Belly Dancers in the Movies

Maria's List, Part 1 of 3: U.S.A.

This page is based on a list compiled by Maria in Boulder, Colorado. See the bottom of the page for a profile of her. It originally appeared on her former web site, which was titled "Boulder Bellygrams". After she discontinued that web site, she granted permission for her list to be published here on Shira.net.

The column titled "To Buy" links to pages on Amazon.com (U.S.), Amazon.ca (Canada), and Amazon.co.uk (U.K.) that sell the movie on DVD. By using these links to purchase the DVD's, you will cause a small commission to be paid to Shira, which helps her cover the costs of providing Shira.net.

On this page:

• Maria's List, Part 1. U.S. Movies

On other pages of this web site:

• Maria's List, Parts 2 & 3
  • Maria's List, Part 2. British & European Movies
  • Maria's List, Part 3. Middle East, North Africa, Asia, movies needing further research, movies that Maria's original list included but don't contain dance scenes
• Egyptian Movies with Dance Scenes. By Shira and Maria.
• Cartoons with "Middle Eastern Dance" Scenes. By Shira.
• Mini-Reviews of Movies with "Middle Eastern" Themes. By Shira.
• Full-Length Reviews of Movies with "Middle Eastern" Themes. By Shira.
• Have Belly, Will Travel. A review by Shira of Tanya Lemani's autobiography in which she describes what it was like to appear in many of these movies.

U.S. Movies

Movie Title	Year	Dancer(s)	To Buy	Comments
300 Spartans	1962			The belly dance scene is about 30 seconds long. Three dancers are performing for King Xerxes of Persia. They are clad in a Hayes Code version of belly dance costumes (with skirts up to the waist). Their dance consists mainly of awkward-looking snake arms and high kicks, with the occasional standing backbend.
Abbott & Costello In the Foreign Legon	1950			The "dance scene" lasts only 30 seconds, and is limb-oriented dance in "harem girl" costuming, not belly dance. View the opinion poll.
Abbott & Costello Lost in a Harem	1944			Contains an elaborate 3-minute Hollywood-style production number. View the opinion poll.
Abbott & Costello Meet the Mummy	1955
Alexander	2004			Belly dancing with swords, snakes, and veils
Arabian Adventure	1979	Suzanne Danielle		Stars Emma Samms and Peter Cushing
Arabian Nights	1942			Maria Montez plays Scheherazade. Arm undulations and backbend. Also stars Sabu and Jon Hall.
Around the World in 80 Days	2004			Belly dancers in Turkish harem with Arnold Schwarzennegar as the Sultan
Bagdad	1949			Stars Maureen O'Hara. Several dance scenes in harem fantasy costumes, but the dance style isn't belly dance. Read Shira's mini-review or vote in the opinion poll.
Barefoot in the Park	1967			Stars Jane Fonda & Robert Redford
Before Sunrise	1995	Bilge Jeschim		Stars Ethan Hawke
Beau Geste	1966			Stars Guy Stockwell, Doug McClure, Leslie Nielsen
Bolero	1984	Bo Derek
Brass Bottle	1964	Lulu Porter		Porter's dance scene lasts about 1 1/2 minutes. Stars Tony Randall and Barbara Eden. Read Shira's mini-review or vote in the opinion poll.
Casablanca	1942			Dancer's shadow on the walls of the Blue Parrot in two scenes
Casino Royale	1967	Joanna Pettet		James Bond spoof w/Peter Sellers & David Niven
Cast a Giant Shadow	1966	Samra Dedes		Stars Kirk Douglas & Angie Dickinson
Chandu the Magician	1932			Stars Bela Lugosi. There is a nightclub scene a few seconds in length, with belly dancers in the background.
Charlie Wilson's War	2007	Tracy Phillips		Tracy Phillips plays the role of real-life belly dancer Carol Shannon. The dance scene is very short and insulting to belly dancers.
Charlie's Angels	2000	Mesmera		Stars Cameron Diaz, Drew Barrymore, & Lucy Liu
China Syndrome	1979	Delilah of Seattle		Stars Jane Fonda, Jack Lemmon
Cleopatra	1934			Stars Claudette Colbert
Cleopatra	1963			Stars Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton, & Rex Harrison
Cobra Woman	1944	Maria Montez		Maria Montez dances Around a cobra. It's campy, cheesy, tacky, in other words, a MUST see!
Conan the Barbarian	1982			Stars Arnold Schwartzenegger. A dancer appears in a grimy tavern scene, after Conan fights the big snake.
Condorman	1981			Spy spoof starring Michael Crawford
Conqueror, The	1956			Stars John Wayne, Susan Hayward, Pedro Armendariz. Also known as Conqueror of the Desert.
Countess Dracula	1971	Hulya Babus
Curse of the Crimson Altar	1968	Vicky Richards
Curse of the Mummy's Tomb	1964	Dahlena
Cyberjack	1995	Chantel Tanguay
Days of Wine & Roses	1962	Lisa Guiraut		Stars Jack Lemmon & Lee Remick
Dead Heat on a Merry-Go-Round	1966	Tanya Lemani		Stars James Coburn
Dead One, The	1961
Deadly Rivals	1993			Dondi Dahlin is in the role of Peggy.
Deathstalker II	1987			Topless belly dancer playing finger cymbals
Delta Force	1997			Small scene in which a television is shown with a dancer on it
Devils of Darkness	1965	Julie Mendez		Julie Mendez does a snake dance.
Diary of a Bachelor	1964	Saliha Tekneci
Don Juan de Marco	1994			Visit to a harem. Stars Marlon Brando, Johnny Depp, Faye Dunaway
Duffy	1968	Julie Mendez		Stars James Coburn
Egyptian, The	1954	Carmen De Lavallade		Stars Jean Simmons, Victor Mature
Eve's Fire	2003	Jennifer Dove		Evocumentary independent film by Sheila Foster (from Boulder, Colorado) & Kirsten D'Andrea Hollander (from Maryland). Jennifer Dove dances in a costume by Domba.
Exotic Dreams of Casanova	1971	Kathleen Norris
Extreme Vengeance	1990	Mesmera		Tanya George (also known as Tanya Lemani) is in the role of Helen.
Fairy Tales	1979	Nai Bonet		Nai is in the role of Scheherazade.
Five Easy Pieces	1970	Helena Kallianiotes		Stars Jack Nicholson & Karen Black. Helena is in the role of Palm Apodaca.
Flight of the Phoenix	1965			Ronald Fraser's character sees a dancer as part of a hallucination.
From Dusk Till Dawn	1996			Salma Hayek. Contains a snake dance.
Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum	1966			Stars Zero Mostel
Girl from S.I.N., The	1966			The dancer performs for about 3 1/2 minutes, makes out with a man, then knocks him out with a karate chop.
Golden Voyage of Sinbad	1974			Stars John Phillip Law & Caroline Munro. View the opinion poll.
Good Neighbor Sam	1964	Zanouba		Stars Jack Lemmon
Happy Hooker Goes to Washington	1977	Shira (not the one who owns this web site) and Yolanda Leaird		Stars Joey Heatherton. Some dancers from the troupe Perfumes of Araby were in the background but not dancing.
Harold Robbins' The Pirate	1978	Anne Archer
Harum Scarum	1965	Brenda Benet, Gail Gilmore, Wilda Taylor, and Vicki Malkin		Stars Elvis Presley. The dance scenes featuring the adult trio are in a fake "Gypsy" style, but the one featuring Vicki Malkin is more "belly dance" in nature. Read Shira's mini-review or vote in the opinion poll.
Harry and Walter Go to New York	1976	Yolanda Mayer
Head	1968	Tanya Lemani		Stars The Monkees
Hell Squad	1986	Anaheed & Narayana		Stars Bainbridge Scott
Hell With Heroes, The	1968	Tanya Lemani		Stars Rod Taylor
History of the World	1981			Stars Mel Brooks
House of the Black Death	1965	Sabrina		Stars John Carradine & Lon Chaney. Cult horror flick. Notable for its belly dance scenes.
How Do I Love Thee?	1970	Soroya Farah		Stars Jackie Gleason, Maureen O'Hara, & Shelley Winters
Hunchback, The	1997	Salma Hayek		Salma Hayek appears in the role of Esmeralda.
Hunchback of Notre Dame, The	1939			Stars Maureen O'Hara
Ilsa, Harem Keeper of the Oil Sheiks	1976
Impulse	1974	Paula Dimitrouleas		Stars William Shatner
Island of Dr. Moreau	1996			Stars Marlon Brando
Jason & the Argonauts	1963
Joe Strummer: The Future Is Unwritten	2007			Independent film about Joe Strummer, a musician with the band The Clash. Fun scenes in black and white featuring Turkish belly dancing.
John Goldfarb, Please Come Home	1965	Shirley MacLaine, Nai Bonet, Sultanna, Antoinette		Stars Peter Ustinov
Justine	1969	Anna Karina		Several belly dance scenes and and a very short scene with the Tunisian folkloric troupe doing a pot dance
Key to Rebecca, The	1985	Lina Raymond		Lina Raymond appears in the role of Sonja El Aram
Khartoum	1966	Lisa Guiraut		Stars Charlton Heston & Laurence Olivier
King Frat	1979	Ligia		A belly dancer at a costumed frat party dances for about 40 seconds in one scene and 8 in another
King Richard & the Crusaders	1954	Nejla Ates		Stars Rex Harrison & Virginia Mayo
King's Pirate, The	1967			Stars Jill St. John
Kismet	1944	Marlene Dietrich		Stars Marlene Dietrich. The dance scene doesn't resemble belly dancing at all, except for a second or two of snake arms. It consists primarily of Dietrich jerking from one pose to another. View or vote in the opinion poll.
Kismet	1955			The dancing looks like Thai dancing, not belly dance. View or vote in the opinion poll.
Last of the Secret Agents	1966	Aida Fries		Stars Marty Allen, Steve Rossi
Last Resort	1994	Tanya George		Although she is credited in this movie as Tanya George, this actress also appeared in many other movies under the name Tanya Lemani
Life With Mikey	1993	Adrienne Canterna		Stars Michael J. Fox
Man With Bogart's Face, The	1980	Kamala, Jaqueline Lombard, Mish Mish		Stars Robert Sacchi. Orchestra was Guy Chookoorian and his band.
Marlowe	1969	Camille Grant
Mata Hari	1931	Greta Garbo		Stars Greta Garbo & Lionel Barrymore
Meridian	1990	Nashira
Monster & the Stripper	1968	June Russell	VHS	This movie is also sometimes known by the title The Exotic Ones
Moonlighting Wives	1966	Fatima		Features a belly dancer performing poolside for 2 minutes. Cheese cake at its best.
Mr. Wrong	1996			Stars Ellen DeGeneres. Dull attempt at comedy. Read Shira's mini-review.
Mummy, The	1999
Night and Day	1946	Milada Mladova		Dancer performed to "Begin the Beguine". Stars Cary Grant and Alexis Smith.
On the Town	1949	Ivy Smith		Ivy Smith plays the role of a cooch dancer on Coney Island. Gene Kelley, Frank Sinatra, and Jules Munshin dress up in women's harem costumes and dance on stage. Read Shira's mini-review.
Once Around	1991	Samra		Stars Richard Dreyfuss & Holly Hunter
Outlaw of Gor	1989
Paradise	1982	Riki Halfon		Stars Willie Aames & Phoebe Cates
Party Girl	1995			Stars Parker Rosey
Princess of the Nile	1954	Debra Paget		Stars Debra Paget. View or vote in the opinion poll.
Projectionist, The	1971	Morocco		Stars Chuck McCann, Ina Balin & Rodney Dangerfield
Psychic Detective	1994	Meaghan Gannett
Queen of the Damned	2002	Aaliyah		Vampire movie. In a scene set in Egypt, the character Queen Akasha dances.
Rabbit, Run	1970	Sabah Nissan		Filmed in Reading, Pennsylvania
Rejuvenatrix	1988	Goddess Ambrosia
Ride the High Country	1962
Road to Morocco, The	1942
Rocket Attack USA	1961			A belly dancer is featured in a Moscow nightclub to symbolize the immoral Russian regime
Rollercoaster	1977			Stars George Segal & Timothy Bottoms
Romancing the Stone	1984
Romany Trail, Part One, Gypsy Music Into Africa				Several belly dancers, as well as other dance styles.
Romany Trail, Part Two, Gypsy Music into Europe				A child, and many Romany dances
Roustabout	1964	Wilda Taylor		Stars Elvis Presley. Wilda Taylor does a particularly excremental performance to the song Little Egypt as Elvis sings it. Read Shira's mini-review or vote in the opinion poll.
Sahara	1983
Salomé	1953	Rita Hayworth		The dance of the 7 veils doesn't resemble belly dancing at all. View the opinion poll.
Salomé, Where She Danced	1945	Yvonne DeCarlo		Dance style doesn't remotely resemble belly dance. Read Shira's mini-review or vote in the opinion poll.
Salomé's Last Dance	1988			Mostly dancers doing head slides
Scorpion King, The	2002	Stella Angelova		About 5-10 seconds of dancing with veils, very short.
She	1965	Julie Mendez, Lisa Peake, and Soraya		Stars Ursula Andress
Sheik, The	1921			One dance scene loosely resembles Persian classical dance. Others resemble modern dance. None would pass as "belly dancing". View the opinion poll.
Sinbad & the Eye of the Tiger	1977			Stars Jane Seymour. Notorious for its bad dancing. At least the costumes are nice.
Sketches of a Strangler	1978			Stars Allen Garfield & Meredith McRae. Tanya George (also sometimes known as Tanya Lemani) is in the cast.
Snake People, The (La Muerte Viviente)	1971			Stars Boris Karloff. Notorious for being a very bad movie with very bad snake dancing.
Sodom and Gomorrah	1962	Mitsuko Takara
Solomon and Sheba	1959	Gina Lollobrigida		This is modern dance, not belly dance, but is still entertaining to watch. Read Shira's mini-review or vote in the opinion poll.
Some Kind of a Nut	1969	Desiree Paterson, Tanya Lemani, Angie Dickinson		Stars Dick Van Dyke & Angie Dickinson. Maria's list also mentioned Poupee Bocar as being in this, but imdb does not include her in the credits.
Something Wicked This Way Comes	1983
Son of Ali Baba	1952			Stars Tony Curtis
Son of Sinbad	1955	Nejla Ates		Stars Vincent Price. Read Shira's mini-review or vote in the opinion poll.
Son of The Pink Panther	1993
Son of the Sheik	1926	Vilma Banky		Dancing mostly is modern dance, but in one piece to 6/8 music the choreography appears to have North African scarf dance influence. View the opinion poll.
Song of Norway	1970	Morocco		Morocco dances in the scene where Grieg is playing "Anitra's Dance" in the mansion
Song of Scheherazade	1947	Yvonne DeCarlo
Spy With a Cold Nose	1966	Nai Bonet		Spy spoof
Stoogemania	1986	Jenza		Dancer's stomach was shown quivering to finish off a really bad one-liner
Swinger, The	1966	Ann-Margret
Ten Commandments	1956			Stars Charlton Heston, Yul Brynner, Vincent Price. Jethro's daughters bellydance before Moses to pick one for bride.
Ten Violent Women	1982	Cheryl Jensen
Things Are Tough All Over	1982	Maya Harman		Stars Cheech & Chong. Belly dancing uses a snake.
Topkapi	1964			Stars Maximilian Schell, Melina Mercouri, & Peter Ustinov
Traveler's Gin	2000	Maria (from Boulder)		Independent film produced locally in Boulder, Colorado which went straight to DVD
Troy	2004			Belly dancers at celebration party in beginning of movie
Two Faces of Dr. Jekyll	1960			Contains snake dancing
Valley of the Kings	1954	Samia Gamal		Stars Robert Taylor and Eleanor Parker. Read the full-length review or vote in the opinion poll.
Videodrome	1983	Franciszka Hedland		Stars James Woods & Deborah Harry
Warlords	1988			Stars David Carradine
Wee Wee Monsieur	1938	Curly Howard, Larry Fine, and Moe Howard (in drag)		The Three Stooges dress up as "harem girls" and dance. The movement vocabulary isn't belly dance, though. Read Shira's mini-review.
Wham Bam Thank You Spaceman	1975	Anisa Gluzan
Wild Wild West	1999	Will Smith (in drag)		Stars Will Smith
Witchmaker, The	1969	Diane Webber		Diane Webber's role is The Nautch of Tangier
Wizards of the Demon Sword	1991	Melinda Golden
Yankee Pasha	1954	Rhonda Fleming
You Can't Win 'Em All	1970			Stars Tony Curtis & Charles Bronson
Young Sherlock Holmes	1985
Your Ticket Is No Longer Valid	1981	Star Bell
Zarak	1956	Anita Ekberg		Stars Victor Mature

About Maria

The list of movies on this page was compiled by Maria over the course of several years, and used to reside on her own web site. After she discontinued her web site, she granted permission to Shira to place it here on Shira.net so that it wouldn't be lost to the dance community.

Maria is a retired professional belly dancer and flamenco dancer from the Boulder, Colorado area. She was one of the main dancers at the House of Marrakesh in LODO Denver and the former Mataam Fez in Boulder. Maria taught bellydance to hundreds of students in the Boulder area.  She was also Director of World Dance at former dance studio "Dance West". As former Event Manager for Boulder Creek Events, she coordinated and scheduled high profile Boulder events such as the "Boulder Community Dance Stage" at the Boulder Creek Festiva for nine years. Maria was previously owner of Boulder BellyGrams by Maria, a successful entertainment company. Maria also co-founded a storytelling / music / dance troupe called "Ziva Dunya" ("bright world"), developing a program "Tales & Rhythms from the Middle East" which they brought to schools, multicultural festivals, senior centers, etc., to great acclaim. To contact Maria, visit her "tribe" on the Tribe.net web site. PHOTO CREDIT: This dramatic skirt photo was taken by Fritz Penning.

Maria has also worked with Broomfield Heights Middle School from 2000 to 2008, as a choreographer for the after school Dance Club Program. Maria has also been invited as a guest speaker/performer for the "Art Café" which had its premier at the Colorado Art Expo 2003. Maria has also been invited as guest dancer/teacher at women’s retreats, women’s events, and other cultural events in and around the country. Maria has now retired from dance in order to pursue her education to become a Registered Nurse (RN). She is diligently studying and working as a nurse assistant while she pursues her degree. Click on either of these two photos of Maria to see the image in more detail.

Copyright Notice

This entire web site is copyrighted. All rights reserved.

All articles, images, forms, scripts, directories, and product reviews on this web site are the property of Shira unless a different author/artist is identified. Material from this web site may not be posted on any other web site unless permission is first obtained from Shira.

Academic papers for school purposes may use information from this site only if the paper properly identifies the original article on Shira.net using appropriate citations (footnotes, end notes, etc.) and bibliography. Consult your instructor for instructions on how to do this.

If you wish to translate articles from Shira.net into a language other than English, Shira will be happy to post your translation here on Shira.net along with a note identifying you as the translator. This could include your photo and biography if you want it to. Contact Shira for more information. You may not post translations of Shira's articles on anybody else's web site, not even your own.

If you are a teacher, performer, or student of Middle Eastern dance, you may link directly to any page on this web site from either your blog or your own web site without first obtaining Shira's permission. Click here for link buttons and other information on how to link.