Egyptian women reclaim belly dance from stigma | AFP

As belly dancing gains popularity internationally, young Egyptian performers are working to restore its reputation at home, pushing back against decades of stigma to reclaim the dance as part of their artistic heritage. Once iconic figures of Egypt's cinematic golden age, belly dancers have watched their prestige wane, their art increasingly confined to nightclubs and wedding halls. "If we stop practicing it in our own way and start being influenced by the style coming from abroad and do not preserve our Egyptian style, it will completely disappear," says choreographer Amie Sultan.