I also do Belly Dance and Bollywood, so I read some Belly Dancing books, but those are all technique books. When a dancer reaches a certain technique level, technique books may not help a lot, but knowledge of the dance itself can. It is because the knowing inspires creativity- the history and the cultural values of the sub-styles help clearing the emptiness that the technical movements and thus enriches the expression.
Here the book titled 'Oriental Belly Dance' gives a brief but clear history and cultural of Belly Dance, from the gyipsy to the migration and the settling in Turkey. The book mostly focuses on the Turkish influence, however it also gives a picture of how it went on the big screen and how it hit the media and the big screen. It also introduces the most beloved Belly Dance stars in the 20th century.
One could say that it is not detailed enough and it only shows just a little part of the grand history of the spectacular dance, but just as any single one book of Latin Dance can't tell the whole story of how the Mambo has become so many different dances styles, it is apparent that this book is not everything. Before I read this, I have already learned about how the tribe travelled across the continent to spread this fabulous dance, and have already known how the dance has been developed into different styles; therefore I have no difficulty filling the Turkish part ith details from the book in order to have better understanding of the whole picture. In shorm, there are more to explore, but this one definitely offers a good background of today's most popular Belly Dance styles.
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