Way Back Wednesday= Every Wednesday we will post one piece of information on the history of belly dance and it's various forms. This is not a big article. One piece of history each week. Tune in each Wednesday for for your Way Back Wednesday factoid. This week:

Raqs sharqi (Arabic: رقص شرقي, Egyptian Arabic: [ˈɾˤɑʔsˤe ˈʃæɾʔi]; literally "oriental dancing") is the classical Egyptian style of belly dance that developed during the first half of the 20th century.
Based on the traditional ghawazi and other folk styles and formed by western influences such as marching bands, the Russian ballet, Latin dance, etc., this hybrid style was performed in the cabarets of interbellum period Egypt and in early Egyptian cinema.