Belly Dancing can be traced back to almost 4,000 years ago to Ancient Egypt and the Pharaohs as a feminine fertility rite in the temples of the Gods. It was performed as a birthing aid by the sisters of the woman giving birth. In a dance that comes as second nature as breathing, the sisters would aid the new mother by undulating and rolling their bodies in natural, curvy snake-like movements to help with the delivery of the baby.

The Oriental Dance or "Raks Sharqi" in its most classical form, translates from Arabic as "The Dance Of The Orient". The dance was called "Belly Dance" by the French when they saw the undulations and the body isolations, "The Dance of The Stomach".

Belly Dancing became an entertainment related art form when it was first brought to America at the Chicago Worlds Fair in 1893 by "Little Egypt" and her famous Belly Dance. However, many people, like the beautiful Egyptian Belly Dancer, Soraya, feel that the dance is a cultural art form that can only be preserved by staying true to its ancient roots as it continues to be passed on through the generations.

Soraya says, "It must not be made into an art that it is not. It should never be watered down, or bent into an unrecognizable contrived version. This gives the art a bad name and insults Arabs and their cultural art. Real, authentic Egyptian Belly Dancing is a delicate balance between understanding the Arabic music, the language, the culture, the technique and knowing how to properly improvise within the Oriental dance frame and ideology. Egyptian Improvisation mixed with some strong choreography is the core of what real Middle Eastern style Belly Dancing is."

"To encompass the real style of authentic Egyptian Belly Dancing and to embody the "Bint Al Balad" (Native dancing girl), it must come from the soul. The movements are a celebration of the feminine soul and they emphasize a strong connection between the mind and body. Its elements involve a combination of agility, fluidity of movement, grace, creativity, physical aerobic strength and proper Egyptian technique," says Soraya. "The exotic mystery of the Belly Dance, the quarter tones in Middle Eastern music, the haunting musical arrangements and compositions are truly an unconscious reflection of our primal existence. The magical, holistic, and therapeutic nature of this ancient art form is always in vogue."

Egyptian Belly Dancing should never be overly choreographed the way that many forms of American, Westernized or European dancing are created. Overly choreographing Belly Dancing will diminish its meaning by making it too scientific. The art is based on some definite technique that must be made very powerful to be really great.

"It is not good to count too much or over analyze because it can make Oriental dance mundane, boring, mechanical and predictable, recommends Soraya, "In fact, in Egyptian Belly Dancing the Arabs themselves base the dance on free form improvisation. The Egyptian musicians will also improvise with the dancer for a perfect balance of give and take, or a call and response if you will."

Many people can learn the art of Belly Dancing and benefit from increases in stamina, muscle control and confidence. Soraya has kindly shared some inspirational messages to Belly Dancers around the world, as well as those interested in learning the form of art. She would like to share the following words with you:

"Be an individual and do not ever compromise your values both personally and professionally. Dance with inner joy, inner strength, physical strength, agility, grace, elegance, and class. Dance with all of your personal life experiences as a woman, celebrating the entire female experience and remember your inner little girl, too. Really slow down and listen carefully to how the Arabic music speaks to your soul. A great Arabic dancer doesn't memorize and count steps like a jazz or modern dancer, we feel and become the physical embodiment of the rhythms and beats. Since the dancer is representing the art of another culture, always keep it real and do not insult the heritage by not doing your homework. Really take the time to fully understand the movements, gestures, feelings of the people, what the songs are saying, learn some Arabic, interpret the music and become the music. Be confident and don’t be afraid to be yourself! Most of all have fun and relax with your show, since you are baring your soul to your audience. Before you hit the stage think to yourself: "What do you want to convey to them and how do you want to be remembered".

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www.bellydancebysoraya.com

E-mail: SorayaEnt@aol.com
Phone: (609) 823-2029
Soraya's Mid-East Dance and Music Productions
P.O. Box 3284, Margate City, NJ 08402, USA