Guide to Middle Eastern Dance

While there are a variety of traditional folk dances that have originated from the Middle Eastern and Mediterranean regions, one of the most popular dance forms is belly dancing. Although there are certain theories that claim belly dancing originated from ancient Babylon, the origins of belly dancing are not definitely known. According to some, it was originally a fertility dance that helped women strengthen the muscles needed to deliver a baby.

Belly dance classes are available in various Middle Eastern countries and visitors to these regions should certainly avail of the opportunity to learn this form of dance. The most common destinations for learning belly dance are Egypt and Turkey, with each of these two countries offering its own style. Another country that is not as popular yet for studying belly dance, but that has potential is Morocco. Morocco also has its own style that is typical of this country, called shikhat.

Oriental dance and country or folk dances, known as ‘raqssharqi' and ‘raqsbaladi' respectively in Arabic, comprise belly dancing. While ‘raqsbaladi' is performed in times of celebration by both men and women, mostly female dancers perform ‘raqssharqi', which has been popularised in the West. However, even if they are a minority, there are some male belly dancers performing raqs sharqi who are very good; one of them is Khaled Mahmoud, an Egyptian dancer based in the UK.

Traditional Middle Eastern rhythms like masmoudi, maqsoum, fallahi, mizan, iqa, vazn, darb, dawr and adwar are played on various percussive musical instruments like dumbek, Arabic tabla or tar. The melody is produced by string instruments (these include oud, kanoun and saz) and wind instruments (such as ney or mizmar).

Middle Eastern dance uses some main basic movements in various combinations with feet patterns and layers. Different body parts are usually moved separately, with the focus on the hips and pelvic areas or the chest and shoulders. The costume mostly associated with belly dancing is bedleh, which includes a fitted top or bra, a hip belt and a skirt or harem pants. However, very common is also the baladi dress, which covers the midriff and is embroidered with beads. Props like finger cymbals, veils, swords, fire sticks and tambourines are used, with different styles of belly dance usually preferring certain props over others. There are several variations in Middle Eastern dances in different geographical locations with regional improvisations. One can see this dance form extensively in countries like Egypt, Turkey, Lebanon, Morocco, Tunisia, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Greece and USA.