There are several hypotheses, but it is likely that it derived from a certain type of pelvic dancing, which can still be found in some regions of the Middle East and North Africa. “Belvic dance has been traditionally practiced by women since ancient times,” says writer and dancer Wendy Buonaventura, author of Serpent of the Nile: Women & Dance in the Arab World, unpublished in Brazil). “It is almost certain that this dance had connections with fertility rites and also with some movements done during childbirth, to help with the birth of the child.” Anyway, it was in Egypt that this most primitive form of belly dancing gained sophistication, later becoming part of Arab culture, where it is known as Raqs Al Baladi (“Dance of the People”). It’s the common way people dance, and it happens at virtually every important social gathering.
At weddings, the presence of a dancer is more than desirable. “She dances to entertain the guests, but she also has to pose for pictures with the bride and groom. Afterwards, the couple places each one of their hands on the belly of the dancer, as a way of guaranteeing a fruitful union”, says Buonaventura. Belly dancing is feminine par excellence. “The men have their own dance, shaking their shoulders and hips, but without the complex shimmy like the women.” Another privilege of theirs is the zagreet – that ululating sound, emitted with a high and broken voice. “It is a form of stimulation between the dancers, a demonstration that they are enjoying what the other is doing”, says the specialist.