Oriental dance embraces a very vast territory, which is the Arab world, which is why there are many and varied pieces that make up this fascinating mosaic.
Commonly known as belly dance, the Gawazy has its most remote roots in the Mesopotamian period. What has come down to us today is the kaleidoscopic result of its past:from ritual dance, to social (folk) dance, court dance, without forgetting the strong influence of gypsy dance.
The gawazy (plural, in the singular gazya ) are described by the first Europeans who arrive in North Africa and the Near East as gypsy dancers, who perform on the street, dressed in skimpy and scandalous clothes for the time, sometimes even with bare breasts.
Dance is a real profession for these women, so much so that their husbands behave almost like managers and they get them gigs, for example at family celebrations.
While the almee or awalim, “cultured” dancers and singers, who performed at court, could only dance in front of other women, the gawazy performed quietly in front of a male audience.
The rotating and sinuous movements recall the ancient cults of fertility, such as that of the"Mother Goddess". Men were aware that everything that moved life was linked to reproduction, birth, the cycle of the seasons, nature:for this reason, many of the lifestyles of this dance are closely linked to femininity and were practiced exclusively by women.