This told me a story of 5 sisters, the youngest 2 always arguiing over who's best/worst at stuff, gradually they learn that everyone has their own strengths in different areas, helped to that knowledge by their 3 older sisters, eventually the family is in harmony again
In ancient times, belly dancing was originally by women for women to exercise the abdominal muscles for childbirth. Of course the master of the house was ok to watch, it was his harem. Think it was centuries before outsiders were allowed to watch, when sultan showed off their harem dancers to Europeans in the 1600s - 1800. Little Egypt at the New York Worlds fair in 1920s is when the tourism of bellydancers started.
Ellen Herndon this is actually really inaccurate and based on western accounts which need to be taken with a massive pinch of salt. Most middle eastern dance forms were a form of social and personal entertainment that women did to just enjoy. The dancing you see here is not authentic in the slightest but an American fusion of Berber, flamenco and Indian styles of dance. 'Authentic' Ghawazee dance unfortunately died out with its people thanks to government oppression. The term belly dancing is also likely a western bastardisation of the word Beledi which basically just means 'Folk'.
