Belly Dance known as Raks al-sharqi means "Dance of the Middle East, " and Raks al-baladi means "Dance of the People. " Belly dance is one of the oldest dances in creation. The name belly dance was changed from Raks al-sharqi to belly dance once it entered into the United States and became a part of the western world. Belly dance goes back as far as the 1800s and further.