PREVIEW Western culture's appropriation of belly dancing is just about as orientalist as it gets. From the casual exoticization of Eastern dancers in movies like Road to Morocco (1942), Khartoum (1966), and From Russia with Love (It's 1963 and Bond is chilling at a gypsy camp outside Istanbul, duh) to dance-off-the-pounds exercise classes in suburban gyms everywhere, the ancient art form has become yet another casualty of the melting pot.

But those looking for the real thing need not despair. This weekend the Middle Eastern dance ensembles Good Vibrations and Troupe Tareefa present the seventh annual Belly Dance Fantasy Festival, offering a weekend of dance performances centered around Arabic Raks Sharki, American fusion belly dance, flamenco gypsy, knife moves, old world folk, and more. Solo musicians and local bands will perform with native instruments during and between dance numbers.

For those looking to try their hand at belly dancing and Middle Eastern music, the festival features 11 workshops (check the Web site for discounted advance registration). Bay Area experts will instruct guests in all aspects of the culture past and present, including veil movements, drum solo techniques, dancing in 9/8 rhythm, modern fusion, and hip-hop inspired combinations.

Those confident in their skills can even have their performances videotaped and made into a DVD. And after all that dancing and exposure to foreign cultures, festival-goers can soothe themselves with a time-tested American pastime: gorging on with authentic ethnic cuisine.

BELLY DANCE FANTASY FESTIVAL Sat/2, noon–9 p.m.; Sun/3, noon–8 p.m. $10–$15 admission, workshops $25. San Leandro Community Center, 15301 Wicks, San Leandro. www.tatseena.com/festival