10 Countries to visit to learn about belly dancing (Part 1)
I have listed below 10 countries, which are good to visit if you wish to learn about belly dancing, whether you wish to take lessons from local dancers or learn about the culture and art in general. However, be aware that, as some of these countries are located in politically volatile areas, it may be not safe to travel there or there may be areas of those countries that it is best to avoid. Hence, before organising your trip, always check the FCO website (www.fco.gov.uk) for some up to date advice.
1. Egypt - Egypt is La Mecca for belly dancers all over the world, especially the cities of Cairo and Luxor. Egyptian bellydancers are considered amongst the best in the world and Egyptian belly dance teachers are extremely sought after. There are also a lot of great bellydancers who are not originally from Egypt, but who are based there. Just a few names that belly dancers around the world will recognise include: Raqia Hassan, Dandasha, Randa Kamel, Dina and Mohamed El Hosseny (Egyptian male belly dancer, based in Finland) just to mention a few.
Also, bazaars in Egypt are great places in which to buy all your belly dance costumes, accessories and belly dance music CDs. Last but not least, Egyptian deluxe hotels are nowadays the places where you can see a lot of great belly dancers perform.
2. Turkey -
Another great place to visit for belly dance lovers is Turkey. Turkish bellydance style is
very different from Egyptian 
style, but equally interesting. Belly dancers can find everything
they wish to do with belly dance in Istanbul’s bazaar, and it is possible to go and see various belly
dance shows in Turkey.
Famous Turkish belly dancers include: Asena, Princess Banu, Nesrin Topkapi, Sibel Baris and Burcin Orhan. A Turkish male belly dancer is Ozgen, who is based in the UK and greatly appreciated.
3. Lebanon - Belly dance is big in Lebanon too; they even have a reality talent show on Lebanese satellite channel LBC, called Hizi Ya Nawaem (World Belly Dance Championship). Lebanese bellydance style is very energetic and there are a lot of great Lebanese belly dancers, such as Amani, Maya Abi Saad and more.
4. Morocco - Some travel companies and some belly dance teachers organise trips to Morocco. Belly dance lovers visiting Morocco can combine belly dance lessons with trips to the desert, visits to saunas and cultural tours. Also, a lot of nightclubs in Morocco feature live belly dance shows.
5. Tunisia - Trips involving belly dance are also organised in Tunisia. This country has its own unique style of belly dance and folkloric dance and it is culturally very interesting. An expert of Tunisian belly dance is Leila Haddad, who was born in Tunisia and moved to France when she was eighteen. In France Leila Haddad pursued her love for dance, rediscovering the ancient art form of belly dance and Tunisian dance. Leila teaches and performs in France, where she presently lives, and holds workshops around the world.
