HomeWHEREWhere Does Belly Dancing Come From

Where Does Belly Dancing Come From

The origins of oriental dance are rooted in ancient Eastern cultures. In Egypt and in the land of the ancient Sumerians, tools and objects depicting dancers have been found. In ancient civilizations, dance was performed primarily in sacred ceremonies, so this then ritual expression played the role of sacred dance. The dances were addressed to the gods as prayers or thanksgiving, asking for blessing or healing, but they also imitated the sowing and harvesting of the crop. One of his most important functions was to prepare the woman for childbirth, so that dance was not only sacred, but also linked to fertility in everyday life. However, it had many other features, often used in ancient times for secular entertainment and for dancing their daily activities (a good example of this is Persian dance, which still preserves this character). However, it has always been a characteristic of this dance that women’s communities were the most important scene, whether in the everyday or in the temple environment. Priestess’s ritual fertility ceremonies were not open to men, as certain events in religious Islamic communities are not celebrated together by men and women. This also illustrates the misconception of the modern attitude towards belly dancing, according to which this dance is originated in the harem world and is therefore intended to entertain men. Of course, no scene in the Islamic world can be excluded from the “locality” of oriental dance, but its origin must be distinguished from the functions that have developed or become later. The history of modern belly dance dates back to 1893. This year, at the Chicago World Exhibition, Western audiences accustomed to ballet and the unnaturally transformed figure for the first time encountered oriental dance that promoted the freedom and inherent beauty of the female body. The first messengers were Syrian dancers, and one of them became the “Little Egypt” dancer.

“The United States began to become interested in Egypt at the time of the 1893 Chicago World Exhibition, mainly because of a belly dancers. Belly dancing was first performed in America in 1876 in Philadelphia. Failed. Seventeen years later, the Chicago World Expo seemed just as unsuccessful.

RELATED ARTICLES

Most Popular

Recent Comments