In Cairo nightspots opened up near the Ezbekiyya Gardens, where British soldiers congregated and socialised after Britain took control of Egypt's monarchy in 1882. In these the dancers used costumes inpsired by the early American movies the sequined bra and chiffon pantaloons. This was quite incredulous when you consider that Egypt was an Islamic country where dancing is officially not allowed and where women in public would have to completely cover up. 

Meanwhile somewhat more classy establishments also started, for example in 1926, Lebanese actress/dancer Badia Masabny opened a nightclub in Cairo modeled after European cabarets. Casino Badia featured a varied program of Eastern and Western entertainment, comedians, singers, musicians and dancers appealing to both Middle Eastern and European audiences.

Similar night spots in Algiers, Beirut and Cairo opened. Now this was something completely new, nothing of the celebratory dancing at festivals and gatherings, nothing of the interactive dancing within the Hareems, nothing of the religious and catharthic or ritualistic and functional dancing over the centuries, this was the Stage and a sit down Audience and here you had to provide something to Entertain a paying audience. At this point in the History of Belly dance the dance changed from being a participatory sport to a spectator sport. 

So completely new things inspired from here there and everywhere had to be drawn on. Ballet from Europe was an obvious source. So were the glittery costumes from Hollywood designed for artificial lights, shiny bits so they glitter. To make it work on a stage and impact a "sitting down audience" a greater use of space, a larger movement vocabulary, use of veils, and such balletic influences as more expressive use of the arms, the introduction of choreography and a more elevated carriage often on the balls of the feet (or in high heels) had to be introduced. And of course the biggest "pull" was the Western prudish attitudes towards bodily matters, which of course applied to the foreigners. 

Then the Egyptian film industry grew and many of the dancers who started out at Casino Badia went on to appear in film musicals and some, like Tahia Carioca and Samia Gamal, became huge stars in their own right. For the first time, a profession which had always been regarded in a dubious moral light under Islamic tradition, achieved celebrity status and prestige.

Starting around the 1940's, Egyptian film production companies began releasing Arabic-language musicals. Farid al-Atrache emerged as a multi-talented star who captured women's hearts as a leading man, composed music that became instant hits throughout the Arabic world, and played the oud with the skill of a virtuoso. Another composer who rose to fame and popularity was Mohammed Abdel Wahab.

Just as English-language musicals featured dance scenes, so did the Arabic ones. The Oriental dance performances in these movies soon turned Tahia Carioca, Samia Gamal, and others into international stars. Even today, these early stars of Egyptian dance are as much a part of the Arabic cultural heritage as Fred Astaire, Ginger Rogers, and Gene Kelly are part of the American culture.

In parallel, Lebanon was growing its own Oriental dance scene, led by Nadia Gamal.

Extracts from the old Egyptian films featuring the dancing has been collated by Hossam Ramsey and these offer a wonderful insight into a bygone time of glamour and fantasy that has had to rely on sheer skill and showmanship rather than technical effects. 

After the film industry declined the belly dance scene in Egypt grew and grew.