The Many Styles of Belly Dance

I placed a survey on my page asking, "Which style of belly dancing do you prefer?"  I received 149 votes.  Below I have placed the survey with the results.  This survey was taken August 2001.  I received several comments on what is the difference between all these dance styles, so I created this page.  Listed below are some of the styles of belly dancing with articles and websites that represent these styles.  I will be adding to the page when I find new sources and when new styles are born. 

American Cabaret  return to top

American Belly Dance basically comes in two different styles Cabaret and American Tribal. Cabaret style is the glitzier more flamboyant of the two styles.  We have taken the Egyptian style of the dance and made it our own.  We incorporate the use of the veil during a section of a routine.  Most U.S. dancers do not dance any pure form of the dance, but add other influences such as jazz, ballet, and Spanish and call it American Style Belly dance.

American Tribal

Egyptian  return to top

Articles

• Belly Dance Egyptian Style - article by Jasmin Jahal
• Raks Sharki: a brief history - article by Venus

Egyptian Folkloric & Ethnic return to top

Articles

• Dance as Community Identity in Selected Berber Nations of Morrocco - by Morocco
• Debke - FAQ's from Aziza Sa'id's website
• Folkloric Dance Styles - from Venus's website
• Folkloric Dances - article by Jasmin Jahal
• Guedra: the FAQ - by Karol Harding
• Hagallah - The folkloric dance of celebration known as the hagallah is performed by the settled Bedouin (bedu) of Mersa Matruh in Western Egypt and is often performed during the date harvest, which is the wedding season in that area.
• Khaleegy - FAQ's from Aziza Sa'id's website
• Ouled Nail - from Belly Dance Museum website
• Trance Dance: the Zar - from Med-Guide page
• The Zar: exorcism of demons - from the Influence of Animism of Islam page
• The Zar Revisited - by Me'ira

General Information on Belly Dancing return to top

Articles

• A Comparison and Contrast of American and Egyptian Belly Dance - by Aisha Azar
• Belly Dance - from Wikipedia
• Defining the Dance - by Jen Al-Amina 
• Overview of Belly Dance Styles - by Zehara
• Primer on Middle Eastern Dance Styles - by Soher Azar
• Raqs Sharqi Middle Eastern Dance - from Spirit Dancer website
• Styles of Belly Dance in the United States: part 1 - by Shira
• What is the Belly Dance? - from learn-to-belly-dance.com

See also

• Articles - more articles on and about belly dancing from my page
• Types of Dances - section from Belly Dance History from my page

Ghawazee return to top

Articles

• The Ghawazee of Egypt - article by Jasmin Jahal
• Khairiyya Mazin Struggles to Preserve Dying Tradition of Ghawazi Dance in Egypt - article by Edwina Nearing
• A Short History of the Ghawazee - by Sayyid Asim al-Talib

Goddess return to top

Articles

• Middle Eastern Dance: the emergence of the new sacred temple priestess - article by Z-Helene Christopher

Greek return to top

Articles

• Bellydancing, the Greek Way - by Denis Kavemeier
  

Gypsy return to top

Articles

• Origins Misunderstandings - FAQ's from Middle Eastern Dance Resource Guide.

Historical return to top

Website

• Historical Dance Links
• SCA Dance Homepage

Persian return to top

Articles

• The Exquisite Art of Persian Classical Dance - by Robyn c. Friend
• Persian Dance - by Jasmin Jahal
• Persian Dance and it's Forgotten History - by Nima Kiann
• Persian Dance History - by Shahrezad

Website

• Robyn's World of Iranian

Tribal return to top

Articles

• American Tribal Belly Dance - FAQ's from Aziza Sa'id's website
• Different Styles of Tribal Belly Dancing - from tribal belly dance.org site
• The Elusive Definition of Tribal Belly Dance - by Sharon Moore
• Tribal Belly Dance - FAQ's from Middle Eastern Dance Resource Guide.  Topics: What is American Tribal Belly Dance?,  Geographic Location, Ethnic and Folkloric Dance and Attitudes Towards Tribal Belly Dance.

Websites

• Gypsy Caravan
• FatChanceBellyDance
• Tribalbellydance.org

Turkish return to top

Articles

• Turkish Bellydance - article by Jasmin Jahal

Survey
Question: Which style of belly dancing do you prefer?

August 2001, 149 votes

Same survey question, Oct. 2003, 385 votes

top

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