There are various excellent resources one can purchase online, and one of them is this book – Expert guide to Belly Dancing. So whether you live near to a studio, or are too far to travel in, the internet makes dancing available for everyone.
Another great resource for teachers is Belly Dance Beyond Moves.
If you are ready to have fun with your students, profitable belly dance classes with reliable, reproducible results, you need Beyond Moves, Combos and Choreography.
This book has games and games are a low stress way of learning. They teach fundamental belly dance skills in ways that reduce self-consciousness, encourage participation and enhance muscle memory.
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Although I am no expert in Belly Dancing, and still believe that you need to have some proper instruction from a professional dance teacher at least to get the basics, but from what I have seen of this book, it is a full and comprehensive guide on how to learn to belly dance, and it is written by an expert coach.
Are Belly Dance Lessons Online A Good Thing?
Although buying books and courses is a great way to learn to belly dance in the comfort of your own home. The movements are not dangerous like gymnastics or ballet, so it is safer to learn these types of movements at home than any other dance style.
Here are 5 most common belly dancing styles:
- Egyptian Oriental
- American Cabaret
- Turkish Didem
- U.S. Didem
- Gothic and Tribal Fusion
A Step-by-step belly dance instruction program should be presented in an easy-to-follow format. But remember, a live teacher to help you perfect your technique is always the best option.
A Little Belly Dance History For You
- Tomb Paintings: Traces of fluid dance movements similar to modern belly dance can be found in Egyptian tomb paintings dating back to the 14th century B.C.
- Birthing Rituals: Many historians and cultural practitioners associate the early forms of the dance with female-only social gatherings, specifically as part of birthing and labor rituals to celebrate femininity and aid the mother.
- In the 18th and 19th centuries, groups of traveling entertainers known as the Ghawazi emerged in Egypt.
- These women performed at village festivals, weddings, and for honored guests, popularizing more rhythmic and undulating movement styles.
- French travelers exploring Egypt observed the traditional dances and translated the native term Raqs Baladi as danse du ventre.
- By the late 19th and early 20th centuries, it was popularized globally as an exotic performance art, most notably during the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair.
