Bellydancers

Belly dancing originated in the traditional women’s dances of the Middle East and North Africa. They were danced at parties, family gatherings and rites of passage. The name is really a misnomer as various parts of the body are used, primarily the hips and hands, and not all costumes display the belly.

Around the UK, there are hundreds of women engaged in bellydancing. Mostly for pleasure and exercise in classes, but there are many performers who travel the country entertaining at many different types of function.

An exotic belly dancer from the Midlands

A belly dancer with Isis Wings

In most instances, a belly dancer will perform a couple of dances of around 15 – 20 minutes, either to CD accompaniment, or if space and budget allow to live musicians. Most will also allow guests to have a go, instructing them in the basics of dancing, usually instead of the second dance. As all performers are individuals, it helps to discuss what is wanted from them before that are booked.

A belly dancer for your event.

A London based bellydancer

Belly dancers have a

wide range of costumes and

offer different sets and

dances according to the

individual performer.

Different performers offer different styles of dancing. The main ones are:

Egyptian, Lebanese, Turkish and theses days Tribal dancing is becoming very popular. To the untrained eye, there doesn’t appear to be a great difference between them, but aficianados can tell the difference.

Belly dancer with live musicians

Many belly dancers work with different props such as finger cymbals, swords or canes or even belly dance while working with fire props. Some stilwalkers are now to be found in belly dance costumes.