Belly Dancing Homepage

iWantToDance, as a nationwide resource, is a unique service. Through our intuitive search facilities you will be able to locate Belly Dancing classes and events anywhere in the country.

About Belly Dancing

Belly dancing is a term derived in the west for a traditional Arab dance known as raqs sharqi (oriental dancing).

Native to the Middle East, Egypt andTurkey, and now gaining in popularity worldwide, belly dancing has taken many different forms. The costumes and style often change regionally and are usually associated with rather distinctive dance moves where it has been influenced by local dance forms.

Today there are two forms of Oriental belly dance; the first is called raqs baladi, a social dance performed for fun and celebration by men and women of all ages, usually during festive occasions such as weddings and other social gatherings. The second form, the more theatrical and the more popular in the West today, is called raqs sharqi. Like raqs baladi, raqs sharqi is performed by both male and female dancers. In regions where belly dancing is native, boys and girls learn it informally from an early age by observing and imitating their elders during family/community celebrations and gatherings with friends.[citation needed]

Resources

Our links page will take you to all of the Belly Dancing resources you will ever possibly need from shoes, dresses, merchandise and event bookings.

New to Belly Dancing? Confused by the terminology? Then why not check out our glossary of terms for definitions on both On1, On2 and LA, NY and Cuban Belly Dancing styles!!