Even though no one can agree on what to call belly dance, everyone recognizes it when they see
it. This improvisational, and uncodified form of dance is, nonetheless, a form of dance distinctly
different from the many forms of "folk dance" which developed in the same areas. It is a
tradition of primarily women's solo (and sometimes duet or trio) dance forms from the countries
of the Near and Middle East, as well as in parts of North Africa. Across borders and cultures,
"belly dance," or whatever you prefer to call it, is recognized as a dance style of its own. There
are several points that make oriental dance, or belly dance different from other dance forms and
reveal its diverse heritage.

1. Eastern dances are considered to be different because they are "muscle dances", as
opposed to the European "step" dances.
It is a dance form that is healthy for women of all ages to perform, with an emphasis on
using abdominal muscles, hip moves, and chest moves. It is firm and earthy, with bare feet
connected to the ground. It is a dance characterized by smooth, flowing, complex, and sensual
movements of the torso, alternated with shaking and shimmy type moves. In traditional Raks
Sharki the knee is never lifted higher than the hip. In western dance the movement generally
originates from the feet, whereas in Raks Sharki the movement originates from the true center -
the stomach. The exception to this are those nightclub performers who wear high heels or other shoes to live up to a more affluent image, especially in Egypt and other middle easter countries.

Raks Sharki is also different from Western modern dance forms in the way in which it uses
space. Not only is the Raks Sharki dancer less concerned with "floor patterns," but the movement
is also more confined to a "vertical tube" space configuration. The movement which originates
in the stomach and chest then flows upward. The more ethereal and refined the dance, the higher
the arms more naturally move. The best dancers have arms which flow gracefully from one
position to another, and are carried mostly at about chest level. This arm position is, in fact, what
contributes to the characteristic isolation of the dance movements. The dancer's great skill lies in
the ability to isolate and move different parts of the body separately, such as the hips, upper and
lower stomach, chest and head. With the arms held out and up, the dancer can easily work her
shoulders and body against the muscle resistence of her own arms. Good armwork is one of the
great distinguishing marks between good dancers and poor ones.

The classic body position for Raks Sharki includes a balanced and upright posture with knees
slightly bent and and feet forward. This is NOT the "first position" which ballet dancers work
so hard to perfect. No respectable Middle Eastern dancer would put the feet together and squat
with the knees going out. However, the knees must be bent in order for the hips to work. And,
furthermore, the farther the feet are apart, the less quickly one is able to move across the floor
easily or move the hips. Good posture is extremely important. If dancing causes the lower back
to hurt, then the dancer is using bad posture.

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