Belly dance or Bellydance is a dance. It is Western-coined name for a traditional Middle Eastern dance, specifically Egyptian ghawazi dance in the 19th century, and raqs sharqi (Arabic: رقص شرقي‎) in the 20th century. The term is sometimes extended to include all traditional Middle Eastern dances.

The term "belly dance" is a translation of the French danse du ventre which was applied to oriental dance in the Victorian era. The term is somewhat misleading, as every part of the body is involved; the most featured body part usually is the hips. Belly dance takes different forms in different regions; both in costume and dance style, and new styles have evolved in the West as its popularity has spread globally.

Styles usually called "belly dance" include:

Egyptian raqs sharqi (Arabic: رقص شرقي‎; literally "oriental dance"), a style introduced in Egyptian night clubs and cabarets in the early 20th century, today considered the classical form of belly dance.
Egyptian folkdance or Raqs baladi (Arabic: رقص بلدي‎, the folkloric style, danced socially by men and women of all ages in some Middle Eastern countries, usually at festive occasions such as weddings.
Turkish çiftetelli
The modern American Tribal Style Belly Dance (since the 1980s)
The derived and eclectic Tribal Fusion (since the 1990s)

Most of the movements in belly dancing involve isolating different parts of the body (hips, shoulders, chest, stomach etc.), similar to the isolations used in jazz ballet. In much of bellydance there is a focus upon the core muscles of the body producing the movement rather than the external muscles of the body. Egyptian and Lebanese bellydance in particular emphasize the need for movements to originate in the muscles of the back.

In most belly dance styles, the focus is on the hip and pelvic area. However, from an observer's point of view bellydance includes certain key elements.

Some of the bare movements you will learn on belly dance lessons:

Shiver or Shimmy – a shimmering vibration of the hips. This vibration is usually layered onto other movements. It may be created by moving the knees past each other at high speed, or by contractions of the gluts or thighs. It is also possible to perform this using the muscles of the lower back. The two terms may refer to performing this move in different directions, as it is possible to create this vibration moving the hips alternately up and down, side-to-side, or in a forward and back swinging motion. The same move can be performed using the shoulders and is sometimes called a shoulder shimmy.
Hip hits – A staccato movement of the hips out from the body. This can also be performed using other body parts such as the shoulders or chest. The move is usually performed by a quick shifting of the weight from one leg to the other and creates the impression of a swinging pelvis.
Undulations – Fluid movements of the hips, chest or torso in a circular or rotating fashion. There are a wide variety of movements of this kind, of which the most well known is probably the rotating movements of the chest forward, up, back and down to create the impression of riding a camel

In the Western world, belly dance classes are advertised to as a form of physical exercise for health and fitness reasons besides as a performance art.

Belly dance is a non-impact, weight-bearing exercise and is thus suitable for all ages, and is a good exercise for the prevention of osteoporosis in older people. The isolations improve flexibility of the torso. Dancing with the veil can help build strength in the upper-body, arm and shoulders.  The legs and long muscles of the back are strengthened by hip movements. There are also studies that believe on the positive effects of belly dance on women with menstruation and sexuality.       

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Belly Dance Lessons at Forever Dancing Ballroom are near Lincolnia, VA; Jefferson, VA; Falls Church, VA; Annandale, VA; Arlington, VA; North Springfield, VA; Franconia, VA; Idylwood, VA; Springfield, VA; Alexandria, VA; Groveton, VA; Washington, DC; Tysons Corner, VA; West Springfield, VA; Vienna, VA; with the best Bellydance instructors of the DC Metropolitan Area.