An Overview of Egyptian, Cabaret, and Tribal Styles of Belly Dance

Belly Dancing is a fun way to exercise and feel great about your body. There are several different popular forms of belly dance. The three styles mentions here are not the only one that exists. Many areas and cultures of the Middle East have unique, recognizable styles. In some countries, women may not dance in front of men, and belly dancing is not performed openly. Instead, the women get together with their female friends and dance for each other just for the joy of it.

Types of Belly Dance - Egyptian Style Belly Dance

Egypt has its own form of belly dance, and is a strong influence on belly dance all over the world. However, globalization has spread to even belly dance, and sometimes the traditional Egyptian style gets confused with moves developed in the US or other countries. Egyptian belly dance is typified by its costumes and common moves. Shimmying moves are popular, and Egyptian costumes usually consist of floor-length skirts and a covered belly, showing the more conservative nature of dance in this country.

In recent years the popularity of Egyptian belly dance has declined. According to the BBC article, Egyptian belly dance "in crisis,"in the early 2000's Egypt banned foreign citizens from performing belly dance in Egypt. This forced many talented dancers to leave the stage for the years that the law was in place. Additionally, according to Nour, an oriental dance website, breaking with the conservative norms in Egypt caused belly dancing to become less popular. A traditional staple at weddings, people stopped hiring belly dancers as entertainers when their indecent reputation grew.

Types of Belly Dance - Cabaret Style

The cabaret style of belly dance is flashy, with skimpier costumes than the traditional Egyptian style. It is the style most often performed as entertainment in American restaurants, so it is also known as American Restaurant Style. According to Shira.net, Cabaret-style dancers usually are a solo act. Their moves are flamboyant, usually dancing up on their toes.

According to Monica from San Francisco Belly Dance, the music choice is usually varied, with several different songs as part of the act. These songs have different beats, and the dancer may use different props in different songs, such as a veil in one song, and a sword in another.

Types of Belly Dance - Tribal

Tribal belly dance originated in the United States. Unlike Cabaret style, Tribal belly dancers dance flat footed and often in groups. Tribal is about the movement of energy and experimentation. For example, one group goes up on stage with no pre-planned steps, and each take turns leading the moves while the rest of the group follows. Tribal style costumes are very different than the other styles. My teacher in my tribal class liked to wear modern tank tops combined with peasant skirts and huge amounts of costume jewelry, along with elaborate, but not flashy, hair decorations.

According to TribalBellyDance.org, the American Tribal style originated in California. Today, there is another branch of tribal called "tribal fusion," which attempts to blend together many elements of different belly dance styles. This style still uses many of the props of belly dance, including veils, swords, and finger cymbals.