UCSA DanceCo - Intermezzo (Prerna) - Spring 2024

Bellydance is a dance form originating in Egypt, proceeding to extend its roots to countries like Turkey, Morocco, Greece, Lebanon, etc. It must be highlighted that “bellydance” is a largely colonial and orientalist category lumping together all its iterations in each of these countries; however it continues to be used as a label in English for ease of conversation. It exalts subtle and isolated movements of the abdomen, hips, chest and hands, with its aesthetic appeal lying in a lack of vocabulary as it uses a high degree of improvisation and rhythm-response as a technique. I am only a beginner to this expansive art and I hope my articulation of it translates the love I hold for the form!