Thread: Belly Dance Terms

I am doing a bit of a research project, and I was wondering what belly dance terms do you guys think are important for all dancers to know. Or, are there terms you have heard but are not clear about? How about terms you wish your first teacher explained to you?

Thank You,
Zabel

Here's a person with a strong opinion:
Bellydance Online Textbook

I think all belly dancers, even those who embrace fusion styles, should know something about the Middle Eastern roots of the dance. So my list includes some of those terms:

• Bedleh. This is a useful shorthand term for a bra/belt set even if your bra/belt set includes coins and cowrie shells rather than glass beads and sequins.
• Baladi (it's not just a drum rhythm)
• Saidi (it's not just a drum rhythm)
• Ghawazi, Ghaziya
• Romani, Sinti, Dom, Gypsy
• Taqsim (in the MUSICAL sense of the term as opposed to FCBD's use of it as the name of a move) and its plural taqasim
• Triplet (the proper MUSICAL meaning of the term, and how it differs from the incorrect, inaccurate, erroneous mis-named and-a-ONE and-a-TWO zill pattern)

In addition to Shira's:

Shimmy - relaxed driven movement in time to the music. This is in contrast with a vibration (tense), a freeze (generated by muscle fatigue/tension), a reverb(eration) – a driven movement followed by a loose, gravity generated shake, and a mess – just jiggling around.

Khaleegi - of the Gulf and an idea of what tradition women's khaleegi is like.

Raqs and compounds like raqs sharqi and raqs beledi. (And some understanding of transliteration from Arabic to English - including the difference between a kaf and a qaf!)