Belly Dancing, Belly Dance Videos, DVDs, Bellydance

Belly Dancer picture The International Academy of Middle Eastern Dance Bellydance StoreAbout BellydanceAbout IAMEDBelly Dance PhotosBelly Dance Stars Hire a Belly DancerAwards of Belly DanceBelly Dance EventsBellydance LinksBelly Dance Mailing ListContact IAMED Setting the Standards in Belly Dance

Belly Dancing ~ The Art of Belly Dance ~ Belly Dance Videos and DVDs

Whats new in Belly Dance

* New Release! Pops, Locks & Layers with Sadie & Kaya click here for details

* New Release! Hip-Notic Belly Dance with Kaya click here for details

* New in the IAMED store: TRIBAL STYLE section!

* Drum Solo with Ava Fleming click here for details

We Set the Standards in Belly Dance

IAMED – bellydance.org – is an international association of belly dancers, belly dance instructors, choreographers and musicians dedicated to promoting belly dancing through:

* Belly Dance Instructional and Performance Videos and DVDs
* Bellydance Concerts with Internationally Acclaimed Stars of Belly Dancing
* The Awards of Belly Dance ~ Recognizing Outstanding Artists and their Contributions to the Art of Belly Dancing
* Education of the General Public about Belly Dancing and the Artists of Belly Dance

We are proud to be the foremost authority on belly dancing, the history of belly dance and bellydance events. IAMED is the proud producers of more than 50 original belly dance DVD titles. We produce high-end belly dance theatrical productions in venues such as the Ford Amphitheatre in Hollywood and theaters throughout Los Angeles.

Check out our Belly Dance Blog on Blogspot!

Featured Belly Dance DVDs


Sale: $24.99 Bellydance DVD
Sale: $39.99 Bellydance DVD
Sale: $39.99

Bellyldancer Ava Fleming

The International Academy of Middle Eastern Dance and Suzy Evans are producers of the best bellydance shows in the world! These incredible live concerts, with state-of-the-art sound and lighting and world class performers, have been professionally recorded and edited, and are available now on DVD.

In addition to the best live bellydance events, IAMED has also been producing the most comprehensive and easy-to-follow instructional videos on the market today. Choosing the most talented and respected bellydancers from around the world to give instruction in their own areas of expertise gives IAMED the advantage of having a diverse offering of topics for all levels of dancers.

So, what are you waiting for? Visit our online store and find the perfect video for yourself or your favorite dancer!

The dance form we call “belly dancing” is derived from traditional women’s dances of the Middle East and North Africa. Women have always belly danced, at parties, at family gatherings, and during rites of passage. A woman’s social dancing eventually evolved into belly dancing as entertainment (“Dans Oryantal” in Turkish and “Raqs Sharqi” in Arabic). Although the history of belly dancing is murky prior to the late 1800s, many experts believe its roots go back to the temple rites of India. Probably the greatest misconception about belly dance is that it is intended to entertain men. Because segregation of the sexes was common in the part of the world that produced belly dancing, men often were not allowed to be present.

That belly dance developed from social dancing helps explain its long lasting popularity. Belly dancing offers women a community of friends that share and celebrate joy in music, and creates self-confidence through artistic self-expression, in an art form that embraces all body types.

Bellydancer AzizaBelly dance is natural to a woman’s bone and muscle structure. The movements center on the torso rather than the legs and feet, as is common in Western dance. The belly dancer isolates parts of her body, to move each independently in a completely feminine interpretation of the music. The music seems to emanate from her body, as sometimes she emphasizes the rhythm, sometimes the melody of the song. Bellydance is often performed barefoot, now thought by many to signify the intimate and ancient physical connection between the dancer, the music, and Mother Earth, although historically, most dancers were barefoot because they could not afford shoes.

Belly dance was introduced to America when a dancer known as Little Egypt performed at the Chicago World’s Fair in 1893. Americans were fascinated (and scandalized!) by the freedom and rhythms of the dance and the music, and thus began a fascination with the “exotic Orient.” Early Hollywood fell in love with the dancing girls and created glamorous flowing costumes based as much on Leon Bakst’s fantasies as on garments of the Middle East. Dancers in the Middle East, who were developing belly dance in its native lands, adopted these colorful interpretations.

Veils are a popular part of the belly dance performance, as are finger cymbals – known as “zills” in Turkish and “sagat” in Arabic. Many belly dancers are also skilled at belly dancing while balancing swords, brass trays, or even candelabrum, complete with flaming candles (also known as “shamandan”).

Belly dancing continues to grow in popularity. Belly dance concerts, festivals, and workshops are now held throughout the world, attracting large audiences of women and men alike. Many belly dancers now travel to the Middle East and North Africa to study the art form where it originated. Organizations and Producers such as IAMED and Suzy Evans who are dedicated to the dance, will continue to seek out and encourage new generations of belly dancers to continue to study and perform this wonderful ancient tradition.

To learn more about belly dance see our “About Belly Dance” page, or visit our online store for videos, music, and more!

The Art of Belly Dance DVDsWe find that many of the visitors to this site are brand new to Bellydance. If you are interested in becoming a dancer yourself, we have the perfect solution to get you started! The Art of Belly Dance for Beginners video series is full of easy-to-follow, comprehensive instruction on the basic moves of this beautiful art form. Or try our “Learn to Belly Dance” package that covers the basics and beyond. Once you have completed this series, you can choose from any of our other wonderful instructional videos to begin your journey into the world of Bellydance, such as Veil with Aziza or Finger Cymbals with Ansuya. You can also visit our Belly Dance Links section to find an instructor in your area.

If you don’t want to learn to dance yourself, but would like to see some great Bellydancers in action, pick up one of the outstanding performance videos in our online store… such as Rockin’ the Casbah, Belly Dance Live, or Belly Dance Spectacular!


Suzy EvansSuzy Evans has been involved in the Bellydance industry since 1975, starting out as a dancer herself, then as a producer of world-class bellydance concerts and videos . With over 30 years of experience in the field, Suzy has established herself as one of the leading authorities on The Art of Belly Dance.

Learn more in the article “Suzy Evans – A Dancer With a Vision.”

LINK EXCHANGE

If you are interested in a link exchange, please send us an email with the subject “Link Exchange,” and make sure to provide us with the name of the link, the URL, and description. A reciprocal link on your own web site is required on a page that can be accessed from a link on your home page. If you would like to put an IAMED banner or button on your site, feel free to use the images below, or CLICK HERE for more options. If you have trouble copying them, please send us an email and we will be happy to email it to you.

(banners feature lovely photos of Andreanna from Illinois and Katia of New Mexico)


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