As belly dancing gains popularity internationally, young Egyptian performers are working to restore its reputation at home, pushing back against decades of stigma to reclaim the dance as part of their ...

When I turned 17, I wanted just one thing for my birthday: belly-dancing classes. The dance's beauty, grace and creative costumes, along with its strong connection to Arabic music, made it a natural ...

Farid Mesbaah, male belly dancer, hopped on a car in Cairo's Shobra district and strutted his stuff. He clanged metal castanets, magically converted his hips into pistons and twirled his head around ...

EGYPTIAN MUSIC BOOMS through the amplifier at 6:15 p.m. as instructor Leslie Rosen leads her belly-dance class through what she calls a shimmy warmup. She gives gentle instructions every few seconds ...

Some young Egyptians are trying to reclaim belly dancing as part of their country's artistic heritage, pushing back against decades of stigma — Khaled DESOUKI As belly dancing gains popularity ...