Egyptian Dance Icons:

Belly dance has always been a fascinating art that combines movement, rhythm and expression, and has seen the emergence of many icons who have contributed to its development and added modern touches to it.

Icons of ancient Egyptian dance:

• Samia Gamal: Samia Gamal is considered one of the most prominent Egyptian dancers, and she founded her own school characterized by femininity and delicacy in movements. She was famous for her luxurious costumes that were decorated with precious stones and hand embroidery.

• Tahia Carioca: Tahia Carioca's school is characterized by its popular and lively character, and it relies on fast and varied movements. It is famous for its brightly colored costumes that reflect the spirit of joy and life.

• Nadia Jamil: Nadia Jamil's school is characterized by strength and vitality in movements, and she relies on sports techniques to strengthen muscles. She is famous for her sports suits that give her freedom of movement.

• Naima Akef: Naima Akef was a symbol of femininity and beauty, and presented many wonderful shows. She was famous for her luxurious suits that were designed especially for her.

• Kitty: A Greek belly dancer who worked in Egypt and performed in many distinctive shows. She was famous for her bold and innovative costumes.

• Sohair Zaki: Sohair Zaki is considered the first Egyptian dancer to dance to the music of Umm Kulthum’s songs and the first to have a complete dance performance broadcast on Egyptian television.

Icons of Modern Egyptian Dance:

• Fifi Abdo: Fifi Abdo is considered one of the most prominent icons of Egyptian dance in the modern era, and she has presented many distinctive shows. She was famous for her bold and innovative costumes, which combined traditional and modern elements.

• Dina: Dina is distinguished by her unique style of dancing, combining oriental and modern dance. She is famous for her colorful and bright costumes, which reflect her cheerful and lively personality.

• Lucy: Bosy is known for her popular and lively style, and has released many successful songs and albums. She is famous for her colorful suits decorated with hand embroidery.

There are many young dancers who appeared in the early twenty-first century and came from different countries to Egypt, the country of art, to become famous, such as:

• Sofinar: Sofinar is known for her strong and enthusiastic performances, and has presented many successful shows. She is famous for her bold and revealing suits, which have sparked widespread controversy.

• Jawhara: Jawhara is distinguished by her remarkable grace and different performance. She has won many awards in oriental dancing and has her own oriental dancing school in Russia.

• Alla Kushnir: A Ukrainian dancer whose first appearance in Egypt was in dances in films and video clips, wearing dresses and oriental dance suits. Then her appearance was limited to dance classes on Instagram, wearing comfortable sportswear with waist ties and oriental dance belts. She is also a choreographer, and an organizer of performances and festivals, in addition to her fame as a dancer.

• Anastasia: A Russian dancer who first became famous in Egypt because of her appearance in an Egyptian film song with a popular singer. After that, she created a sophisticated classical school for herself, different from the dancers of her generation, but she resembles the Egyptian dancer Dina, to the point that she usually dances in dance costumes that are closer to long dresses.

• Lordiana: A Brazilian dancer who was an oriental dance instructor at her mother's school in Brazil before coming to Egypt. She is one of the most skilled, famous and fastest-growing dancers in Egypt, for no reason other than her mastery of all Egyptian dance movements with flexibility and lightness. She always wears elegant, long Egyptian dance costumes and rarely wears short dance costumes.

• Badra: She is a Chilean dancer who came to Egypt and became famous because of her appearance at a popular festival with a popular singer. She then participated in Egyptian series as an actress and usually wears short, revealing dance costumes.

• Oksana: A Russian dancer who studied Arabic in order to act in Egypt, in addition to dancing. She appeared in TV series, films, and video clips for popular songs. She became famous as a dancer because of her dance to the song “Balbanat Al Arid” by the artist Hussein Al Jasmi. This clip received more than 30 million views.

• Olga: A Russian dancer who became famous in Egypt via Instagram. She is the fastest-growing and most popular dancer after Lordyana. Her style is characterized by a fast rhythm, but she listens to music well and sticks to it. She is very graceful and wears elegant oriental dance costumes.

The most famous modern Egyptian dance costumes:

• Fifi Abdo's suits: Fifi Abdo's suits are characterized by boldness and innovation, and are designed to suit strong show performances. There is also Fifi Abdo's galabiya, a distinctive icon of Egyptian dance.

• Dina El-Sherbiny's suits: An Egyptian actress who appeared in a dance scene in a series that was admired by many. Dina El-Sherbiny's galabiya is distinguished by its black color with gold embroidery, a waist tie, and a hair tie.

• Nancy's suits: Nancy Ajram is a Lebanese singer who appeared in one of her music videos wearing an Egyptian dance galabiya that has since been called Nancy's galabiya .

• Haifa Wehbe's suits: A Lebanese singer and actress who appeared in a scene from an Egyptian TV series wearing an Upper Egyptian dance galabiya called the Haifa Wehbe galabiya .

• Linda's Shiny Dresses: Linda is an Egyptian dancer who has recently been known for appearing in shiny, lacy galabiyas, which are called Linda's Shiny Galabiya .

• Badiaa Suits: An Egyptian dancer known as Badiaa and Earthquake 9 Richter recently wore different Egyptian dance galabiyas that became Badiaa Galabiya .

• Strawberry Suits: An Egyptian dancer wearing a galabiya similar to Fifi Abdo's and Haifa Wehbe's, but it is a bit different from them, so it is a strawberry galabiya .

The impact of modern Egyptian dance costumes on art and culture:

Modern Egyptian dance costumes have played an important role in the development of this art, and have become icons in the world of fashion and dance. These costumes have influenced fashion in the Arab world, and have become a source of inspiration for many designers and artists.