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 ...

There were no hand cymbals or sequined harem pants, and no Middle Eastern music was playing in the background. And yet the rhythmic, wavy movements of an Iraqi woman's abdominal wall muscles resembled ...

When I was ten, I thought I’d make a career out of belly dancing. I was the hula-hoop queen of my neighborhood, after all, and the professional stomach roll appeared just one step away. But after ...