Because I mainly write this blog with my fellow dancers in mind, I tend to toss around dance terminology without a second thought. But I realize that a lot of my non-dancer friends like to read my posts too, so I figured I’d put together a quick glossary of words you might not know. I’ll try to remember to go back and add to it every time I use a belly dance word in a post.

ATS: American Tribal Style. This refers to a style of dance where a group uses cues to build a spontaneous performance based on a predetermined set of movements and combinations. Technically, ATS should only be used to describe groups that are using the vocabulary set by Fat Chance Belly Dance, the originators of ATS, but not everyone follows this rule.

Bindi: A small jewel or piece of jewelry applied to the forehead. Originally from India, while some versions (such as the iconic “red dot”) have specific religious and cultural meanings, pretty decorative styles are worn as a fashion accessory by women of all races and religions in Southeast Asia. They are especially popular with tribal dancers. They range from cheap stick-on versions that are hard to re-use to artist-created pieces made with crystals, gem stones and vintage components backed with vinyl which are designed to be worn many times.

Drum solo: Although this obviously refers to a solo played on a drum, it also refers to a dance performed along with it. The drum solo is often a fun, cheeky demonstration of the dancer’s skill and muscular control. When performed alongside a live drummer rather than a recording, it is also usually a fun interplay between dancer and musician.

Fusion: This term is used by dancers who fuse one or more dance styles but either come from a non-tribal background or no longer embrace a tribal aesthetic. For instance, I usually use the term “fusion” to describe my style because my aesthetic is much more informed by vintage styles and faerie tales than nomadic Middle Eastern peoples.

Hafla: A hafla is a casual belly dance party. They range from a simple gathering with music playing in the background (either recorded or provided by live drummers and other musicians if you’re lucky) and people dancing improvisationally as the mood strikes them, or a more organized affair where dancers sign up to dance ahead of time and bring their own music. They are usually open to dancers of all levels and are geared mainly towards the dance community, with maybe some friends and family around as well.

ITS: Improvisational Tribal Style. This is the same concept as ATS, but ITS is used to describe groups that are not using FCBD’s vocabulary. For instance, my background is in Anaya Tribal’s ITS vocabulary. Some groups prefer to use the term SGI, Spontaneous Group Improvisation, but I will probably never use that one on my blog unless I’m describing a group that prefers it.

Kuchi: Silvery metal adornments from Afghanistan, adorned bits of glass and plastic, sometimes stones like lapis, turquoise, and coral as well. It may be used to refer to a piece of jewelry, or to the ornaments used to decorate a belt.

Maya: A maya is a vertical figure 8 that goes up-out-down-in. It’s like an exaggerated version of how a woman’s hips move when she walks, so it is often a very comfortable move.

Melos: A style of pants created by Melodia Designs. Although Melodia offers many styles of pants and other costuming, when people say “Melos” they are usually referring to a stretch-knit pant that is tight around the bootie and thighs but flares out below the knee and is slit up the sides. They may also have an attached asymmetrical hip wrap. Some dancers use the term “faux-los” to describe pants made in Melodia’s style by other companies.

Omi (also spelled umi or ummi or other variations): This is a small interior hip circle which can be performed fast or slow. You will also see this move used by Polynesian dancers who can do them with incredible speed.

Taxim (also spelled taqsim or taxeem, plural taqasim): This word has two common meanings in belly dance. Primarily, it refers to an improvisational solo in Arabic music. Taqasim are usually very beautiful and I enjoy practicing to the recorded versions I have. They’re a great way to work on your improvisational skills and to learn how to tell different Arabic instruments apart. Taxim is also used by some teachers and dancers to describe a vertical figure 8 of the hips that goes down-out-up-in. This is a gorgeous, fluid movement when performed properly and pairs nicely with many instrumental taqasim, hence the name.

Tribal fusion: This refers to belly dance styles that are inspired by the movements and aesthetics of ATS and ITS but may not involve cued movements. Tribal fusion can include choreographed group pieces, choreographed solos, improvisational solos and improvisational group pieces (with or without a set movement). It often involves elements from other dance forms (hence the word “fusion”) including but not limited to ballet, jazz, hip hop, and flamenco.

Zills (also spelled zils or sometimes called sagat): The finger cymbals played by belly dancers. Used in sets of four (two for each hand), these chiming instruments are used as an accompaniment to the music, or in the case of very skilled players/dancers, as a replacement for the music! They are always used by ATS dancers when performing to fast songs. They fall in and out of favor with other styles of dancers but are currently seeing a big resurgence in tribal fusion.

Obviously this is by no means an exhaustive glossary, I mainly just listed terms that I might have used on this blog and that I thought people might not understand right off the bat (for instance, I didn’t include Egyptian or Turkish because I figured most people will realize that refers to dances derived from Egypt and Turkey, respectively). If you come across a word in my blog that you need a definition for, please never hesitate to ask what I meant!