Thankyou to all of my wonderful students, friends, and family for making World Bellydance Day happen in Prince George B.C.!! We had an amazing show this year and raised much needed funds for Elizabeth Fry Society!! Thankyou to all who attended

Brief History of the Dance

Middle Eastern Belly dance is believed to be the oldest dance form, and many believe that it started in Egypt. It is said that this dance form dates back to when mankind still lived caves, helping women aid with child birth. Belly dance was at one time a dance done by women for women, although today men also perform this beautiful dance. This dance is passed down through the generations from grandmother to mother to daughter. It is only in recent times that teachers and schools have emerged and the popularity of this dance has widely spread through Europe and North America.


Told to be the first historical representation of a "bellydance":
Belly dancing may have originated as a fertility ritual. 17,000 year-old rock engravings found in the caves of Addaura, near Palermo in Sicily, depict what appears to be a ritual fertility dance.




 

Ghawazee. (Pronounced "guh WAH zee".) This term refers to the tribe of Gypsies that settled in Egypt. (The singular is Ghaziya.) When the Ghawazee were banished from Cairo in 1834, they settled in southern Egypt. Their music, dance style, attire, and other cultural attributes are distinctly different from those of the Saidi, who were the indigenous people of southern Egypt.