Basic guide to Belly Dance Styles
Supplied by Charlotte, Jewels of the Nile®cc

Belly Dance styles - modern or tradtional: a basic and general observation re fundamental differences, based on my many travels and teaching attended in the Mid East - the art in the Western World is evolving every day into many more fusion expressions.

• Egyptian tradtional cabaret style is reknown for its gorgeous individuality, statuesque posture, isolations, no hands/wrists flying around - big on arms re frames for the body/poses - also includes some classical dance moves.
• Turkish cabaret uses floorwork, backbends, tummy and wrists/hands sometimes - stunningly very energetic, very different music rythym, often they combine the gypsey/folk rythym in modern cabaret re feet and steps.
• Lebanese cabaret also sometimes uses wrists/ hands - often more theatrical sized moves in expression of it, beautifully geared for stage shows.
• Folk dance is different for each country as performed in groups and folk music has different rythyms and VERY different moves, costumming is very different too, usually fully covered! Often traditional props used here, eg Tray(Morrocan), Cane(Egyptian)
• Hawaain dancing use the hands to tell a story re the elements of mother nature etc
• Fusion belly - often mixes styles of dance to include contempory/modern/hiphop/trance etc etc - music choice dictates this usually. Often various props from other cultures brought in here too - eg Fan Veils
• Tribal - there is the wonderfully very powerful original Tribal(ATS, as created by FatChanceBellyDance), and then there are the many varieties that have evolved from it into other forms, eg Tribal Gothic, Tribal Fusion, etc.
  

They say that if you want to taste authentic Chinese food, you need to look for a Chinese restaurant where Chinese people choose to eat. The same could be said about belly dancing – if you want to watch or learn belly dancing in its most authentic form, look for a dance studio that is acknowledged by local Mediterranean communities. The one South African studio that can indeed pride themselves in attracting and retaining Greek and Turkish clientele, consistently for over 13 years, is the Jewels of the Nile.

But don’t think this is the only well-deserved recognition that Charlotte and her increasingly popular brain child is receiving – even the entertainment gurus on television and radio are standing in line to let this Jewel dazzle under their spotlights. One such interview is coming up later in March on DStv’s Business and Commerce channel, where Charlotte is going to share her experience as entrepreneur and business woman.

This isn’t the first time that Charlotte had the opportunity to inspire the world with her shining success story. The Jewels of the Nile have also featured on, amongst others, the following:

• A feature on kykNET’s popular magazine programme highlighting the Jewels of the Nile’s showcase
• Two interviews on Nr 1 News and Talk station, 702;
• An interview on Tuks Radio;
• An interview on an international SABC news channel that only broadcasts outside our borders;
• A chat (in full costume!) on SABC;
• An international TV channel in Rio; and
• A Christian programme on SABC 2

So, to Charlotte and her girls at Jewels of the Nile®, keep up the good work. We’ll all be on edge of our couches end of March – we know you’ll once again make us proud of our association with this exquisite dance form!

For information about Charlotte and the jewels in South Africa - see www.bellydance.co.za

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