LONDON -- The music being played was a famous song by the late Egyptian diva Umm Kalthoum. The dancing costumes were mostly imported from the Middle East, with hip scarves embellished with gold-plated ...

Google the term “belly dance” and the first images the search engine offers are of white women in flowing, diaphanous skirts, playing at brownness. How did this become acceptable? The term “belly ...

In a fitness studio in Saudi Arabia, dozens of women sway to Arabic music as they practise belly dancing -- an activity that many feel compelled to keep secret. Despite their enthusiasm, none of them ...