![cover image](https://wikiwandv2-19431.kxcdn.com/_next/image?url=https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/87/20111110_Egypt_0421_Cairo_dinner_cruise_%2528cropped%2529.jpg/640px-20111110_Egypt_0421_Cairo_dinner_cruise_%2528cropped%2529.jpg&w=640&q=50)
Belly dance
Type of Middle Eastern dance / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
"Belly dancer" redirects here. For other uses, see Belly dancer (disambiguation).
Belly dance (Arabic: رقص شرقي, romanized: Raqs sharqi, lit. 'oriental dance') is a Middle Eastern dance[1][2][3][4][5] that originated in Egypt,[6] which features movements of the hips and torso.[2] A Western-coined exonym, it is also referred to as Middle Eastern dance or Arabic dance.[7][8][9] It has evolved to take many different forms depending on the country and region, both in costume and dance style; with the styles and costumes of Egypt being the most recognized worldwide due to Egyptian cinema.[10][11] Belly dancing in its various forms and styles is popular across the globe where it is taught by a multitude of schools of dance.[12]
![Traditional belly dancer on a Cairo Nile River cruise](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/87/20111110_Egypt_0421_Cairo_dinner_cruise_%28cropped%29.jpg/640px-20111110_Egypt_0421_Cairo_dinner_cruise_%28cropped%29.jpg)