***

bel·ly dance

~noun~ 

A dance originating in the Middle East, typically performed by a woman and involving undulating movements of the belly and rapid gyration of the hips

“Belly dance or bellydance is a Western-coined name for a “traditional West Asian” dance, especially raqs sharqi (Arabic: رقص شرقي‎). It is sometimes also called Middle Eastern dance or Arabic dance in the West.
The term “belly dance” is a translation of the French “danse du ventre” which was applied to the dance in the Victorian era. It is something of a misnomer as every part of the body is involved in the dance; the most featured body part is usually the hips. Belly dance takes many different forms depending on the country and region, both in costume and dance style, and new styles have evolved in the West as its popularity has spread globally. Although contemporary forms of the dance have generally been performed by women, some of the dances, particularly the cane dance, have origins in male forms of performance”.
from Wikipedia

These woman amaze me. They amaze me with the skill they have to make simple moves into a flowing feat of beauty and grace…..and sexiness!

I must admit to taking a class at one point in time. I loved learning the repetition of movements and kept at it working hard. Until the day came when the instructor said “we will be putting on a performance”. That did it. I wasn’t deluded enough to think I could:

1. perform anything (even if I had a mumu) in front of an audience of even one— without passing out
2. was coordinated enough to put the basic movements I was learning into a flowing, popping, shimmying age old belly dance
Ha. So I quit. Yes, I’m a quitter. I admit it and kick myself for it when I see the likes of this:

Shakira makes it look like a walk in the park….

The flow and control needed………trust me….this “ain’t” easy!

It certainly doesn’t hurt to look like this either 😉

Another bonus (besides the excellent workout and looking cool) is the amazing costumes they get to wear. I’m a girl, I like pretty clothes 😛

***

>***

***

***

I’m pretty confident guys like these costumes too! 😉

When we were in Turkey we went to an amazing restaurant in Istanbul called the “Al Jamal”. They served delicious & exotic food, ambiance, and near the end of the evening as entertainment….belly dancers! Five wonderful dancers came out and gave an awesome performance and topped off what was an amazing evening.

Source (for the above 2 photos as mine didn’t turn out this nice)

One last image to leave you with…..

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

***

Did I ruin it for you?? hahahahaaa 🙂

I’m still shimmying……only in private with an audience of my furbabies.
They love me no matter how crazy I act 😛