It's true of many things, including the art of belly dancing: Perception often does not match reality. The most common misconception portrays belly dancing as a suggestive act performed by women for ...

St. Louis? The class begins simply enough, with a head roll, first to the left, then to the right. Then, to warm up the shoulders, you roll those, too. Next, you move the arms, then the chest, then ...

Hypnotic music from the Middle East pulsates through the room. Hips covered in sparkly skirts sway to the beat. Naked shoulders move up, then down, caressing the air. Arms gracefully flow in and out ...

For Ansuya Rathor, there was no questioning whether belly dancing would be a part of her life. Her mother, Jenaeni Rathor, was a blonde, blue-eyed belly dancer in the 1960s and '70s — an anomaly that ...

Belly dancing in Indianapolis is no longer only about one woman providing entertainment at a Middle Eastern restaurant. It can be a group of women dancing to electronica, Elvis or even hip-hop. It can ...

When Malia Elmer first saw a belly dancing performance at the annual mango festival, she was captivated. The 15-year-old Konawaena High School sophomore said she fell in love with the movements, but ...

SOMERSET— Just like she does with the massage therapy she practices, Jodiann Dunton has to clear up some misconceptions about the belly dancing art she has performed for the past five years. She said ...

Amber Proctor, local belly dancer, performs Thursday at the Jazzhaus. Princess Farhana, a.k.a Pleasant Gehman, on the poster for filmmaker Steve Balderson's movie Underbelly. First of all, belly ...

They may have different reasons for attending, but the five women learning the ancient art of belly dancing agree on one thing — it’s a lot of fun. “I really enjoy it,” said Dorothy Dingee, who at 84, ...

“Scandalous!” the Chicago newspapers proclaimed in reports from the World’s Columbian Exposition of 1893. American impresario Sol Bloom purportedly shocked Victorian America--in order to boost ticket ...

Karen Bradford has danced in some form or another. Since age 16, Karen Bradford has danced in some form or another. But it wasn’t until college that she discovered belly dancing. After studying with a ...