Egypt Travel Forum

I'm going to be traveling with my wife and 13 y.o. daughter to Egypt. We would like to see a belly dance. I've heard conflicting things about belly dances and I was hoping someone could clear this up. Are they more like a sensual art form or is it more like a burlesque dance where they happen to keep their bikini parts on? And, while this may sound naive or silly and I've never actually heard anything to the contrary, I do want to be absolutely sure that they do keep their tops on. If that is in question, please tell me which locales take them off so as to avoid ending up there. Thanks...

I've only seen one, but it was certainly not in the least bit risque.

The lady concerned not only wore a top with chiffon sleese and a bottom with chiffon legs but also had her stomach covered by flesh-coloured netting (the type ice-skaters use for their costumes). This stomach-covering is required by law for all public shows in Egypt (or has been until recently:it may have changed).

And of course, she kept all her clothes on at all times: it is not a strip-tease, nor is it the 'dance of the seven veils'. I suspect some of your informants may have been confusing it with the latter. Belly-dancing is a sensual art-form with a very long history, and its presentation and movements vary from country to country.

I don't think you'll find anything unpleasant about it at all (assuming you do not go to any seedy clubs, which I suspect you will not). Any belly-dance show offered by your tour operator or hotel (or local tour operators) will be in the best possible taste!

As the others said, belly dancing is nothing like a striptease, it's traditional dancing which doesn't involve removing any clothing. I have a typical belly dancer photo on my Egypt page, here http://members.virtualtourist.com/m/2130e/de1/4/

Egypt is a Muslim country. Showing to much of naked skin is a NO NO. Even for belly dancers. By law they are obliged to have their belly covered. Some of them are very creative with this rule by using transparent or netted fabrics to cover the belly area. Having their tops taken of is stricktly forbidden. They will loose their license and their income.

I watched a show of Dina, one of the celebrity belly dancers in Egypt. She even could give a great show with shoulders and knees covered as well as the belly area.

There is another traditional dance form in Egypt that is very spectacular. That are the Derweesh or Souffi dancers. You shouldn't miss them. They will turn around and around and do magical things with the skirts they are waring. The best group is to see in the Citadel in Cairo. But every big tourist resort has some evening entertainment with belly- and souffi dancers.

If you want to have an idea as to how an Egyptian belly dancer would look like, see my Cairo into page where there's a photo of one with me. That's probably as skimpy as they'll get but as mentioned by others, belly dancing is as respectable as hula dancers in grass skirts and do not strip.

The whirling style of Sufi dancers ('whirling dervishes') has a 700-year-old ( at least) religious basis. The Sufi are an Islamic group, so it is not unlikely that their dances should have been absorbed into the culture of the Middle Eastern area generally. They have certainly been in Egypt for centuries.

More info (interesting stuff):

http://www.touregypt.net/featurestories/dervish.htm

http://www.worldtrek.org/odyssey/africa/111799/111799kavisufi.html

I think you seriously lack intellect. Egypt is a Muslim country, how can you imagine even one second that a belly dancer would be allowed to show off her breasts ?

I think I'd rather my daughter see naked breasts (that's nature...) than be raised by someone who lacks intelligence.

A little harsh. The OP did note his/her naivity in the original post.

Not everyone is au fait with the cultural practices and beliefs of every country, nor is everyone capable of researching an issue. Some people prefer to ask question on internet forums, and that's ok with me.

At least the OP asked the question, rather than just persist with his/her misunderstandings.

I agree that Catw's response is a bit harsh, even personal. VT is suppose to be a forum where anyone could ask a travel question precisely because s/he doesn't know or understand something. What would happen if everybody who poses a question will be greeted with a stinging remark that they "seriously lack intellect"?

A Chinese proverb goes, "He who asks a question is a fool for five minutes. He who does not ask a question remains a fool forever."