Out of the darkness, we entered the patio through a tiny bamboo grove. Shards of light filtered through the intricate carvings of an Oriental screen. Women of all ages, we had come to a private dance ...

There were no hand cymbals or sequined harem pants, and no Middle Eastern music was playing in the background. And yet the rhythmic, wavy movements of an Iraqi woman's abdominal wall muscles resembled ...

Tina Hobin says that dancing is the "most powerful" form of exercise An 84-year-old belly dancer, whose twisting tummy was once frowned upon during a British midriff crisis, has urged people of all ...

Sciatica drove Bettye Ames to belly dancing. Beset with back problems, and at the behest of a friend, the Dayton resident took up the ancient art 10 years ago to strengthen her abdominal muscles. The ...

A group of movements that awaken feminity; a way to discover yourself and your inner being. That’s how dancer Kerlyn Araya describes belly dance, a practice that has helped her to grow as a person and ...

It has to be the longest-running show in Canton. The belly dancer Sherena has been performing Friday nights at the Desert Inn for 18 years and counting. And — surprise! — she’s only 27. “I’ve been ...

Japan is in the middle of a nascent belly-dancing boom. Over the last few years, the expressive dance has won a growing number of devotees who are drawn to its colorful garb, captivating rhythms, and ...

EGYPTIAN MUSIC BOOMS through the amplifier at 6:15 p.m. as instructor Leslie Rosen leads her belly-dance class through what she calls a shimmy warmup. She gives gentle instructions every few seconds ...