How many bellydance styles are there?
A dance style should consist of 4 elements: a body of movements, music, a large following of practitioners, and costume. Mood, stage presence and emotive qualities can be so different from performer to performer that its not always easy to use that aspect as a defining element of a style. The costume element is the least important out of the four, but its often times the first thing that gets used to judge ones dance style. Keep in mind that these are generalized elements of each style and are by no means the be all list of dance styles associated with bellydance and the Middle East. There is always gray area, overlap, exceptions for each category, and some cross over into more than one. For example ATS could be considered a World Fusion dance form, but ATS has such huge following and has so many off-shoots that it deserves its own category. Links to online video clips are included for your enjoyment!
