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Story: Cultural dance

Belly dancer, 2012

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Belly dancer, 2012

In New Zealand, belly dance is the best known of the Middle Eastern dance forms. Based on folk dance, it originally developed as a solo performance dance. Once it became popular in the English-speaking world, variations of the original form, including group dancing, developed. This is the Aida Sajadi, performing at the Middle Eastern Magic belly dancing show in Auckland in 2012.

Using this item

MEDANZ - Middle Eastern Dance Association of New Zealand

by Nina Gastreich

Courtesy of Nina Gastreich Photography

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How to cite this page

Megan Cook, Cultural dance – Dance in the 2000s, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/photograph/44728/belly-dancer-2012 (accessed 3 June 2026).

Story by Megan Cook, published 27 March 2014.