Most people believe that belly dancing involves lots of flashy jewelry. The truth is quite the opposite. If you are like most westerners you no doubt have an image of a belly dancer adorned with a flashy jewel in her stomach and dangling ornaments around her waste.
Although many people associate belly dancing with the rich and famous because of the glamorous jewels and quantity of belly dancing jewelry, this is a very western view of the activity. In fact, before westerners influenced belly dancing, the use of belly dancing jewelry was quite rare. However, it much more common due to the influence of western cultures.
The most ubiquitous belly dancing jewelry is the jewel adorning the navel. This is a western invention resulting from the stricter censorship rules decades ago. Hollywood created the jewel on the belly to allow them to around these censorship guidelines and still expose much of the midriff of the belly dancers in movies and on television. The image has stuck in our minds ever since.
Although the jewelry we commonly see today is largely a result of Hollywood’s affect on belly dancing, many believe this is traditional attire. The truth is that belly dancing jewelry is quite rare in most places around the world. Many times no jewelry is worn at all and most of the body is kept hidden underneath modest clothing.
Belly Dancing Clothing
For those interested in more traditional belly dancing jewelry and clothing, the use of swirling fabric is closer to reality. Bright fabric was often used along with the undulating body movements of belly dancing to create an aesthetically appealing dance.
Clothing was generally not restricting, and like the fabric used in dancing, often flowed with the movements and complimented the dance. Instead of belly dancing jewelry the traditional attire is almost completely made up various fabrics. Often times the entire body is covered with fabric. This in sharp contrast to the popularized outfit we are most familiar with.
Although the majority of belly dancing jewelry we are familiar with is a recent innovation, many people like the addition of jewelry to their outfit instead of more traditional attire. Whether you choose to stick to more modest clothing or decide to go the Hollywood route, the choice of attire is ultimately yours alone.
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