Even the term "dancer"- raqqasa - is loaded with negative connotations; the word by itself is understood to mean "belly dancer" in Arabic, and thus conjures up her taboo image. For instance, calling ...

According to pan-Arab news website Al-Arabiya, a number of Egyptian belly dancers – including Fifi Abdou, Lucy and Dina – have declared their refusal to take part in the festival.

The history of belly dance in Egypt in 20,000 words Giselle Rodríguez is the author of "Danza Oriental en Egipto", a Spanish-language book that traces the origins of oriental dance all the way ...

CAIRO, Egypt -- Egypt's foreign belly dancers have been given their marching orders. The government says it wants to protect homegrown practitioners of the seductive Middle Eastern dance form and ...

In Egypt, ballet and belly dance represent two distinct yet culturally significant forms of expression, each with its own ...

Egyptian Women: Once iconic figures of Egypt's cinematic golden age, belly dancers have watched their prestige wane, their art increasingly confined to nightclubs and wedding halls.

CAIRO, Egypt - Egypt's foreign belly dancers have been given their marching orders. The government says it wants to protect homegrown practitioners of the seductive Middle Eastern dance form and ...

Arab belly dancers and oriental dance teachers from Egypt, Jordan and Morocco will head to Israel to participate in the world’s biggest belly dancing festival, local media reported.

It was Dina, Egypt's top belly dancer and possibly the last Egyptian in the business. "I dress this way to remind myself that I can still be a woman," said Dina in a fluent American-tinged accent.

Belly dancers from Eastern Europe, Russia, Latin America and elsewhere have dominated the scene in recent years in Egypt -- long regarded as the birthplace of belly dancing.