Belly dance s a Western term for a traditional <br /><br />Arab dance genre known as raqs sharqi literally "oriental <br /><br />dance") or sometimes raqs baladi literally "dance of <br /><br />country", and so "folk" dance). It is also sometimes called "Middle <br /><br />Eastern Dance" or the "Arabic Dance" in the United States, "danse du <br /><br />ventre" or by the Turkish term Çiftetelli .<br /><br />Native to the Middle East, and now popular worldwide, belly dance takes <br /><br />many different regional forms, both in costume and dance style, <br /><br />indicating that distinctive dance moves may have been transported to <br /><br />these regions and incorporated with local dance styles.<br /><br />Today there are two forms of Oriental belly dance; the first is called <br /><br />raqs baladi, a social dance performed for fun and celebration by men <br /><br />and women of all ages, usually during festive occasions such as <br /><br />weddings and other social gatherings. The second form, the more
