History of Orient Dance

Orient dance, as we know it today,
has its origins in the dance that was part
of fertility celebration and religious rituals.
Historians and archaeologists have found
evidence of this dance  going back to
4000 years BC. Music and dance were
an integral part of every ritual. The belief
in the divinity of the female is probably
originated from the obvious fact that the
woman brings new life. Oriental
dance is used as a form of exercise
that was transmitted from mother to
daughter, and served the purpose
strengthening the uterus for fertility by
affecting the creation of new life.


On Cyprus were found scoulptures showing women perform an erotic dance with the sound of drums and chanting in ritual for Aphrodite, Greece
goddess of love and fertility. In Egypt, a large number of women gathered in
the ritual of fertility for goddess Bastet, in Lebanon similar customs are
observed in Baalbek in the service of the goddess Attar.Skulptures of these
dancers in the temple are usually placed in the outer part. The main purpose
of these rituals is to win favor of the goddess, and their impact in people's lives.

As civilization evolved old beliefs and 

customs were fading away. One theory 

is that men were becoming awareof the 

role ofcreation of life, but mistakenly

 thinking they arethemselves responsible, 

women represented onlymeans for its 

creation.  Rituals for goddesses and 

fertility dances were slowly vanishingand 

lost their religious significance, 

and eventually becameArts.

The area along the northern coast of Africa, Eastern
Mediterranean coast and in the deserts of the Middle and
Middle East, dance has experienced a fascinating evolution. There, where has emerged the Islamic world, women have created a dance full of skills and diversity. Although this dance does not have direct contact with fertility dance they have some resemblance.

Arabic term for 'belly
dance 'is the' Raqs al
Sharky ' which means
Eastern dance. Oriental
dance is propper name
and meansusing
different parts of body
and not just the belly.
Beyond the Middle East,
Raqs Sharky is
becoming more popular
during the 18th and19th century. Midst of increasing Tourism in the
Ottoman Empire numerous tourists had the opportunity to see and
feel the magic of this dance and the dance groups were hired and
brought to London, Paris or Chicago.

 In the link below you can see the evolution of bellydance last hundred years.