Best Places to Watch Belly Dancing in St. Louis, Missouri

The exact origins of belly dancing aren’t really clear, but it can be traced to the Middle East, the Mediterranean, and Africa. In Arabic, Raqs Sharqi means belly dancing. The term can roughly be translated to mean “exotic oriental dance.” Egyptian tomb paintings from as far back as the fourteenth century B.C. show scantily clad dancers whose positions seem to suggest some form of belly dancing. The popular connection between belly dancing and exotic harems dates from the Romanticism period of the 18th century. But for Saudi women, the dance has always been considered sacred, and not to be viewed by men at all. There are different forms of belly dancing all over the world, including Turkish, Egyptian Oriental and American tribal.

Although in ancient times, the dance was believed to be performed by both sexes, it is uniquely designed for the female body with its emphasis on the abdominal muscles, hip moves, and chest moves. In America, belly dancing has been a popular form of exercise for the past 20 years and this traditional Middle Eastern art form is rapidly becoming the latest trend at St. Louis area restaurants.

Several restaurants feature dancers on a regular basis: Momos in University City offers 11 performances a week, including several lunchtime shows. The restaurant used to just have an 8 p.m. show, but the guests that were dining earlier refused to leave, so they added an early show. At the Venice Café in Benton Park, belly dancers started showing up for open mike nights several years ago and became so popular that the restaurant and nightclub started scheduling them on a regular basis. A local group called Belly Dance Mirage performs at Momos and several other locations around the city. Lately, they have had no problem finding work.

Here are a few of the best spots to watch the wiggle here in St. Louis:

The Acropolis restaurant is located at 100 Holloway Rd. in Ballwin. They have dancing at 7:30 on Fridays and Saturdays. 636-527-2424.

Café Natasha at 3200 South Grand, every other Friday at 7:30 p.m. Café Natasha also serves, in my opinion, the best shish-ka-bob in town. 314-71-341111.

For the most belly dancing go to Momos at 630 North and South Blvd. in University City. They have an 8 p.m. set Mondays through Thursdays. On Fridays and Saturdays they double up with dances at 7:30 and 8:30 p.m. They have lunchtime dancing at noon every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.

Saleem’s, 6501 Delmar, is where garlic is king and belly dancing is queen. Check it out Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m. 314-721-7947.

The Venice Café is one of the most unusual and coolest places in the city. It’s down on Pestalozi Street right by the brewery. The belly dancing is sparse, every third Monday of the month. But if you show up on the wrong Monday, it’s OK, you’ll still enjoy yourself and you’ll find out which Monday to come back on…or you can call 314-772-5994 to find out over the phone.