Shamira's Tips - Belly Dance or Bellydance?

Q: I've seen "belly dance" as two words and as one, "bellydance." Which one is correct?

A: Both! The term itself is relatively new and there are different theories as to its origin in the first place. Some say it comes from the french "danse du ventre" (dance of the stomach) and others say it comes from the Arabic "beledi" (the most popular Arabic dance rhythm). Either way, it is an American term.

Up until maybe a decade ago, it was always seen as two words. If I may be so bold, I'd actually like to take credit for coining it as one word back in 1995 with the first edition of "Bellydancing: The Sensuous Workout with Shamira" (which I remade in 2000 and cut to DVD).

My motivation was deliberate. At the time, I remember thinking to myself, "Why isn't this one word? It looks so much more elegant and flowy as one word." I did some research and did not find it anywhere as one word. So if someone else did think of it first, and it was already out there, my apologies!

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