Belly dance

The tradition of belly dancing is assumed to date back to ancient times. Its accurate origins are a matter of some controversy in Academia. Bellydance in its contemporary form is a fusion of oriental and occidental traditions: the pictorial descriptions of early British and French orientalists had a significant impact on European and American art of the 19th century. At around 1900, dancers like Isadora Duncan and Ruth St. Denis created their own versions of belly dance and revolutionised the realm of dance. The legendary spy, Mata Hari, captivated the world with her exotic oriental fantasies.

Unsurprisingly, the mysterious Middle East and its dancers soon became an important part of early cinematic repertoire. In turn, orientally inspired films had a massive effect on Middle Eastern culture and dance, most notably on Cairo, which was then known as the "Paris of the Middle East". It was there that Bellydance reached its period of full bloom, a time that is still referred to as "The Golden Era" today. Egyptian dancers were inspired by occidental art and fashion; they worked with Russian ballet choreographers and elevated belly dancing to a standard never known before.

This new generation of dancers performed at the newly established elegant night clubs and, of course, in dance films that enjoyed tremendous popularity. The most celebrated stars became legends and are still loved and admired today. Samia Gamal was proclaimed National Dancer of Egypt by King Farouk in 1949. Belly dancing developed into a contemporary means of expression for oriental artists, and as a form of sophisticated entertainment, it is also becoming increasingly popular in the western world.

On her travels through the Middle East, COCO studied with those artists who had impressed her the most. Among her teachers are such legends of the 20th century as Mona Said, Nagua Fuad, Dina, Randa Kamel, and Sorraya Saied, as well as the choreographer of today's stars, Raquia Hassan, and countless other teachers.