Belly dancing has roots as old when the first human civilizations. It is quite healthy for your head and the entire body; it allows you to achieve a good fitness level and concurrently it relieves stress and tension. So if you are looking to start a new hobby, belly dancing may just be the perfect thing for you.
Belly dance has several names. The term was introduced by french on the 19th century, who called this type of dance 'Danse du ventre'. In some Arabic countries it is called Raqs Baladi. The idea of Baladi in Arabic means 'of my country' and also the word Raqs means dance. Hence, Raqs Baladi is often the folkloric version of belly dance, danced by local people socially and informally. Another expression accustomed to mention belly dance in Arabic countries is Raqs Sharqi, that means Oriental dance. Normally, this is known also as cabaret style and danced by professional dancers and performers.
Oriental dance involves a lot of body and hips movements, but these are not the only parts of the body that move. This dance style also involves travelling arms and stepsarms, neck and hands movements. The key in regards to this activity though, is muscle control and isolation. One example is, you will move you torso but keep your hips still or vice versa. This may seem difficult to begin with, as we do not usually move in this fashion, but with a bit of practice it becomes second nature.
A lot of people might think that oriental style dance is designed for women only. However, this is not the case as there are a lot of male belly dancers and some of them are very good. While both women and men can belly dance, they are going to interpret the movements differently. As an example, men are stronger and could perform effectively energetic movements, while women are actually more flexible, especially all around the hips, which enables it to create more fluid and sensual moves.
If you are interested in learning belly dance, the best thing to do is find a teacher in your local area. You can also get various resources available, like websites, instructional DVDs and interesting books about the subject. Although it originates from the center East area, nowadays it happens to be famous around the globe and you will be able to seek out good teachers wherever that you are based.