Belly Dance in Istanbul (танец живота), Костюм

Night club Istanbulin

Belly Dance, Belly Dancing или Bellydancing – Западное название для разных видов танцев Среднего Востока, включающих изолированные движения тела. Точное происхождение термина неизвестно, возможно он произошел от неправильного понимания слова "Baladi" или фразы "Danse du Ventre." Danse Du Ventre – На французком буквально "танец живота".

The dance which Americans know as "belly dance" has gone by many names. The French who found the dance named it "dance du ventre", or dance of the stomach. It is known in Greece as the cifte telli (also the name of a Turkish rhythm), in Turkey as rakkase and in Egypt as Raks Sharki. Middle Easterners also call it "danse orientale" to distinguish it from the "balady", or country, dance. It developed through the influence of many different areas and continues its long process of development today. After its appearance at the Chicago Exposition at the turn of the century, Americans discovered it, and the French name, danse du ventre, was translated into the "belly dance". In this report, "oriental dance" and "belly dance" will be used interchangeably. "Eastern dance" as used here can include belly dance, Indian dance, or Persian dance.