Introducing the Arabic oriental dance - belly dance

What is belly dance? Belly dance is the common name of Arab oriental dance, and it is mostly performed by women solo. Male belly dancers from Lebanon and other countries

Usually a dance begins, but I see a young girl wearing a white gauze, holding a metal cymbal, wearing rings, necklaces and other accessories, with high chest and half Half naked. The audience looked closely and saw that the actor's seemingly naked abdomen was actually wearing a layer of transparent nylon gauze, with strips floating around and a golden hip belt. At this time, the dancer opens her hands, stretches her waist, twists her hips and breasts, and her movements are cheerful and clear, fully displaying the beauty of women's curves. The audience clapped their hands rhythmically to the melodious Arabic music. The melody of the music speeds up, and the twisting of the waist, hips, and hips speeds up. The music suddenly stopped, the dancer took a half-step forward with her right foot, touched the ground on her toes, twisted her hips forward, and made her debut, and the audience burst into applause again.

As for the origin of belly dance, scholars have various opinions. The general view is that it originated from the court dance of the Ottoman Empire in Türkiye. In the sixteenth century, with the expansion of the Ottoman Empire, this dance spread to Egypt, the Middle East and North Africa and other places. Some poor women earn a living by performing on the streets or in cafes. This dance form gradually developed into a folk art, and eventually became a unique entertainment and performance form widely popular in countries in the Middle East. It is a wonderful flower in the mysterious Arab cultural art garden.

In the tombs of the 18th Dynasty of the New Kingdom in ancient Egypt, there are paintings of dancers similar to today's belly dance. Since then, with the popularity of Arabic music, belly dancing has become all the rage. During the powerful period of the Islamic Empire (9th-10th centuries), belly dancing was protected by the government. In the Ottoman Dynasty, with the increase in personnel exchanges and the internationalization of the city, belly dancing began to incorporate erotic elements. This gave rise to modern belly dancing.

With the establishment of modern entertainment venues, this dance has spread to nightclubs and bars. At present, it is popular in high-end hotels in big cities such as Cairo and Alexandria and at weddings of urban and rural people. .

Chinese experts who study Arabic oriental dance believe that the hometown of oriental dance is Egypt, not Turkey. Evidence of oriental dance can be found in the cultural relics of ancient Egypt. This dance has deep roots in the lives of the Egyptian people. It is closely connected with the Egyptians' lives, customs, and habits. It is loved by the local people. As soon as they hear the music of Oriental dance, local women, regardless of age, tie a belt around their crotch and dance gracefully. In Türkiye, no such evidence can be found, and Türkiye is even ashamed to admit that it is the national dance.

The hip twisting movements performed in formal oriental dance can show the charm and fitness of women's curves, and reflect women's diligence, joy and joy. Dancers are required to have a plump body and well-developed buttocks, but not bloated. The dance is characterized by trembling the muscles of the waist, buttocks and chest from beginning to end. A highly skilled dancer can even control any muscle in the waist and abdomen at will, allowing it to tremble, while the surrounding muscles Completely motionless. The two hands work together naturally, the feet do not move much, and they can be carried while walking, with different styles. During the dance, if the dancer walks up to the audience, shakes her shoulders, and pushes her hips together, the audience will sit down and dance with her to add to the fun. However, in ordinary bars or nightclubs, sometimes a dancer tilts her back towards an audience member, which not only invites him to dance with her, but also asks for a considerable tip from him.

After thousands of years of interpretation, belly dancing has become a secret weapon for women: you are very confident in your body and feel beautiful, so you follow the rhythm of Middle Eastern music, like flowing water, Dance your body like waves, like burning flames, express yourself freely with your body, imagine your arms as angel wings, your head like a snake dancing, shaking your hips and body sexily, some seductively, some tease.

Beledi is an Egyptian country dance and the name of the music. When it is performed on the stage, it becomes "urban beledi", with gorgeous and dazzling costumes. It usually consists of a fitted long-sleeved belted garment with openings on one or both sides, called a beledi. Triangular headscarves are also common accessories.

khaleeji is a belly dance popular in Persia, the U.S. Gulf Coast, and Saudi Arabia. Dancers wear colorful, ornately embroidered long dresses called thobe nashal, and distinctive headdresses. Focus on shoulder movements.

kay hardy campbell is the authority on khaleeji dance.

persian Belly dance is different from belly dance in other Middle Eastern countries in that it rarely involves abdominal movements, but more graceful arm movements and shoulder swings and rotations. robyn friend is the representative of classic persian.

At present, Arabic belly dance is not only popular in the Middle East from Turkey to Egypt, but also in North African countries, the United States, Europe, and Australia.

The basic equipment for belly dancing is as follows:

Barefoot

The ancient Egyptians believed that belly dancing barefoot could express respect for the goddess,

This is probably the origin of barefoot belly dancing. At the same time, by throwing off the constraints of shoes when dancing, you can open your heart on a deeper level and connect with your body and emotions through dancing.

Standard clothing

Belly dance clothing usually consists of three parts: a midriff-baring top, a sequined hip belt, and a low-waisted skirt or bloomers. In addition, you can also add a veil and corresponding accessories according to personal preferences. It should be noted that the color of the whole body clothing must be coordinated up and down to give a sense of integrity.

Navel-baring top

1. It can be made into the style of a short-sleeved top worn by Indian women in a saree. It is best to have short sleeves or sleeveless, because it is long and long. Sleeve dancing is too hot and uncomfortable.

2. Embroider beautiful colorful sequins and colorful beads on ordinary bras, but you must choose a very strong bra, otherwise the beads will not be able to bear the weight of the beads and they will scatter when dancing. One place! Use nylon thread when sewing sequins and colorful beads. The sequins on the shoulder straps are best sewn with elastic thread so that they can stretch more when dancing.

Sequined hip belt

It embellishes the hip line and enhances the dynamic feeling during dancing. Made of sturdy material such as velvet, it can be V-shaped or wavy, with a long beaded chain underneath. The location of the belt is usually four fingers below the belly button and is attached to the outside of a low-waisted skirt or bloomers.

Low-waisted long skirts or bloomers

Made of light and transparent fabrics such as silk and satin, they fit just below the belly button and above the hips. The skirt should be long so that it looks beautiful when turned around. The skirt can be made into seven separate pieces, or just separated in the front, which makes it easy to dance and looks very sexy; the outside of the bloomers can be slit all the way to the ankles, and because there is a belt with beads on the outside, the body disappears and appears when dancing. , looks very charming.

Veil

The veil makes the dance appear more mysterious and a bit more exotic. The veil is usually two meters long and one and a half meters wide, made of transparent, light fabric, and can be embellished with sequins around the veil.

Accessories

Including rings, bracelets, necklaces, waist chains, anklets, etc. In short, hanging these jingling accessories on as many parts of the body as possible will help Make the whole person more swaying and colorful.