Belly Dancing in Egypt

BELLY DANCING In Egypt
One of the staples of the majority of Egyptian films is a wiggle 0f the belly. A truly indigenous art form, there is strong evidence from sources such as tomb paintings that the belly dance dates back to the time of the pharaohs. During medieval times dancing became institutionalized in the form of the ghawazee, a caste of dancers who traveled in groups and performed publicly or for hire. The female ghawazee, who according to 18thand 19thcentury descriptions danced in baggy pants and loose shirts sometimes open to the navel, were also often prostitutes.

Belly dancing began to gain credibility and popularity in Egypt with the advent of movies. when the dancers were lifted out of nightclubs and given roles on the big screen. Movies imbued belly dancing with glamour and made household names of a handful of dancers. Slinkiest of all was Tahiyya Carioca, who named herself after a Latin American dance, the carioca, popularized by Ginger Rogers and Fred Astaire. From 19305 to 19905 she appeared in over 200 films and was married no less than 12 times. Artists such as Carioca started the modern phenomenon of the belly dancer as a superstar, someone who can command Hollywood-style fees for an appearance. Current dancers at the top of the league, including names such as Fifi Abdou, Lucy, and Dina, can expect as much as $10,000 for a single performance.

Despite the celebrity and wealth of some of its practitioners, belly dancing is still not considered to be completely respectable.

If you are in Cairo and you would like to see belly dancing you can book a Nile cruise dinner with a folkloric show