as well as a dance instructor and choreographer, started his..."

GuedraGuedra
"With hand-to-head gestures, she salutes the four corners: North, South, East and West, followed by obeisances to the four elements: Fire (the sun) , Earth, Wind and Water. She touches her abdomen, heart and head, then quickly flicks her fingers towards all others present, in life or..."

Moroccan BrideSchikhatt
"In Classical Arabic, the word sheikha is the feminine of sheikh: a person with knowledge, experience, wisdom. In Maghrebi (Moroccan Arabic), "sheikha" limits its meaning to specify a woman with carnal knowledge extensive enough to teach others..."

Persian Classical DanceThe Exquisite Art of Persian Classical Dance
"Here, perhaps, I should take a moment to define what I mean by "classical" dance, and, in particular, classical Persian dance. I distinguish several types of Iranian dance, including performance and recreational dance. By recreational dance..."

tsifteteliWhat is Tsifteteli?
Tsifteteli is the name for Greek style Bellydance. This name comes from the Turkish word Chifteteli, which originally meant "two strings".The movements of Tsifteteli are a lot simpler than the movements of the Arabic Raks Sharqi. But this doesn’t mean that Tsifteteli is easier to dance...

Ian HancockOrigins of the Romani People
The Roma have been made up of many different groups of people from the very beginning, and have absorbed outsiders throughout their history. Because they arrived in Europe from the East, they were thought by the first Europeans to be from Turkey or Nubia or Egypt, or any number of vaguely acknowledged...

Shemadan DancingShemadan Dancing
"Shemadan dancing as part of the Egyptian zeffa began in the early 20th century. Prior to that time, the zeffa was lead by a dancer and musicians but illumination was provided only by special three foot long decorated wedding candles and by lanterns held by members..."

hobbyist circuitHobbyist Circuit
"Most students desire a graduation from the classroom to personal expression and draw the conclusion that the professional market is the next step. Like any craft, Oriental dance has an ABC order of progression. If you are at the point of putting theory into practice the next logical step is..."

Warm Up!Warm Up!
"The first section of your warm up is cardio. It needs to be an activity that uses large muscle groups and movement specific to your application. Actually, lightly doing and gradually increasing the intensity of the specific movements you are going to work on is optimal..."

Stretch for Belly dancersBeginners Stretch Routine
"Lie on the floor on your left side. Left arm extended straight out, head resting on left arm. Keep left leg straight. Bend right knee, and reach back with right hand grasping right ankle, pressing heel towards buttocks. Hold 30 seconds, and repeat on other side. Repeat 3 times..."

Stretch for Belly dancersAdvanced Stretch Routine
"Lie on the floor face up, with both knees bent, feet flat on the floor. Place palms flat on the floor above each shoulder. Keep feet and knees the approximate width of shoulders. With legs and arms raise body. Hold 30 seconds. Repeat 3 times..."

Eyebrow DesignEyebrow Design
"Once you decide on a design you are ready to begin shaping. Wash your face free of make up and do not apply lotion. Lotion can cause brow hairs to stick together and you can subsequently over pluck. Stand in front of a well lit mirror with your hair swept back. Tip: daylight is preferable..."

Beautiful nailsBeautiful nails
"We create an exterior to enhance our presentation with elegant costumes, coiffured hair, and suitable make-up. Our hands and feet require (at least an occasional) beauty treatment too, overgrown and ragged nails detract from an other wise refined appearance..."

Washing Your HairWashing Your Hair
"Start at your hairline and work towards the top of your head. Place your hands beneath your hair and move your fingers back and forth. If you have long hair do not make circular, zig zag, or sideways motions. It will cause excess tangling and friction which leads to breaks and hair loss..."

Belly Dance CostumesBelly Dance Costumes
"Commonalities among mass produced Turkish Belly dance costumes are: 6 to 18 inch beaded fringe attached half way up the bra cup, with a center piece draping between the cups. Alternatively, the fringe may be attached at the base of the bra and extend around the back or only..."

Belly dance pantsBlousy Dance Pants
If there is a texture or some difference in one side of the fabric to the other begin this process by turning the fabric inside out so the seams will be on the correct side. If there is a design on the fabric be mindful to match the flow of the pattern before pinning…

performing rights lawsPerforming Rights Laws
"First, unless a music composition is in public domain, it is considered protected by copyright. A musician/composer copyrights the score/composition he or she creates and can give permission to another person to use his or her score or lyrics for..."

Homemade Promotional PictureA Homemade Promotional Picture
"Lighting makes all the difference in the world! Your local cable access station is a great resource. They should have some type of lighting equipment and I suggest utilizing it. If that's not possible - go for the best diffused and even lighting you can get. Your best bet is to shoot..."

Primer for pre professional belly dancerA Professional - Primer
"That may seem overwhelming but one does not take a year of once a week classes and then join the Bolshoi Ballet Company or a Broadway show. It takes years of dedicated application to become a professional. If developing said traits doesn't particularly speak to you..."

Professional belly dancerA Professional - Dance
"Unexpected incidents will occur in your performance; the CD skips, you lose part of your costume, the sword falls off your head… I recall such an incident in the performance of a well known dancer. Her skirt was long and full, she was gracefully stepping backward (accidentally on her skirt) slipped and fell..."

Belly dance musicA Professional - Music
"When two entities create simultaneously and together the magic is palpable. As my teacher said - live music breathes its own life into a dance. As a professional it is a skill you should posses and as an artist one that you will treasure. I was fortunate enough to grow up with musicians in my family..."

Middle Eastern cultureA Professional - Culture
"Learning about the culture relating to Oriental and other folk dances from the Near and Middle East is nothing less than a life long pursuit. A definite obstacle in this journey is misinformation. Fiction abounds sold as hard facts. Consider the source before accepting something as a truth..."

Mid Eastern dance terminologyA Professional - Style/Terminology
"the mystical poet Mevlana Jalal-al-Din Rumi, commonly known as Rumi, founded the Order of the Whirling Dervishes in the 13th century Ottoman Empire. The order is a branch of the Sufi tradition of Islam. The ritual whirling is done to empty the dervish dancer..."

American Belly dance historyA Professional - Style/History
"The dancers (those on stage and in the audience) were also of varying ethnicities; Armenians, Lebanese, Turks, Egyptians, Persians, each with the distinct dance styling of their respective countries. At that time there were no Belly dance schools, the early non Middle Eastern dancers..."

A bellydancer's guide to writing a cover letter A Belly dancer's cover letter
"A promotional package is comprised of articles that, essentially, demonstrate the desirability of an artist to clients. The cover letter is one of many such articles. If you have yet to prepare a promotional package, you may have questions that I hope to address in this series of articles..."

show biz relationshipsDancing Abroad - The Players
"the client is the entity that has a venue and need. The client procures an agent. The agent has a roster of acts, some of whom fit the specifications of the client. The agent offers the client those acts for consideration. The client chooses the dancer that interests him..."

dangers for Belly dancersDancing Abroad - The Dangers
"Consummation contracts are common and prevalent in nightclubs and lower star hotels. A woman performs several short dance routines throughout the night. During the lengthy intervals of her 'show' she sits with the guests and encourages them to buy her cocktails. For every cocktail a guest buys..."

Contract info for Belly dancersDancing Abroad - The Bare Minimum
"The client pays for all necessary domestic travel in the country of destination. This includes but is not exclusive to; transport from the airport to accommodation upon arrival and departure. Transport to your place of performance and back to accommodation. All round trip long distance domestic..."

Basic Rhythms for Cabaret Belly Dance RoutineBasic Rhythms for Cabaret Belly Dance Routine
"For dancers and drummers alike the task connected with performing entrance pieces is to know the melodies contained in them inside and out, and to know which rhythms accompany each melody. Dancers who perform oblivious to the rhythm changes in their music..."

The OudThe Oud
"The roots of the musical instrument Oud, can be found 3,500 years ago in Persia, where it was called Barbat (oud). This instrument was the same that ancient Egyptians used in Pharaoh times. This instrument was named Al Oud by the Arabians..."