Amazing belly dance | Arabic belly dance | best belly dancer in the world | belly dancer |

#bellydance #Funnybellydanc #bestballydance Amazing belly dance | Arabic belly dance | best belly dancer in the world | belly dancer Belly dance, also referred to as Arabic dance (Arabic: رقص شرقي‎, romanized: Raqs sharqi, literally: "oriental dancing") is an expressionist type of dance that originated in Egypt and that emphasizes complex movements of the torso. It has evolved to take many different forms depending on the country and region, both in costume and dance style; with Egyptian style and its famous traditional rhymes being the most common worldwide having many schools around the globe practicing it. Belly dancing is believed to have had a long history in the Middle East. Several Greek and Roman sources including Juvenal and Martial describe dancers from Asia Minor and Spain using undulating movements, playing castanets, and sinking to the floor with "quivering thighs", descriptions that are certainly suggestive of the movements that are today associated with belly dance. Later, particularly in the 18th and 19th centuries, European travelers in the Middle East such as Edward Lane and Flaubert wrote extensively of the dancers they saw there, including the Awalim and Ghawazee of Egypt. As a social dance, belly dance (also called Raqs Baladi or Raqs Shaabi in this context) is performed at celebrations and social gatherings by ordinary people (male and female, young and old), in their ordinary clothes. In more conservative or traditional societies, these events may be gender-segregated, with separate parties where men and women dance separately. Historically, professional dance performers were the Awalim, Ghawazi, and Köçekler. The Magazin sisters may have been the last authentic performers of Ghawazi dance in Egypt, with Khayreyya Maazin still teaching and performing as of 2009. In the modern era, professional performers are not considered to be respectable in more conservative Middle Eastern countries, and there is a strong social stigma attached to female performers in particular since they display their bodies in public, which is considered haram in Islam. However, in Lebanon, Turkey, Morocco, Iraq, and unofficially in Iran and Egypt the art is still celebrated and performed. The costume most commonly associated with belly dance is the 'bedlah' (Arabic: بدلة‎; literally "suit") style, which typically includes a fitted top or bra, a fitted hip belt, and a full-length skirt or harem pants. The bra and belt may be richly decorated with beads, sequins, crystals, coins, beaded fringe, and embroidery. The belt may be a separate piece or sewn into a skirt. Badia Masabni, a Cairo cabaret owner during the early 20th century, is credited with creating the modern bedlah style. It has been suggested that the bedlah was inspired by glamorous Hollywood costuming or created to appeal to Western visitors. Earlier costumes were made up of a full skirt, light chemise, and tight cropped vest with heavy embellishments and jewelry. As well as the two-piece bedlah costume, full-length dresses are sometimes worn, especially when dancing more earthy baladi styles. Dresses range from closely fitting, highly decorated gowns, which often feature heavy embellishments and mesh-covered cutouts, to simpler designs which are often based on traditional clothing. Costume in Egypt In Egypt, dancers wear a bedlah. Alternatively, they may wear a dress with mesh-filled cutouts. Egypt has laws in place [circular reference] regarding what dancers can and cannot wear, and according to Act No. 430 of the law on the censorship of literary works, dancers must cover their lower bodies, including the breast and stomach area. Typically a sheer, skin-colored mesh fabric covering the stomach is enough. Many dancers in Cairo ignore these rules, as they are rarely enforced and the consequences for performing with a bare belly may simply be fine. However, there have been multiple incidents of foreign belly dancers being arrested over their costumes. Costume in Lebanon As there is no prohibition on showing the abdomen in Lebanon, the bedlah style is more common. The skirts tend to be sheerer than Egyptian outfits, showing more of the dancer's body. The veil is more widely used than in Egypt. High heels are commonly worn. Lebanese dancers have more freedom than Egyptian style dancers in the type of costume they choose to wear. Costume in Turkey In Turkey, costumes are usually in the bedlah style. Distinctive features of many Turkish costumes include a V-shaped or triangular belt which may be shaped or contoured around the top edge and a great deal of embellishment and beaded fringing on both the bra and the belt. Skirts are often fuller than their Egyptian counterparts and are likely to be made of chiffon or velvet rather than lycra.

Category