Links

Local dancers and troupes

Caitlyn - OMEDS Teacher and professional dancer.
Raqs Sharqi Society - The Raqs Sharqi society organise Egyptian dance (classical, baladi and shaabi) classes, workshops and concerts, mostly in London. They also run classes in Oxford which are taught by Katrina Robinson, on Monday and Wednesday evenings.
Mersin - Professional troupe based in Reading.
Ashnah Bellydance - Performance troupe based in Abingdon.
Hathor - An Oxford troupe who also organise an annual hafla.
Soleil d'Egypte - A professional troupe in Oxford.
Sara Shrapnell - Proessional dancer and teacher based in Reading. Teaches classes up to advanced level.
Nikki Livermore - Nikki teaches regular classes in Carterton, and organises the annual Oxford Bellydance Bonanza.
Loreley Rice - Loreley teaches a lot of classes around the Oxfordshire area, from beginner to advanced level.
Gwen Booth - Beautiful Egyptian and theatrical fusion bellydance performances and workshops.

Shimmy Shimmy Bang Bang - A blog by Oxford dancer and teacher Annabel.
BellyLorna - A Scottish dancer blogs about her experiences as a professional dancer in Cairo.
What were they thinking? - The Ugly Costume Goddess, AKA Amulya, posts pictures of the hilariously bad, strange or confusing costumes that inevitably crop up on the internet. If you want some silly entertainment, pop over here for crotch tassels (crassels), lobsters, costumes that look like faces and all manner of sequinned weirdness.
Missives from the Royal Palace - The blog of Princess Farhana of Hollywood, full of advice on subjects such as buying a sword or making your own tiaras!
Carrara Nour - Thoughts on dance from US dancer Cararra Nour.

Bhuz - A bellydance forum, where you can find a huge wealth of information. Bhuz is a great place to go if you have any dance-related questions. They also have a massive second-hand shopping section for costumes.
Bellydance Forums - Another forum, not as active as Bhuz but sometimes useful.

Shira's site - This site is incredibly useful, has hundreds of articles on everything from dance history to costume advice, and is a perfect starting point for finding out more about Middle Eastern dance.
OrientalDancer.net - Some interesting articles and interviews.
The Gilded Serpent - Online bellydance magazine, with many many articles and reviews in its archives. The writing quality is pretty variable, but you can learn a lot from browsing the archives.
Morocco's website - Look in the 'articles' section, there are some really interesting things here!
BellyDancingDiva - An online bellydance magazine.
Bellydance Stuff - Dance articles including very useful descriptions of different styles with lots of videos to illustrate each style.
Keti Sharif's dance articles - Short articles and quizzes for testing your dance knowledge.
Articles by Shems - Excellent in depth discussions of various areas including dance styles, costuming, and professionalism.
Mahin's Bellydance Quickies - Get a little bellydance in your email every day! Mahin sends out daily dance tips, with a different subject for each day of the week.

Maqam World - All about Arabic classical music.
Arab music at Al-Bab - Introduciton to Arabic musical styles, with links to many more music and dance articles.
Funky Pharaoh - Arabic pop music blog that's helpfully written in English.

Oxford Bellydance Bonanza - Annual day of dance held in Oxford each May. Loads of workshops, all very reasonably priced.
Fantasia - Annual dance festival in London organised by Josephine Wise, usually in mid December, with two days of workshops, bazaar, and Saturday night show.
Jewel of Yorkshire - Twice yearly dance festival in Saltaire (near Bradford) featuring reasonably priced workshops with well known teachers.
JWAAD Summer Schools - Residential week long summer courses run by the Josephine Wise Academy of Arabic Dance (JWAAD).
Celebrating Dance - Annual weekend residential festival held in a hotel in Torquay, two days of workshops and evening events, organised by Afra Al Kahira.
Majma - Annual weekend festival in Glastonbury, Somerset.
Sirocco - Annual weekend fusion festival in Frome, Somerset.
RAKS - Bellydance summer schools in Leuven, Belgium, with Razia, Artemisia and Khalida.
Gothla - Annual UK gothic bellydance festival in Leicester.

Mosaic - Mosaic Arabic Dance Network publish a great magazine for their members, organise dance showcases, maintain teacher listings throughout the UK, and provide insurance for dance teachers.
Bamba - Birmingham and Midlands Bellydance Association. Bamba run classes and organise workshops and events in Birmingham and the midlands.
NADA - Northern Arabic Dance Network, also publish a magazine and have an insurance scheme. Most of their activities are in the Northe of England and in Scotland.
Raqs Sharqi Society - The Raqs Sharqi Society teach, perform and study a style of Egyptian dance originally developed by Suraya Hilal, which blends traditional Egyptian dances with some contemporary and ballet influences.
FCD - the Foundation for Community Dance promotes dance as an activity for the whole community. They also have an insurance scheme for dance teachers.

Bellydance UK (formerly Wiggle) - Class, hafla and workshop listings in the UK (mostly in the North of England).
Belly Dance Classes - a directory of teachers worldwide.