History Of Oriental Dance

• Interview With Tahia Carioca & Samia Gamal
• A Dance For The Whole Family
• The Veil And Oriental Dance: Veil Dancing
• Fact Or Fantasy?
• Cross-Dressing in Middle Eastern Dance
• Belly Dancing: Isn't That Something Like Stripping?
• Why the Fuss Over Egyptian Style?
• Dance of the Seven Veils
• The Required Qualities of Dancers
• That "Snake Charmer" Song
• Serpent Of The Nile: Women And Dance In The Arab World
• A Trade Like Any Other: Female Singers And Dancers In Egypt
• Dance Crazy: Star Turns From Ballet To Belly Dancing
• Looking For Little Egypt

Enriching Your Knowledge: The Dance Today

• Styles Of Belly Dance In The United States
• The Tribal Bible
• A Glossary Of Middle Eastern Dance Terms
• Shira's Reading List For Belly Dancers
• What Is Pharaonic Dance?
• Quiz
• Baladi
• They Told Me I Couldn't
• Belly Laughs
• Belly Questions
• Middle Eastern Dance and the Internet
• Middle Eastern Dance: The Spiritual Connection
• Belly Dance & Harem Scenes in Movies & Television
• Scenes From Turkey: Oriental Dance at Orient House
• Scenes From Turkey: Oriental Dance at Gar Gazinosu
• Scenes From Turkey: Oriental Dance at Kervansaray in Istanbul
• Scenes From Turkey: Oriental Dance at Kervansaray Hotel in Kusadasi
• Belly Dance and Middle Eastern Themes in the Movies
  • Maria's List
    • Part 1: USA
    • Part 2: Europe
    • Part 3: Everything Else
  • Egyptian Movies
  • Cartoons with "Middle Eastern" Themes

Clip Art & Quotes

Clip Art For Dancers

• Me'ira's Clip Art For Dancers
• Jo's World Animations
• A-1 Icon Archive
• Midnight's Attic

Quotations About Dance

Recent Changes To This Menu

Student Starters

• Learning To Belly Dance: Where To Find Instruction
• What If There Is No Local Teacher, Or The Local Teacher Is Barely More Than A Beginner?
• Belly Dance Costuming: A Basic Beginner's Costume
• The Beginner's Guide to Finding Bellydance Music
• How to Structure a Belly Dance Study/Practice Session at Home
• Learning to Belly Dance from Videos
• Dear Shira: Stuck in a Beginner Rut?
• To All Students, Regarding "Loyalty" to Your Teacher
• Your First Performance
• A Dancer's Journal (29-Nov-2009)
• Belly Dancing For Health And Relaxation

Belly Dancing For Health & Fitness

• Fit And Healthy
• Can I Still Belly Dance Even If I'm Fat?
• Belly Dance And Weight Loss
• Healing Through Oriental Dance: Part 1, Physical Healing
• Healing Through Oriental Dance: Part 2, Emotional Healing
• The Mysterious Zar: What Is It?
• The Art of Breathing
• When You Can't Dance After Accident, Illness, or Surgery (29-Nov-2009)
• Bellydance Fitness For Beginners: Basic Moves
• Bellydance Fitness For Beginners: Fat Burning
• Bellydance Fitness For Beginners: Arms & Abs
• Bellydance Fitness For Beginners: Hips, Buns, & Thighs

How to Do Some Belly Dance Moves

• Belly Rolls
• Backbends
• Forward and Back Shimmy
• Walking Shimmy
• Hip Bumps and Squeezing Glutes
• Turn, Turn, Turn
• Exploring Figure Eights
• The Camel Walk - Way to Move!
• Whirl Like a Dervish!
• The Mysterious Zar: What Is It?
• How Do You Improvise?
• Expressive Arms

Classroom and Rehearsal

• How to Learn Choreography
• Hints for Remembering Choreography
• How We Spend Class Time: Choreography or Improvisation

Performance: Sharing Your Dance with Others

• Language of Song & Dance
• How to Become a Better Dancer Without Really Trying
• Expression & Sensuality
• Secrets Of Success
• Dancing to Distraction
• Classy or Tacky: Which Are You?
• The Great Armpit Debate
• Special "Kairos" Time and Adapting Your Performance In Real Time
• Why Is It Important to Know What the Lyrics Mean? (16-Sep-2009)
• Helpful Tips When Dancing to a Song (16-Sep-2009)
• Is Showing My Palms to the Audience Insulting to Arabs? (12-Oct-2009)

The Dancer's Life

Relationships & Attitudes of Others

• Respect!
• Gift Suggestions For Belly Dancers
• Joining A Belly Dancing Troupe: Is It Right For You?
• When Your Child Is Harassed at School Because You Are a Belly Dancer

Other Lifestyle Topics

• Hafla Fun for the Christmas Holiday (22-Nov-2009)
• Grandmother's Secrets: The Ancient Rituals & Healing Power Of Belly Dancing
• Avoiding Disreputable Vendors
• How To Be An Appreciative Audience Member
• What Makes a Belly Dancer's Blood Boil?
• When You Can't Dance After Accident, Illness, or Surgery (29-Nov-2009)

The Traveling Belly Dancer

• Health Secrets of a Belly Dancing Road Warrior
  • Part 1, Beginning Preparations
  • Part 2, Beating Jet Lag
  • Part 3, Avoiding Colds
  • Part 4, Healthy Gut
  • Part 5, Foot, Muscle, & Joint Health
• Why I Cover My Hair in Egypt

Middle Eastern Music

Click here to see the full detail listing the individual articles that appear under each of these categories, over 190 items in all!

Articles

• Music Theory & Structure
• The Songs We Listen and Dance To (includes 2 articles added since September 16, 2009)
• On Buying Music

Music-Related Reviews

• Sheet Music & Percussionist Guides
• Song Translations
• Music Instruction

 

• Videos
  • Documentaries on Middle Eastern Music (2 video opinion polls added since October 17, 2009)
  • Musical Interpretation for Dancers (1 full-length video review added since October 12, 2009)
  • Learning Middle Eastern Rhythms
  • Instruction Playing an Instrument
• Recordings
  • Music from the Middle East
  • Original Music in Middle Eastern Style
  • Fusion & Alternative Music
  • Specialty Music

Middle Eastern Music--Translated Song Lyrics

• Songs Sung in Arabic (includes 53 new translations added since September 1, 2009)
• Songs Sung In Turkish Includes 1 new translation added since October 1, 2009.
• Songs Sung In Armenian
• Songs Sung In Hebrew
• Songs Sung In Greek
• Songs Sung In Arabic
• Songs Sung in Farsi (ie, from Iran). Includes 2 new translations added since Octrober 1, 2009.

Shopping At Shira's Showcase

• Mugs, T-Shirts, Sweatshirts, & Mouse Pads
• Belly Dancing Videos
• Belly Dancing Music Store
• Toys For Dancers' Families
• For Belly Dancers
• Belly Dancing Video Store

Silly Songs & Poems

• Pervy Men Are Everywhere!
• Bassboussamatic
• We Are The Bedouin Bumpers!
• Sally, Sally
• Nance And Her Dance
• Kamella, Kamella
• Moosetafa

Jokes

• Belly Dancing Jokes
• Musician Jokes
• The Top 21 Reasons To Be A Belly Dancer

Cartoons & Other Visual Delights

• Steph's Spud
• Belly Dancing On Noah's Ark, Part 1
• Belly Dancing On Noah's Ark, Part 2
• Ya Habibi! Dance Party
• Middle Eastern Dance Electronic Postcards by Me'ira
• The Belly Dancer And The Diet
• The Snake Charmer
• Rattie Repertory Mayhem Dance Company!
• Dances With Cows
• Priscilla's Perfect Performing Penguins Of Persia
• Dancer Dolls
• The Dancing Baby
• Wee Wee Monsieur, featuring The Three Stooges

Opinion Polls, Puzzles, & Quizzes

Polls

• Collecting Tips
• What To Call The Dance?
• Favorite Costuming Style
• Favorite Music For Dancing
• Choreography or Improvisation?
• Why Do You Perform Publicly?
• How Are You Learning to Belly Dance?
• Why Do You Love to Belly Dance?

Video-Related

• How Are Videos Used?
• How Many Videos Are Owned?
• What Level of Professionalism Is Expected on Video Production Quality?
• VHS Tape, VCD, or DVD?
• Buying DVD's to Replace Existing VHS Tapes?
• Video pricing opinions?
• Do Youtube and Other Video Clip Sites Change Your Buying Habits?

Quizzes, Puzzles

• Quiz
• Belly Dance Word Search Puzzle

Artwork Inspired By Belly Dancing

By Janet Morgan

• The Possessed
• Long Sleeve Dancer
• Crazed Dancer
• Tribal Dancer
• Dancer In the Garden
• Practicing the Seven Veils
• Forces of Nature
• The Goddess Dances

By Regina LaFay

• Worship
• Dip

By Wendy Pini

• A Grand Celebration

By Delight Prescott

• Taming The Dragon

By Kelly Hawes

• Dancer in Red
• Dancer in Blue
• A Party of Women
• Mermaid in Red
• Apple of Discord
• Women's Hafla
• Fire Dancer
• Three Dancers
• Zindor and Sandra

By Lee Seaver-Lacey

• My Green Leaf Gown

By Lacy Chenault

• Allie Cat
• Nubian Sister
• Ruby
• Belle-y Button
• Hazine
• Valentine
• Tribal Line
• Autumn
• Violet
• Dawn
• Sura
• Winter
• Scarlet
• Kalila
• Lacy
• Lina
• Candi
• Julia Lolita
• Maysun
• Shani

Essays & Opinions

By Razi

• Belly Dancers of Color: Defeating the Stereotypes

By Brea Morgiane

• Yes, But Is It History?

By Jodi Blubaugh

• To Infinity and Beyond.
• Yin (and Yang)

By Joy

• To Men Who Think They Want a Bellydancer

By Despina

• Respect!

By Arabella

• The Term "Belly Dancing"
• Dreams Can Come True!
• Why Middle Eastern Dance is the Best Kind of Dance!

By Thea

• Hair And Home
• To Teach Or Not To Teach

By Shira

• A Dance By Any Other Name
• Men Who Ogle Belly Dancers
• Reflections: My Friends Through Dance
• Public Perceptions: A Double Standard

By Diana DeMille & Friends

• Belly Dancer Breast Cancer

By Anne Maclean

• When Politics and Dance Meet

By Amanda Niehaus

• To All Students, Regarding "Loyalty" to Your Teacher

Poems Inspired By Middle Eastern History & Culture

Poems By Jezibell

• The Utterance Of Isis
• Uadjet
• Ma'at
• The Snake Goddess

Poems By Other Contributors

• Eye Over You
• Desert Flower

Recent Additions To This Page

What Can You Contribute?

Poetry Inspired By Belly Dancing

Poems By Shira, With Artwork By Shira and Bill Smith

• Dance Of Greeting
• The Unveiling
• Feel The Power, Feel The Beat!
• The Descent
• The Awakening
• A Drummer and a Dancer
• The Finale
• Nance And Her Dance
• Kamella, Kamella
• Sally, Sally
• Moosetafa
• Ode to the Panty

Poems By Myrrha, With Artwork By Myrrha and Hossam

• Byrd
• Ensorcell
• Haiku
• The World As Throne

Poems By Savannah Skye

• Dance
• Warm, Open, And Sensual
• Dance of the Seven Veils
• Dance Your Essence
• The Cosmic Spiral Dance

Poems By Dr. Charles Albano

• Five-Minute Bazuki
• Such Sweet Delight!
• Salome In Dream

Poems By Jezibell

• Invocation Of The Priestess
• Fire Dancer
• The Primeval Dancer

Poems By Sha Had Aroba

• Dance
• Artists Of The Dance
• Ageless Dancer
• A Ritual

Poems by Rose Salinas

• Butterflies
• Powerful Art
• Lost and Found

Poems by Sumaya

• Belly Dancer
• Another Poem by Sumaya
• Still Another Poem by Sumaya
• American Belly Dancer

Poems By Other Contributors

• I Am a Woman, by Serena Wilson
• Serpentine & Elven, by Brea Morgiane
• Belly Dance, by Desireé Lee
• To DesdeMona, The Belly Dancing Queen, by Michelle West
• The Dancer, by Kat Lebo
• Undine, by Stephanie Asherah
• The Language Of Bees, by Esmerelda
• Moment Of Fate, by Sidney Darwin Jones
• I Saw In Your Eyes, by Richard Valentine
• Secret Sisters, by Gaia Wildmane
• Miabella's Dance, by Jasmine Kahn
• A Tribute To George Abdo, Jasmine Kahn
• Pervy Men Are Everywhere!, by Zumarrad in New Zealand

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