Styles of Belly Dancing

I say in my profile that I do Traditional Egyptian Belly Dance. Someone posted a question in a Visitor Message asking what the difference is between Egyptian and other types. I'm answering here.

There are many different schools and varieties of Belly Dance, but really just three main types are performed in the West. They are Cabaret (a.k.a. American Restaurant), Traditional Egyptian (a.k.a. Egyptian Oriental), and U.S. Tribal (a.k.a. Tribal Fusion).

There is a very thorough but somewhat lengthy article on the subject here: Belly Dancing: Dance Styles Used In The U.S.

But for those who want a more basic run-down, the styles differ in costuming, types of music used, vocabulary of moves (although most of the basic moves are common to all styles), and how some of the moves are executed.

shira.net said:
The Egyptian Oriental look...is popular all over the world, since dancers from all parts of the world travel to Egypt and return home with new cassette tapes and CD's, new costumes, training from Egyptian teachers, and inspiration from the shows they have seen there. In addition, dancers worldwide have the opportunity to study videos of performances by top Egyptian dancers, and many popular Egyptian dancers travel around the world to teach their art.

My teachers are all either Egyptian or have had training from Egyptian teachers.

I originally started dancing with mostly Cabaret and Tribal DVDs, so transitioning to Egyptian is a bit of an adjustment for me. I have had to revise the way I do some moves (difficult when the old way is ingrained in muscle memory), and have had to eliminate some moves altogether (since they are not performed in Egyptian Belly Dance). I have not had to learn any completely new moves, though, which illustrates that the majority of moves are common to all styles.

Here are some example videos of dancers in various styles:

Cabaret: Neon

Tribal: Solstice

Egyptian Oriental: Sohaila (those things in her hands are zills, or finger cymbals -- sometimes but not always used in Egyptian Belly Dance).

Hope this helps anyone who is interested in the topic!

Comments

How did you go about finding your belly dance instructors? I am in Upstate NY and would like to learn but do not know where to start. Thought this would be a nice surprise for my husband.
 
Enjoyed this blog. The video footage made me appreciate what an art form belly dancing can be. My only knowledge prior to your post was that a number of Australian women attended belly-dancing classes in order, I assumed, to get/keep fit.

It's a pity that mainstream western media tends to depict belly-dancing as something outlandishly titillating; something performed in a tent for the delectation of drooling middle-eastern men.

Obviously I am not one of the cognescenti. I can only say that what you do is striking in its lithe sensuality and light-years away from some quaintly novel way of keeping fit. One feels that the woman's body acquires the ability to speak and sing through movement.

Thanks for enlightening us.
 
Thanks for your response. Up until now I pretty much thought belly dancing was belly dancing. I can see why you're drawn to the Egyptian style. I prefer it over the other two though that may be because it's what I'm used to seeing. I also really like the music in your video.
 
Hey thanks for pointing out the differences! I prefer the style of the 1st and 3rd dancers. I love the hand placement of the first dancer. Very graceful. Dancing for someone special is so much fun!
 

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