Despite strong opposition, the organizing committee of the Oriental Belly Dancing Festival stressed that it will not back out on holding the event this year and has already announced its launching.
As part of its events the festival will be honoring a number of prominent belly dancers, like Tahia Karioki and Najwa Foad, who have contributed enormously to belly dancing.
It has been revealed that Najwa will be giving away the same belly dancing outfit she wore during her performance in 1974 in the presence of the late American Foreign Minister Henry Kissinger to the first place winner in the festival.
According to the London based Elaph, sources have revealed that dancers Dina and Muna Saeed will also be giving away special belly dancing outfits they wore to winners at the festival.
Hundreds of dancers from around the world are participating in the festival. Head organizer of the event, Raqia Hassan, revealed that she did not receive any orders to cancel the festival and had gotten an approval from the ministries of Interior and Culture.
Raqia stressed that the festival's aim is to improve the reputation of oriental belly dancing and portray it as a true form of art that has its own ethics.
