Henri Robert Salome - Public domain portrait painting

Belly dance is a dance that originated in North Africa and traces its origin back to Egypt. It features movements of the hips and torso. The origin of the name 'belly dance' comes from the French Danse du ventre, which translates as "dance of the stomach". It has evolved to take many different forms depending on the country and region, both in costume and dance style; with the Egyptian styles and costumes being the most recognized worldwide due to Egyptian cinema. The Egyptian style with its traditional Egyptian rhymes is popular worldwide with many schools around the globe now practicing it.