Raks sharki

Raqs Shaqi is performed by women - and men - usually
solo, for entertainment of spectators in public or
private settings. Despite its alias, "belly dance", Raqs
Shaqi dancing involves motion of the whole body, from
head to feet. Basically, it is an improvisational dance
(although based on a certain vocabulary), rhythmic and
fluid at the same time.
The dance has a strong focus on an internalization and
reflection of the music and the emotion therein. The
music is as important as a vocabulary of movements
from which to draw, and therefore the most revered of
dancers will generally be those who are either the most
charismatic or the most emotionally projective (even if
their movement vocabulary is limited). The dancer becomes
the vehicle of communication to make sound
and emotion visible to her audience.
Many see it as a woman's dance, celebrating sensuality
and power of being a woman. Sohair Zaki, Fifi Abdou,
Lucy, Dina, who are all popular dancers in Egypt,
are above the age of 40. Many feel that you have limited
life experiences to use as a catalyst for dance until
you reach "a certain age".
In Egypt, three different forms of the dance: Baladi,
Sha'abi, and Sharqi are known.