bine belly dance lessons with trips to the desert, 8. Syria - Belly dance is very popular in Syria
visits to saunas and cultural tours. Also, a lot of too and, if you go there and visit, your tour will
nightclubs in Morocco feature live belly dance include belly dance shows.
shows.
9. Greece - Greek belly dance is called tsifteteli.
5. Tunisia - Trips involving belly dance are also Tsifteteli has been danced in Greece for centu-
organised in Tunisia. This country has its own ries, as belly dance was performed in Greece
unique style of belly dance and folkloric dance already by the ancient Greeks. Nowadays Tsift-
and it is culturally very interesting. An expert of eteli music can be heard everywhere in Greece,
Tunisian belly dance is Leila Haddad, who was but it is usually danced socially rather then per-
born in Tunisia and moved to France when she formed.
was eighteen. In France Leila Haddad pursued
her love for dance, rediscovering the ancient art 10. USA - With its big influx of immigrants, the
form of belly dance and Tunisian dance. Leila USA has always been a melting pot of cultures.
teaches and performs in France, where she Officially, belly dance arrived in the US in oc-
presently lives, and holds workshops around casion of the “Street in Cairo” exhibition on
the world. the Midway at the World’s Columbian Exposi-
tion, held in Chicago in 1893, when Little Egypt
6. Algeria - Algerian belly dance is usually as- performed (little Egypt’s real name was Farida
sociated with the Ouled Nail women. The Ouled Mazar Spyropoulos and she was a bellydancer
Neil is a Berber tribe, based in Algeria, whose from Syria). However, a big part in the spread of
women traditionally went around making money belly dance in the US was played by the immi-
from their dance performances and from selling grants coming from various Middle Eastern and
their bodies. Ouled Neil women started travelling Northern African countries. American belly danc-
very young and, once they had made enough ers preserved an art form that threatened to be
money, they returned to their village in order to lost in some countries of origin and they even
get married and start a family. Their costumes invented a new form of belly dance, American
were very rich and included heavy headdresses, tribal belly dance.Nowadays, there are a lot of
lots of jewellery, coins sewed to their costumes great belly dance performers and teachers, well
and heavy make up. The jewellery of Ouled Nail known worldwide, who are based in the USA.
dancers has inspired the costumes of today’s Many of them are based in California, such as
American tribal belly dance. Jamila Salimpour and her daughter Suhaila, Jim
Boz, Carolena Nericcio, the Bellydance Super-
A famous belly dancer, who was born in Algeria stars who tour around the world all the time and
and who has travelled the world, is Amel Tafsout. more. On the East Coast, in NYC, is Morocco,
Amel Tafsout is not only an international dancer, who has been involved with Arabic dance for
but also an anthropologist, a choreographer, a over 40 years and still teaches and performs in
singer and a language instructor. Algeria is also the USA and abroad.
known for its own characteristic belly dance mu-
sic, called Rai. About the Author:
7. Saudi Arabia - Saudi Arabia is one of the Valeria Lo Iacono
countries of origin of what is known today as
belly dance. Probably not worth going to for Year of publication: 2009
learning how to dance, but it can be neverthe-
less very interesting culturally. Saudi Arabia has Published only on:
www.worldbellydance.com
its own belly dance style, called Khaleeji. Kha-
leeji is different form other types of belly dance,
in that the dancer wears a long and wide kaftan
called thobe nashal, which is used as a prop as © 2009 NAFOURA Magazine All rights re-
well as a costume. This type of dance involves served
a lot of movements of the upper body and a lot Copying this article is not permitted unless with
of focus on footwork. written permission by the Chief Editor.
92
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