In fact, there is no singular folk dance of the Middle Eastern countries. While many Middle Eastern folk dances have similar styles of music, each country has its own dances, dance styles and numerous variations of style within each county. The following web sites provide a sampling of folk dances from several Middle Eastern countries. By the time foreign travelers began to document Middle Eastern dance, what may have originated as sacred and ritual dances had already evolved into folk dances that had been influenced by many ethnic groups. Folk dance generally refers to traditional dance originating within a nation or region.
Folk dance is the dance of the community, with moves that can be learned by a large group of people.
While thousands of folk dances evolved throughout the Middle East, many focused on female isolated movements of the hips and abdomen. Two dance styles that are believed to have influenced the evolution of Raks Sharqi are the dances of the Ghawazee and the dance style known as Baladi. The Ghawazee were professional female dancers of upper Egypt that are believed to have origins from India. During their travels, they adopted some of the local traditions including dance styles. As a result, by the time they settled in Egypt their dance has been influenced by dances of Turkey, North Africa, Persia, and other Middle Eastern countries.