The History of Belly Dancing Jewelry

By Veena Kimshire


Most people believe that belly dancing involves lots of flashy jewelry. The truth is quite the opposite. If you are like most westerners you no doubt have an image of a belly dancer adorned with a flashy jewel in her stomach and dangling ornaments around her waste.

It is easy to extract from the symbolism is of expensive belly dancing jewelry that belly dancing is associated with fame and wealth or perhaps the activity of the extremely rich. This is very far from the truth. This view of belly dancing is largely a wester invention and holds little resemblance to the traditional belly dancing of the middle east.

The popular belly dancing jewelry we are familiar with- the jewel in the belly button- was in fact a creation of Hollywood. It was merely a way to get around touchy censorship laws that required the navel to be covered. The use of jewelry provided an attractive way around this and still allowed hollywood to reveal much of the midriff.

Although the jewelry we commonly see today is largely a result of Hollywood's affect on belly dancing, many believe this is traditional attire. The truth is that belly dancing jewelry is quite rare in most places around the world. Many times no jewelry is worn at all and most of the body is kept hidden underneath modest clothing.

Belly Dancing Clothing

Instead of expensive belly dancing jewelry, most traditional belly dancers relied on simple yet beautiful fabric to use while dancing. Fabric was often used as a prop while dancing to compliment the rhythmic movement of the dancer's body. Clothing and jewelry should not detract from the dance.

Clothing should be comfortable and should not hinder the movement of a dancer. This is important because belly dancing is all about the movement of the body and much less about the clothing and belly dancing jewelry. It is also not necessary to expose a large amount of your body, although depending on where you are in the world, this is often done.

Whether or not you decide to wear traditional clothing or more modern clothing is completely up to you. Although most belly dancing jewelry we see is not traditional, many people still enjoy its aesthetic enhancement. Ultimately you will have to decide on the outfit and adornments that fit your personal style and taste.




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