Google the term “belly dance” and the first images the search engine offers are of white women in flowing, diaphanous skirts, playing at brownness. How did this become acceptable? The term “belly ...

A new study contributes to the scant literature available on belly dancing. Belly dancers have fewer hang-ups about their bodies. Most women who participate in this torso-driven dance do so because it ...

Belly dance instructor Sherry Ehrich promises that at the very least, her students will feel beautiful about the way they move. And if the ancient fertility rite dance still holds its magical power, ...

CHICO — Devin “Kaira” McBain was still learning to walk when she started belly dancing in her mother’s footsteps. Now a mother and professional dancer and teacher herself, McBain is also a Belly Dance ...

High-intensity workouts and rigorous exercises are effective ways to lose weight, but not everyone finds it interesting. If ...

SEQUIM — Laura Samperi-Ferdig has been studying belly dance since she was 8 and teaching since she was 16. “Belly dance is one of the oldest known art forms,” she said. “Its true name is Raks Sharki ...

Nestled in the heart of historic downtown Perry, a small dance studio has been a gathering spot for women of all shapes, sizes and ages to learn the art of belly dancing for the past 14 years. The ...

Sciatica drove Bettye Ames to belly dancing. Beset with back problems, and at the behest of a friend, the Dayton resident took up the ancient art 10 years ago to strengthen her abdominal muscles. The ...

In a fitness studio in Saudi Arabia, dozens of women sway to Arabic music as they practise belly dancing -- an activity that many feel compelled to keep secret. Despite their enthusiasm, none of them ...

At first glance, Alia Mohamed’s Instagram account appears like a fantastical throwback, reminiscent of Middle Eastern record covers and black-and-white movies of the ’50s and ’60s. In one post, the ...

Eman Zaki is often called the Coco Chanel of belly dance. If you need a tiger-print mesh ensemble with a diamante halter top encrusted with fake pearls, she can make it. Same goes for a gold and ...