A healthy, tan glow emanates from a curvaceous body that sways to Middle Eastern drums. Hips snap firmly but softly to one side and then sharply to the other. A scarf, garnished with gold coins and wrapped around the set of hips, shakes accordingly, and eventually the whole body undulates producing waves across the midsection. As the movements continue, the eyes of the spectators become fixed and entranced.

While this visual scenario is easily described, it is hard to compile a set definition for the ritual of belly dancing. The combinations of different dancers and styles are usually specific to regions and result in endless possibilities. A wide variety of participants attracted to the dance include men and women of all shapes, sizes and different origins. The mysterious history of belly dancing could explain the diversity of its appeal. There is no geographically specific area where it all began. Middle Eastern countries such as Egypt, Turkey, and Lebanon had generally been associated with belly dancing since its discovery by early European explorers.

“What’s fascinating is how the Western world is just mesmerized by the dance because it’s so ancient,” said Carol Krestos. Krestos, the University at Buffalo’s office manager from the Division of Athletics spends her days tending to an office full of paperwork and phone calls, but two nights a week, Krestos transforms into her alias known as Nadia Ibrahim, a traditional South Asian belly dancer. Although she is a born native of the Buffalo area, her jungle of curly black hair sets her apart from many belly dance performers of Western New York, as her origins lay in Lebanon.

She started dancing at a very young age, partaking in a multitude of different dance styles. Belly dancing was a way to combine her love of dance and her nationality into something she could celebrate and truly enjoy. Since then, she has practiced and taught belly dancing for 25 years in the Western New York area. She belongs to a Middle Eastern dance network where people who have questions can email each other at med-dance@world.std.com. Krestos’ other credentials include performing in last year’s UB International Fiesta, and this year she hosted a UB Late Night event teaching students to belly dance.

This year’s UB Late Night event brought in a variety of participants ranging from long and lean ballerina-type dancers to athletic-looking participants and even two male students. Sameer Kale, an Indian international student majoring in industrial engineering, came to the event with his friends expecting to see a performance. He sees belly dancing as “very artistic,” and has sampled other styles of dance such as jive, tango, twist and salsa.

Krestos commented during the event, “I see men in this class and I admire them. I think it’s terrific.” She is aware of male belly dancing talent, having taught and having been taught by male dancers.

The amount of X and Y chromosomes a belly dancer should possess has not been a hotly debated issue. Both men and women who participate in the dance have no shame in doing so. For the dumbfounded American males who might find the dance to be too feminine for their macho attitudes, Krestos offers the explanation that Middle Eastern men like to dance. It is something they do when they are happy and they don’t mind expressing themselves.

Freedom of expression is one of the reasons a person might want to participate in the dance, but there have been conflicting views on its significance. While Krestos believes that the dance was performed as just that, another member of the community thinks differently.

Kim Weber, also known under her dancing pseudonym, Nedra, emanates spirituality from the tone of her sentences to the movements of her body as she sways her arms synonymously with her hips. Her start in belly dancing began from the moment she was first dragged by her friend to a belly dancing instructional program at UB, and she was hooked. Weber has been dancing since she attended that class about 20 years ago. Now she travels the world performing and teaching within the community, for a rate of about 200 dollars per hour. She is also the head of the Western New York Belly Dance Association. As far as the dance itself, she is less traditional, combining Persian folk dancing with more modern belly dancing styles such as Gothic and Tribal dance.

Unlike Krestos, Weber believes that the dance originates from the religious and spiritual rituals of ancient times. The dance itself was performed during weddings and other ceremonies that, she believes, were full of spirits. She even talks of a dance that lures evil demons out of houses by attaching the spirit to the belly dancer’s hair as she performs. Overall, she sees these belly dancers as a symbol of fertility and spirituality.

Both agree, however, that it is certainly not, as the French labeled it upon their discovery, “Hootchie cootchie!” Traditional garments of female belly dancers included a skirt, which varies in length, as well as a bejeweled bra. The pelvic movements of the dance shocked Europeans who could do little else but marvel at these “heathens” as they partook of earthly desires. The truth is that these movements, according to both instructors, are very natural. Krestos argues that “unlike jazz or ballet, you are not moving against gravity, you are moving with it, and it’s a lot more enjoyable.”

Although many argue that the “war on terror” has spawned anti-Middle Eastern sentiments, Krestos believes that the government and media’s attention on the region has been beneficial for her favorite dance. To her, news reports and political discourse are like free publicity for Arabian culture. “I think that [people] are more educated, they are more familiar, and I think they are more interested in that part of that world,” said Krestos.

Dana Rosenwasser is a junior English major and a Features writer for Generation.