In Eastern, the dance is called Raks Sharqi, meaning "Oriental Dance".

Bellydancing is not the only dance done by women in the Middle East. There are regional folkloric dances which also emphasize hip and abdominal movements. However, bellydancing is the most popular well known international dance.

Dance done with many layers of colorful clothing, belted at the waist. 

The movements are simple but capture the joy of life as a woman, allowing each dancer to uniquely express her own magnificence.

One school of thought has this exquisite.

 Middle Eastern dance form rooted in fertility ceremonies, performed predominantly by women for women. Young girls were taught to belly dance from an early age to strengthen their abdominal muscles in preparation for childbirth, since Middle Eastern women knew that exercise was the best pain prevention mechanism. What could be more beautiful than to create a dance form for this "coming-of-age" training? Another school of thought asserts that it originated in goddess worship, developing to form part of a ritual for this worship.