Belly Dance & Cairo Today

Cairo has always been associated with beautiful dancers showing off their traditional moves with elegance and ease. There are fans of the sparkling sequins and jangling beads all over the world. However, today you'd be lucky too find a single belly dancer in Cairo that is Egyptian.

In Egyptian films, belly dancers are typically depicted as prostitutes or thieves and the very word in Arabic for dancer, raqasa, comes with connotations of immorality.

Egyptians may dance at home or at family weddings, but belly dancing as a profession is strictly off-limits to most young women in this predominantly Muslim country. In most cases, it's fun to watch, as long as it's not your sister, daughter or wife undulating on a public stage. If this happens, many are disowned by their families and they suffer from the shame.

Thousands of foreign dancers will travel to Cairo each year from countries such as Russia, Japan, Cyprus and America. The locals, including skilled musicians and costume suppliers, all depend on foreign currency. Egyptians have had to suffer to keep this dance alive.

The shrinking Egyptian belly-dance community welcomes foreigners but their hospitality can turn cold when attempting to set up a business in Cairo.

In 2003, Egypt's iconic dancers rebelled against the influx of foreign belly dancers and persuaded the government to stop issuing performance permits for non-Egyptians. They were getting prime spots on the Cairo night scene and at popular resorts.

The ban was later lifted, but resident foreign dancers still have to go through many bureaucratic channels that are often expensive, which may or may not result in licenses for public performance.

While lifelong friendships can develop, it is mostly one of mutual dependence. The Egyptians get the finances to keep their musicians and shops afloat, and the visiting dancers get a real taste of Egypt and take it to their audiences elsewhere.

It needs to be respected and taught correctly so that it can be kept alive. The essence of the dance is about feeling, the interpretation of music and emotional input — That's truly Egyptian.