A brief history of belly dance and its types
If your child shows interest in belly dance or has the flair for moving the torso and hips to the tunes, you should encourage your child to learn it professionally. After all, it is a cultural dance having its roots in Egypt.
If you are ready to enroll your child in belly dance classes, you must be curious to know all about belly dance, how it originated, and its types prevalent in different parts of the world. Well, you have clicked on the right blog. Let’s satiate your curiosity:
Belly Dance
Belly dance originated in Egypt but it is more popular in the Arabian or Middle Eastern countries. This dance mainly focuses on the articulation of the hips and movement of the torso. The beauty of this dance form lies in the isolations of the torso muscles and even the dancers do not have to give much attention to the movements of the limbs or leg work, which are fundamental for other dance forms.
The Term “Belly Dance”
When the western world saw this beautiful and immaculate dance that was majorly based on the movement of belly, hips, and torso; they referred to this expressive Arabian dance as “belly dance”. Gradually, this term was accepted worldwide and that is how we call it too. However, oriental dance would be a better and more suited name for this dance.
The term “belly dance” is a French translation of the phrase “Danse du ventre”, which means “dance of the stomach”. However, the first use of the term ‘belly dance’ was first recorded while referring to the performance of the Middle Eastern Dancers at the Exposition Universelle in Paris in 1893.
Originating as a fertility ritual in ancient Egyptian culture, it has now evolved into various diverse forms. Each form of belly dance is a bit different from others in terms of stylistic choices and costumes. These differences are majorly based on the countries and regions in which they are performed. The form of belly dance that is quite prevalent in India is highly influenced by Middle Eastern countries. However, the Egyptian style of belly dance that includes traditional Egyptian rhymes is more common across different schools worldwide.
History of Belly Dance
Belly dance is deeply rooted in Egyptian culture, and it is hard to put a finger on the exact date. However, you can get a fair idea from the fact that European travelers like Edward Lane and Flaubert have written about belly dance performers during the 18th and 19th centuries.
In Egypt, Belly dance was performed either as performance art or as folk or social dance (Raqs Baladi) reserved for social gatherings or celebrations. Professional dance forms were known as Awalim and Ghawazee.
Types of Belly Dance
After coming to the limelight, belly dance soon became an obsession and it was adopted by various dancers in the world. This is how different styles of Belly dance came into being. Let us discuss the most common styles of Belly dance:
Raqs Baladi
As discussed earlier, this Egyptian style of belly dance was usually performed by the common people during a social gathering, like a wedding or any festival. This style did not require the dancers to wear any costumes as the people could perform in the normal clothes that they were wearing while attending the gathering.
Raqs Sharki
The professional Egyptian belly dance was termed Raqs Sharki that involved Awalim and Ghawazee styles among others. It will not be wrong to say that Raqs Sharki laid the foundation of all the other styles of belly dancing. As it was a performance dance, only professional dancers were supposed to perform, and that too, in proper costumes.
Cabaret Belly Dance
Cabaret belly dance is a confluence between 2 styles of belly dancing namely, Raqs Baladi and Raqs Sharki; which are influenced by Western dance styles like Ballet and even Hollywood.
Contemporary Belly Dance
In simple words, this style involves any form of Belly dance that emerged as experimentation by incorporating any form of influence, be it Bollywood, theatre, jazz, or even mime.
There are several other styles of belly dance and we suggest you discuss with your child before selecting any of the belly dance classes by PiggyRide.
