Belly dancing, as we know it today, has its origins in dance which was once part of celebration concerning fertility, rights of passage and religious ritual. Historians have found evidence of this ancient time line extending to as early as 4000BC.
Goddess Worship:
Music and dance were found at all celebrations held in honour of fertility deities. Belief in a female creator was probably due to the obvious fact that it was women who gave birth. It was thus assumed that women’s magical powers extended to the natural world and would influence the growth of crops and all natural things which affected that growth.
In Cyprus, it has been found that women performed erotic, ecstatic dances accompanied by wild singing and drumming, in their worship of Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love and fertility. In Egypt, large numbers of women gathered to worship the fertility powers of goddesses Hathor and Bastet and in Lebanon similar customs were observed at Baalbeck in the service of the goddess Attar. The devadassis (temple priestesses) of India performed voluptuous dances which served to promote fertility. Sculptures of these temple dancers were often featured on the outer enclosures of the temples. The main purpose of these rituals was to bring the fertilizing power of the goddess into contact with the lives of human beings.
As civilizations changed the old faiths and customs fell away and were lost. One theory for these changes is that man gradually began to understand his role in the creation of life, but mistakenly believed that he alone was responsible, with woman being merely the vessel for his creation. Goddess worship and fertility dances gradually disappeared and remaining dance lost its religious significance and became a secular activity and later an art-form.
In the areas along the north coast of Africa, eastern shores of the Mediterranean and in the desert lands of the Middle East dance underwent a fascinating evolution. There, in what has become the Arab-Islamic world, a secular art of great skill and variety has been fashioned by women, taking the basic pelvic movement as a starting point. Although this dance has no conscious connection with the ancient fertility dances, a vestige of its ancestry still clings to it.
The Romany Trail:
It is generally believed that gypsies or Rom of all lands share a common origin in India. Somewhere around the 11th century the first Rom migrated west through Afghanistan and Persia and on to the eastern shores of the Mediterranean. Here their ways divided. Some continued, via Turkey, into Europe while others went south via Egypt following the southern coastline of the Mediterranean. As ‘outsiders’ (the Egyptian word is ghawazee) who refuse to conform to society, Rom have always met hostility in the countries where they have settled. When the Rom did settle, they adopted the local traditions, made them their own and for hundreds of years used this crosspollination of culture as they went about making their living as public performers. They have no written history, as their story has been kept alive and transmitted from generation to generation by means of music, song and dance.
Due to the unending upheavals of history and its peoples, it is not always possible to ascertain which stylistic elements are indigenous to a particular dance and which are the influence of migrant groups. It is interesting to note how a similar use of the body in two otherwise differing dance forms has allowed certain movement to enrich the repertoire of both. i.e.
a) Sinuous arms and a side-to-side sliding of the head are common movements of Indian, Persian, Turkish and Arabic dance.
b) Finger gestures which have particular significance are a characteristic of Indian, Algerian and Moroccan dancing.
c) In Andalusia we find flamenco and there are also elements within flamenco which appear to come directly from India.
d) Spanish gypsies performed a women’s dance which incorporates similar hip movements to those of Arabic dance.
From the harems of the Ottoman Empire, where the “adorned ones” kept oriental dance alive to the traditions of the prostitute-dancer of the Ouled Nail in the Sahara Desert, it is a mystery as to how and why Middle Eastern and North African woman (as opposed to all those other areas) retained the old fertility dance and made it the sophisticated art-form which we see today.
Some Secular & Spiritual Connections:
Schikhatt is an erotic dance performed by a woman at a marriage ceremonies. It is designed to educate and prepare the virgin bride for her marriage bed.
Houara , often referred to as the ‘mother of flamenco’, is danced by both men and women in the community and is usually a show of skill and entertainment.
Dances such as the Zaar (Egypt) and the Hadra (Morocco) are danced as part of exorcism rituals to drum rhythms which closely resemble a hearbeat.
Sufi which is a sect of Islam, uses whirling dance as a devotional tool. It is designed at moving the practitioner into an enhanced state of awareness or ecstasy. While whirling, the palm of the right hand faces towards the sky to received the blessings of heaven and the left palm faces towards to floor to channel the blessings to the earth.
Guedra is a dance, performed on the knees, belonging to the Tuareg Berbers from the Sahara Desert (Blue people – because of their love of indigo). It is a night time blessing ritual designed at creating peace and the transmitting of spiritual love. It is usually done in a circle in which anybody and everybody can participate, although the central figures are female. Interestingly, the term ‘guedra’ is used to describe a cauldron/cooking pot; the drum that is made using the cooking pot; the heart-beat rhythm used and the female performer of the time.
With a steady heartbeat rhythm and much clapping and ululating from the audience, the performer will put on a ‘magic’ necklace, cover her head and chest with a “veil” (to signify darkness, the unknown and a lack of knowledge) and move into the centre of the circle. Her hands and fingers will flick under the covering until she feels it is time to bring them into the light. When this happens the four corners (N, S, E & W) are saluted with hand-to-head gestures and the four elements are also acknowledged. The vast majority of movement flows from the fingers and hands, with only some movement from the elbows. As the drum beat gets stronger she is likely to removed the “veil” in order to focus her gaze and blessings more strongly. The ribcage is lifted and lowered and side-to-side head movements come into play. The ‘guedra’ increases in tempo and intensity until the ‘guedra’ collapses in a trace-like state.
More Modern times
By its very nature, dance is an activity which heightens the senses and lowers inhibitions and with the suppression of paganism came the suppression of dance. Although, when an activity fulfils basic human needs it is not easily abandoned and in the ‘classical’ world dance was retained by separating it from the mainstream of life and diverging it into two streams:
On the one hand it became a carefully regulated private activity and on the other, it became the work of professionals.
Isadora Duncan was the first to challenge that dance was not only an expression of human beauty, but could be as profoundly moving as great drama and poetry. She greatly influenced dancing in the 1900's by rebelling against the rigid, formalities of ballet to create an individual form of expression. She was inspired by the Grecian arts, poetry and nature and often danced barefoot in a loose, flowing tunic.
Little Egypt (Fahreda Mahzar) sensationalized Middle Eastern dancing for the west at a Chicago fair in 1893. It is generally believed that this was when the name “Belly Dance” was coined in America , being a translation from the French “dance du ventre” which literally means “dance of the stomach”. Little Egypt 's influence extended into the 1920's when the Charleston and the Smmy were born.
Ruth St Denis is interesting because it is through her that European and Amercian audiences gained the first realistic idea of Oriental dance. She had a genuine interest in the civilizations of the East and attempted to interpret these civilizations for the Amercian audience. She brought movements such as backbends, whirling and undulating movements into her dancing.
Mata Hari claimed descent from a temple dancer of the Far East . She had an extravagant and self indulgent personality and was renowned in Europe for her exotic dance routines. In 1917 she was arrested as a German spy and was put before a firing squad.
Ibrahim Farrah was born in Pennsylavania in1939 into a strong Lebanese-American community.
His full name was Robert Ibrahim Farrah and was known among his colleagues as “Bobby”. He started his professional dance career in 1963 and then embarked on a number of research projects, one of which was an extended trip to Lebanon, with the goal of establishing a theatrical dance company of his own.
In 1974 he founded the ‘Ibrahim Farrah Near East Dance Group” (NEDG) which performed across the U.S. and on some of that country’s most prestigious stages. He was the first to introduce many elements of Middle Eastern Dance to America which had been previously unheard of, such as the cane dance and the Pharaonic dance, which are now both integral parts of the Middle Eastern dance vocabulary. For his pioneering efforts in choreography, he was awarded the ‘Ruth St. Denis Choreographers Award in 1981. He was also responsible for founding a very popular international dance magazine called ARABESQUE which was published from 1975 – 1997.
Ibrahim Farrah died from a heart attach in 1998 and will be remembered as an outstanding choreographer and teacher .
Badiaa Masabni was the owner of a very popular casino and dance theatre alongside the River Nile. During the 1930's she not only invited artists from Egypt to dance at her establishment, but also supported dancers from outside the country.
Tahiya Kariokai was celebrated for her elegant and demure style. She was trained by BADIAA and is a legend of Egyptian belly dance. Her dance career in the 1950's.
Samya Gamal initially a background girl in BADIAA MASABNI's Famous Casino troupe in Cairo went on to become a celebrated dancer in her own right.She was more of a solo dancer than a group dancer and became famous via her film career. It was also she who broke with the custom of dancing barefoot by wearing high-heeled shoes on stage in order to prove that she could afford them. The wearing of high heels gave a different emphasis to the dance and changed its earthy nature and low centre of gravity.
Naima Akef was another famous star who help write the Egyptian Dance history of the 20th century. She participated in a dace festival and unexpectedly won first prize in the legendary Bolshoi Theatre. Her picture was in all the newspapers and they titled her the ‘Isadora Duncan' of the East.
Mahmoud Reda is the pioneer of theatre dance in Egypt. In 1959 he founded the world renowned Reda Troupe. By the mid 60s the troupe had over 150 members including, dancers, musicians, and technicians. As the soloist, choreographer, and artistic director, he was instrumental in creating a legitimate theatrical dance genre that embraced many styles. Prior to the founding of The Reda Troupe, there were no professional theater dancers in Egypt. He devised a method that gave structure and form to teaching dance, as well as enhanced the skills and heightened the artistic level of his dancers. This method has influenced generations of Egyptian teachers both at home and abroad. Since late 1980, he has traveled extensively, giving lectures and workshops throughout Europe, the Far East, the United States and South America.
Mahmoud Reda is truly worthy of the title "the Godfather of dance" in Egypt.
Traditionally belly dance is not performed to entice men but occurs in women only groups. Although there are exceptions, men and women rarely dance with each other unless they are related. In conservative areas, even this is frowned upon. Therefore, men and women generally dance with and for members of their own sex.
Generally, Arab or Middle Eastern men are very good dancers. Men's parties usually hire a troupe of entertainers along with musicians and singers for e.g. in the Middle East a dancer wearing a shamadan or candelabra leads a wedding procession and in Morocco the Schikhatt dancers are often hired to educate the new bride - to - be with what is expected on her wedding night. Often in the Middle east men dress as women for public performances.
With a steady heartbeat rhythm and much clapping and ululating from the audience, the performer will put on a ‘magic’ necklace, cover her head and chest with a “veil” (to signify darkness, the unknown and a lack of knowledge) and move into the centre of the circle. Her hands and fingers will flick under the covering until she feels it is time to bring them into the light. When this happens the four corners (N, S, E & W) are saluted with hand-to-head gestures and the four elements are also acknowledged. The vast majority of movement flows from the fingers and hands, with only some movement from the elbows. As the drum beat gets stronger she is likely to removed the “veil” in order to focus her gaze and blessings more strongly. The ribcage is lifted and lowered and side-to-side head movements come into play. The ‘guedra’ increases in tempo and intensity until the ‘guedra’ collapses in a trace-like state.
but could be as profoundly moving as great drama and poetry. She greatly influenced dancing in the 1900's by rebelling against the rigid, formalities of ballet to create an individual form of expression. She was inspired by the Grecian arts, poetry and nature and often danced barefoot in a loose, flowing tunic
. 
(Fahreda Mahzar) sensationalized Middle Eastern dancing for the west at a Chicago fair in 1893. It is generally believed that this was when the name “Belly Dance” was coined in America , being a translation from the French “dance du ventre” which literally means “dance of the stomach”. Little Egypt 's influence extended into the 1920's when the Charleston and the Smmy were born.
She had an extravagant and self indulgent personality and was renowned in Europe for her exotic dance routines. In 1917 she was arrested as a German spy and was put before a firing squad
.
Ibrahim Farrah 
was the owner of a very popular casino and dance theatre alongside the River Nile. During the 1930's she not only invited artists from Egypt to dance at her establishment, but also supported dancers from outside the country. 
She was trained by BADIAA and is a legend of Egyptian belly dance. Her dance career in the 1950's.
She was more of a solo dancer than a group dancer and became famous via her film career. It was also she who broke with the custom of dancing barefoot by wearing high-heeled shoes on stage in order to prove that she could afford them. The wearing of high heels gave a different emphasis to the dance and changed its earthy nature and low centre of gravity.
She participated in a dace festival and unexpectedly won first prize in the legendary Bolshoi Theatre. 
By the mid 60s the troupe had over 150 members including, dancers, musicians, and technicians. As the soloist, choreographer, and artistic director, he was instrumental in creating a legitimate theatrical dance genre that embraced many styles. Prior to the founding of The Reda Troupe, there were no professional theater dancers in Egypt. He devised a method that gave structure and form to teaching dance, as well as enhanced the skills and heightened the artistic level of his dancers. This method has influenced generations of Egyptian teachers both at home and abroad. Since late 1980, he has traveled extensively, giving lectures and workshops throughout Europe, the Far East, the United States and South America. 
