Belly dancing on the Red Sea

January 30, 2009 - 2:35 PM by Harry

An Israeli belly dancerIn a trend that runs parallel to the exploding popularity of pole dancing lessons among North American soccer moms, Israeli women – even Baby Boom-generation Ashkenaziot (Jews of Eastern European descent) – have been flocking to belly dancing activities and workshops in recent years.

The art form’s renaissance in Israeli culture, which always seems to be searching for ways to marry Middle Eastern folk arts with contemporary lifestyles, was on display in full force this past weekend in Eilat, where the fifth annual International Belly Dance Festival took place with much fanfare at the Golden Tulip hotel, according to The Jerusalem Post.

Workshops with over 20 instructors from around the world introduced participants to a variety of schools of thought on the subject of abdominal writhing. A wares fair offered goods like Turkish outfits, Indian jewelry and Egyptian recordings. A belly dance-off allowed participants from Russia, France, Germany Belgium and Israel to compete for a slot in an upcoming Berlin competition as part of that city’s Bazar Oriental festival.

And recital performances kept those in attendance entertained, thanks to shimmying from the likes of Egyptian-bred Magdy El-Leisy and Moroccan-raised Mayodi.

Image of an Israeli belly dancer courtesy YanivG from Flickr under a Creative Commons license.

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , • Category: General, History and Culture, Israeliness, Pop Culture, coexistence 

Comments

2 Comments on Belly dancing on the Red Sea

  1. Yoga puts religious Israelis in an uncomfortable position | ISRAELITY on Thu, Apr 16th 2009 9:42 PM

    2. [...] Western societies are into all kinds of Eastern recreational and spiritual pursuits. There are also scores of Israelis from multiple generations returning home [...]

  2. Jessica on Mon, May 11th 2009 11:31 PM

    3. Hi.. My name is Jessica and I am from Brazil. I love belly dance and I wanna know the places what have this dance in Israel. I would like to know how the job market in this area, because I am very interested.
    I saw some dancers from Israel and i liked too much.
    Regards

Leave a Comment





© 2009 ISRAELITY | Site by illuminea | Sitemap