belly dancing
Middle Eastern movement
Belly dancing is a style of dance emphasizing fluid, isolated movements of the torso—particularly the hips, abdomen, and chest.
Originating in the Middle East and North Africa, it features undulating motions, shimmies, and hip drops.
The term reflects Western focus on the exposed midsection, though practitioners often prefer *raqs sharqi* (Eastern dance): She's been taking belly dancing classes for years.
- shimmyRapid side-to-side shaking
- coinStamped metal currency
- drumStruck percussion cylinder
- rhythmPatterned stress and silence
- sambaAfro-Brazilian celebratory dance
Egyptian · salsa · hips · beat · undulations · veil · Moroccan · Lebanese · isolation · choreography · Turkish · midriff · navel · chest · costume · sensual · cabaret · swaying
- dancesballet, waltz, tango, salsa, hula
- Turkish cultureTurkish coffee, Turkish tea, Turkish baths, Turkish delight, Turkish carpets
- Egyptian pastimesNile cruises, coffeehouses, traditional games, backgammon, dominoes
- Orientalismodalisque, orientalism, Egyptology, snake charmer, harems
- Arab diasporaSyrian refugees, Dearborn, migration waves, chain migration, ethnic identity
- Arab pastimesbackgammon, shisha, hookah, falconry, camel racing
belly dancingballroom dancing
Formal partnered dance styles
ballet · waltz · foxtrot · square dancing · cotillion
belly dancingIrish step dancing
Celtic percussive foot art
ballet · clogging · Highland dancing · Riverdance · goose-stepping
belly dancingballroom dancing
Formal partnered dance styles
Viennese waltz · ballet · Irish step dancing · Highland dancing · Morris dancing
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