Lebanese style is busy, more energetic, has much larger steps and travels more than Egyptian, has a backward lean to the torso, large and busy arms, larger, twisting hip rotations, hip shimmies and some pelvic movements.
Baladi is the most common style of dance in Egypt today and is used to dance to all sorts of music, including Western pop and Al Jeel. Women dance this style at haflas, weddings, at home and in clubs. It is seen on TV and in the theatre.
"Debke" can range from very simple (Step-step-step-kick-step-kick) to very complex. It is NOT done in Egypt, but you'll find many variations throughout Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Palestine.
The belly dance, raqs sharqi or raqs balady originates from Egypt. In this country the dance has a long standing tradition. In ancient Egypt, women performed ritual dances to worship Isis - the goddess of fertility and motherhood.
Styles of belly dance. Egyptian Persian Turkish, Tribal and cabaret.
Belly dancing is part of Egyptian culture, with tremendous influence on Arabic culture as a whole. Throughout the Middle East and the Arab diaspora, belly dancing is closely associated with Arabic music that is modern classical (known as "al-jadid").
Each country has developed its unique trend of belly dancing. When it comes to the Egyptian school, audiences are taken on an emotional journey with soft and lean moves, while the Turkish school employs “fast and furious spins and shimmies, sharp isolations, and evocative floorwork,” according to bellydanceu.net.
The first belly dancers were a group of traveling dancers known as the ghawazee. These women were considered gypsies in Egypt in the 18th century, and were banished from Cairo during the 1830s, but went on to perform in Upper Egypt and later in the Middle East and Europe.
African origins
…is considerable agreement that the belly dance, now performed by dancers from the Middle East, is of African origin. A report of the 4th century bc from Memphis in Egypt described in detail the performance of an apparently rumba-like couple dance with an unquestionably erotic character.
Overall, there is no universally accepted proscription against dancing in Islam. Some Muslims may feel belly dance is acceptable, but less so when it is associated with alcohol, drugs, or sexuality outside of marriage, while others may feel only each individuals' behavior and relationship with God matters.
1. Egypt. Egypt is La Mecca for belly dancers all over the world, especially the cities of Cairo and Luxor. Egyptian belly dancers are considered amongst the best in the world and Egyptian belly dance teachers are extremely sought after.
What we call “belly dance” is known as “Oriental” or “Eastern” dance in Arabic and Turkish (raqs sharqi and Oryantal dans, respectively).
Although some Egyptian men have no problem shaking their hips and bodies while dancing in weddings or parties to have fun, the male belly dancing profession is regarded by many Egyptians as taboo. Performers are regarded as being gay, which faces widespread opposition in Egypt.
Tanoura is a traditional national dance in Egypt. Its peculiarity is that only men perform the dance. The etymology of the word has Arabic roots and is translated as a skirt. The basis of the dance is a circling artist around its axis, necessarily counterclockwise.
Origins of the Dance
According to some, the dance form that today many call belly dance is extremely old and traces of it can be found up to 6,000 years ago, in some pagan societies who used to worship a feminine deity, to celebrate women's fertility as something magic.
Alla Kushnir – Greatest belly dancer
The list cannot be complete without the big name in belly dance – Alla Kushnir.
It came to represent not only femininity. It became a symbol of pride amongst feminist to not only showcase their bodies and consider themselves goddesses. This art form became one with empowerment. The belly dance world was connected to something more than that, people also went back to the source.
The Egyptians are not Arabs, and both they and the Arabs are aware of this fact. They are Arabic-speaking, and they are Muslim—indeed religion plays a greater part in their lives than it does in those either of the Syrians.
Most experts and media sources state that approximately 90 percent of the population is Sunni Muslim and approximately 10 percent is Christian (estimates range from 5 to 15 percent).
It was an important rite of passage into womanhood and a powerful expression of divine femininity. Several hundred years later, during the 18th and 19th century, the dance evolved into a form of entertainment performed by women called the Awalim and the Ghawazee, women who were in many ways a class of their own.
Egyptians cannot have a wedding without a belly dancer.
Samia Gamal, who was born Zeinab Mahfouz, is unquestionably a legendary Egyptian belly dancer.
Hacha'a - Wikipedia.