Greatguyaaa-Dance: Belly Dance in the Canadian Streets

Belly dance s a Western term for a traditional

Arab dance genre known as raqs sharqi literally "oriental

dance") or sometimes raqs baladi literally "dance of

country", and so "folk" dance). It is also sometimes called "Middle

Eastern Dance" or the "Arabic Dance" in the United States, "danse du

ventre" or by the Turkish term Çiftetelli .

Native to the Middle East, and now popular worldwide, belly dance takes

many different regional forms, both in costume and dance style,

indicating that distinctive dance moves may have been transported to

these regions and incorporated with local dance styles.

Today there are two forms of Oriental belly dance; the first is called

raqs baladi, a social dance performed for fun and celebration by men

and women of all ages, usually during festive occasions such as

weddings and other social gatherings. The second form, the more