belly dance

== English == === Alternative forms === bellydance, belly-dance === Etymology === Calque of French danse du ventre, equivalent to belly +‎ dance. First attested in English in 1889, in an article about that year's Exposition Universelle in Paris in the November 22 edition of the Yorkshire Factory Times: "A café in the Rue du Caire attracted 2,000 spectators daily to see the ‘belly dance’, and realised a total of 400,000 francs." Early sources also used the French term danse du ventre as-is. === Pronunciation === === Noun === belly dance (countable and uncountable, plural belly dances) A form of dance originating in the Middle East and characterized by movements of the torso. ==== Synonyms ==== oriental dance ==== Translations ==== === Verb === belly dance (third-person singular simple present belly dances, present participle belly dancing, simple past and past participle belly danced) To perform a belly dance. ==== Derived terms ==== belly dancer belly dancing ==== Translations ==== === References === === Further reading === Hawthorn, Ainsley (May 2019). "Middle Eastern Dance and What We Call It." Dance Research 37 (1): 1-17. Hawthorn, Ainsley (May 23, 2019). "Why do we call Middle Eastern dance 'belly dance'?" Edinburgh University Press Blog. Morocco (C. Varga Dinicu) (2011). "What's in a Name? More Than You Imagine...." You Asked Aunt Rocky: Answers & Advice About Raqs Sharqi & Raqs Shaabi. Virginia Beach: RDI Publications, 319-350. Osweiler, Laura (Amara) (2006). "Naming the Dance." Zaghareet Magazine. Shira. "Belly Dance: A Dance By Any Other Name." Shira.net. === Anagrams === call-by-need