History Lesson: Origins of Egyptian Belly Dance

In ancient times, there were a caste of women who were dancers, teachers and entertainers. These almeh, or learned women were held in high esteem during the Ottoman rule of Haroun Al Rashid. These women were the only people who were allowed into the harem without permission in order to teach the ladies in the harem on subjects such as dance and instruments. They also taught tasteful conduct, graceful demeanour and fine manners.  They were also morally astute – they refused to entertain Napoleon’s soldiers during their occupation of Cairo and left the area.

The modern style of Egyptian Belly Dance, especially drum solos, was influenced by the first Egyptian Cabaret in the Opera Casino, which was opened in 1925 by Badia Masabni. At one time, Samia Gamal and Tahia Carioca danced there along with a highly trained troupe of dancers. Badia herself would not dance, but she would play finger cymbals on state and each of the dancers would come forward to do a drum solo. 

Before this time, Belly Dance was performed standing still and in small spaces. Thanks to the influence of Badia, the dance was adapted for the stage and she used it to full advantage and refined the movements to include not only hipwork, but also chest and arm movements. This gave birth to oriental dance. 

However, Egyptian Belly Dance has never been without controversy. Due to the Arabic culture from which it stems, displays of anything deemed inappropriate are highly frowned upon. Many dancers have given up the art due to pressure from Islamic Fundamentalists. They have been known to disrupt weddings, chasing the performers out and destroying instruments. Today in Cairo, the situation is still dire – dancers run their studios under the guise of health practices. There is a definite discrimination towards dancers – you are allowed to dance in your own home for the entertainment of your female friends, but performances and exhibitions are strongly discouraged.

In the west, Belly Dancing has taken the world by storm as a perfect way to tone up, have fun and socialize. In the west, the dance form is accepted without having too much of a social stigma. Egyptian or Oriental dance, when presented in an appropriate atmosphere, can become a positive statement of femininity, beauty, grace and strength of the female form. 

We thank and admire the pioneers of Egyptian Belly Dance for perservering through adversity to bring us this amazing art form that entertains, educates and free many women from the confines of their every day lives.