The Golden Age of Egyptian cinema greatly influenced belly dance in the 20th century. Cairo is considered the " Arabic Hollywood," with many films, music videos and different types of media being produced there. Samia Gamal and Tahia Carioca were some of the most famous dancers of this era. Clips of their films can be found on Youtube, and though most of the films are in Arabic, the dance and music scenes are a pleasure for everyone to watch. This style also influenced the belly dance scenes in many American and European films.
Across the Maghreb (Tunisia, Morocco and Algeria) you can find different tribal dance styles of the Berber peoples. The classic move of Tunisian dance is a hip twist (similar to "washing machine" dance) with tassels at the hips to enhance the movements, often with a jug on the head. Within the Ouled Nail, a Berber tribe from Algeria, women were nomadic performers who would travel and earn money by dancing. They would wear their earnings of coins or jewelry on their clothing, which was layered and bulky, unlike the minimalist sequined cabaret costume. This practice of wearing the coins on their body influenced the modern costumes with bright sequins, hanging beads and jingling coins which add sound and the illusion of movement as the dancer moves. The movement of the Ouled Nail is said to consist mostly of isolations and moving body parts independently of one another. American modern dancer Ted Shawn traveled to Algeria to watch the dancers, and returned with colorful descriptions of the tribal choreography.
Several variations of trance dances are found in North Africa as well as other parts of the Arab world and in Persian dance. The guedra is a well-known style of trance dance from Morocco, mostly performed by women. The guedra is danced on the knees, and the music puts the dancer into a trance as she moves. Trance dances consist of repetitive movements, centered around the head and upper body, meant to drive out sickness and ailments and cleanse the body.
Egypt is home to not just the glitzy cabaret style of belly dance, but to many folkloric forms as well. Because of the many styles and great variation among costumes, musical stylings and choreography that can be found within this one country, Egypt is a popular destination for belly dance students, scholars and teachers.The choreography of these folkloric dances influences the cabaret performances. Dedicated dancers study not only cabaret choreography and how to work with props such as veils, finger cymbals and a sword, but also study various folk forms which they can infuse into their performances.
Though in the West the image of dance from North Africa is mostly of a female belly dancer, men and women take part in dance all over the Middle East and North Africa. Many men are performers and teachers of cabaret and folkloric styles and dance informally at social events.