Belly Dance known as Raks al-sharqi means "Dance of the Middle East," and Raks al-baladi means "Dance of the People." Belly dance is one of the oldest dances in creation. The name belly dance was changed from Raks al-sharqi to belly dance once it entered into the United States and became a part of the western world. Belly dance goes back as far as the 1800s and further. Women as well as men have been puzzled for decades about the art of this dance. There’s a myth that belly dance is a dance for men. No, not true at all! Back in history, belly dance was performed and men were not allowed to come watch a belly dancer. Raks al- Sharqi (Belly dance) was a dance performed for fertility to help in child birth, it was a dance performed before families of royalty (kings & queens) that would hire a belly dancer to perform for birthday celebrations, family entertainment, and weddings just to name a few. Belly dance is a dance of art, and appreciation, and it’s a dance that should be performed correctly with gracefulness and respect for the art. It should not be performed in public amongst a crowd as if you were dancing before your husband in the bedroom behind closed doors. This is not a way to portray the beautiful and classy art of belly dance. Most female belly dancers who respect the art of belly dance would not perform for bachelor parties or parties where only men are present. When performed correctly it’s a dance of classiness, eloquent, and gracefulness, it’s also mesmerizing, spell-bounding, eye catching, and hypnotizing!
