This page is based on a list compiled by Maria in Boulder, Colorado. See the bottom of the page for a profile of her. It originally appeared on her former web site, which was titled "Boulder Bellygrams". After she discontinued that web site, she granted permission for her list to be published here on Shira.net.
Movie Title |
Year |
Dancer(s) |
Comments |
| 300 Spartans |
1962 |
|
The belly dance scene is about 30 seconds long. Three dancers are performing for King Xerxes of Persia. They are clad in a Hayes Code version of belly dance costumes (with skirts up to the waist). Their dance consists mainly of awkward-looking snake arms and high kicks, with the occasional standing backbend. |
| Abbott & Costello In the Foreign Legon |
1950 |
|
The "dance scene" lasts only 30 seconds, and is limb-oriented dance in "harem girl" costuming, not belly dance. View the opinion poll. |
| Abbott & Costello Lost in a Harem |
1944 |
|
Contains an elaborate 3-minute Hollywood-style production number. View the opinion poll. |
| Abbott & Costello Meet the Mummy |
1955 |
|
|
| Alexander |
2004 |
|
Belly dancing with swords, snakes, and veils |
| Arabian Adventure |
1979 |
Suzanne Danielle |
Stars Emma Samms and Peter Cushing |
| Arabian Nights |
1942 |
|
Maria Montez plays Scheherazade. Arm undulations and backbend. Also stars Sabu and Jon Hall. |
| Around the World in 80 Days |
2004 |
|
Belly dancers in Turkish harem with Arnold Schwarzennegar as the Sultan |
| Assassin's Bullet |
2012 |
|
One of the belly dancers assassinates terrorists in Bulgaria. |
Bagdad |
1949 |
|
Stars Maureen O'Hara. Several dance scenes in harem fantasy costumes, but the dance style isn't belly dance. Read Shira's mini-review or vote in the opinion poll. |
| Barefoot in the Park |
1967 |
|
Stars Jane Fonda & Robert Redford |
| Before Sunrise |
1995 |
Bilge Jeschim |
Stars Ethan Hawke |
| Beau Geste |
1966
|
Ava Samora |
Stars Guy Stockwell, Doug McClure, Leslie Nielsen |
| Bolero |
1984
|
Bo Derek |
|
| Born Losers |
1968 |
Feiruz Aram |
Feiruz says that she was walking along a beach in southern California with her boa constrictor when he came across the movie shoot. She heard the director say, "Hey you, with the snake — can you dance?" He then worked her into a scene dancing for the motorcycle gang at their hideout. |
| Brass Bottle |
1964 |
Lulu Porter |
Porter's dance scene lasts about 1 1/2 minutes. Stars Tony Randall and Barbara Eden. Read Shira's mini-review or vote in the opinion poll. |
| Can't Stop the Music |
1980 |
Helena Vlahos |
Produced by Allan Carr Films Inc. |
| Casablanca |
1942 |
|
Dancer's shadow on the walls of the Blue Parrot in two scenes |
| Casino Royale |
1967 |
Joanna Pettet |
James Bond spoof w/Peter Sellers & David Niven |
| Cast a Giant Shadow |
1966 |
Samra Dedes |
Stars Kirk Douglas & Angie Dickinson |
| Chandu the Magician |
1932 |
|
Stars Bela Lugosi. There is a nightclub scene a few seconds in length, with belly dancers in the background. |
| Charlie Wilson's War |
2007 |
Tracy Phillips |
Tracy Phillips plays the role of real-life belly dancer Carol Shannon. The dance scene is very short and insulting to belly dancers. |
| Charlie's Angels |
2000 |
Mesmera |
Stars Cameron Diaz, Drew Barrymore, & Lucy Liu |
| China Syndrome |
1979 |
Delilah of Seattle |
Stars Jane Fonda, Jack Lemmon |
| Cleopatra |
1934 |
|
Stars Claudette Colbert |
| Cleopatra |
1963 |
|
Stars Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton, & Rex Harrison |
| Cobra Woman |
1944 |
Maria Montez |
Maria Montez dances Around a cobra. It's campy, cheesy, tacky, in other words, a MUST see! |
| Conan the Barbarian |
1982 |
|
Stars Arnold Schwartzenegger. A dancer appears in a grimy tavern scene, after Conan fights the big snake. |
| Condorman |
1981 |
|
Spy spoof starring Michael Crawford |
| Conqueror, The |
1956 |
|
Stars John Wayne, Susan Hayward, Pedro Armendariz. Also known as Conqueror of the Desert. |
| Countess Dracula |
1971 |
Hulya Babus |
|
| Crime Killer |
1985 |
Helena Vlahos |
|
| Curse of the Crimson Altar |
1968 |
Vicky Richards |
|
| Curse of the Mummy's Tomb |
1964 |
Dahlena |
|
| Cyberjack |
1995 |
Chantel Tanguay |
|
| David and Bathsheba |
1951 |
Gwen Verdon |
|
| Days of Wine & Roses |
1962 |
Lisa Guiraut |
Stars Jack Lemmon & Lee Remick |
| Dead Heat on a Merry-Go-Round |
1966 |
Tanya Lemani |
Stars James Coburn |
| Dead One, The |
1961 |
|
|
| Deadly Rivals |
1993 |
|
Dondi Dahlin is in the role of Peggy. |
| Deathstalker II |
1987 |
|
Topless belly dancer playing finger cymbals |
| Delta Force |
1997 |
|
Small scene in which a television is shown with a dancer on it |
| Devils of Darkness |
1965 |
Julie Mendez |
Julie Mendez does a snake dance. |
| Diary of a Bachelor |
1964 |
Saliha Tekneci |
|
| Don Juan de Marco |
1994 |
|
Visit to a harem. Stars Marlon Brando, Johnny Depp, Faye Dunaway |
| Duffy |
1968 |
Julie Mendez |
Stars James Coburn |
| Egyptian, The |
1954 |
Carmen De Lavallade |
Stars Jean Simmons, Victor Mature |
| Eve's Fire |
2003 |
Jennifer Dove |
Evocumentary independent film by Sheila Foster (from Boulder, Colorado) & Kirsten D'Andrea Hollander (from Maryland). Jennifer Dove dances in a costume by Domba. |
| Exotic Dreams of Casanova |
1971 |
Kathleen Norris |
|
| Extreme Vengeance |
1990 |
Mesmera |
Tanya George (also known as Tanya Lemani) is in the role of Helen. |
| Fairy Tales |
1979 |
Nai Bonet |
Nai is in the role of Scheherazade. |
| Five Easy Pieces |
1970 |
Helena Kallianiotes |
Stars Jack Nicholson & Karen Black. Helena is in the role of Palm Apodaca. |
| Flight of the Phoenix |
1965 |
|
Ronald Fraser's character sees a dancer as part of a hallucination. |
| From Dusk Till Dawn |
1996 |
|
Salma Hayek. Contains a snake dance. |
| Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum |
1966 |
|
Stars Zero Mostel |
| Girl from S.I.N., The |
1966 |
|
The dancer performs for about 3 1/2 minutes, makes out with a man, then knocks him out with a karate chop. |
| Golden Voyage of Sinbad |
1974 |
|
Stars John Phillip Law & Caroline Munro. View the opinion poll. |
| Good Neighbor Sam |
1964 |
Zanouba |
Stars Jack Lemmon |
| Happy Hooker Goes to Washington |
1977 |
Shira (not the one who owns this web site) and Yolanda Leaird |
Stars Joey Heatherton. Some dancers from the troupe Perfumes of Araby were in the background but not dancing. |
| Harold Robbins' The Pirate |
1978 |
Anne Archer |
|
| Harum Scarum |
1965 |
Brenda Benet, Gail Gilmore, Wilda Taylor, and Vicki Malkin |
Stars Elvis Presley. The dance scenes featuring the adult trio are in a fake "Gypsy" style, but the one featuring Vicki Malkin is more "belly dance" in nature. Read Shira's mini-review or vote in the opinion poll. |
| Harry and Walter Go to New York |
1976 |
Yolanda Mayer |
|
| Head |
1968 |
Tanya Lemani |
Stars The Monkees |
| Hell Squad |
1986 |
Anaheed & Narayana |
Stars Bainbridge Scott |
| Hell With Heroes, The |
1968 |
Tanya Lemani |
Stars Rod Taylor. |
| History of the World |
1981 |
|
Stars Mel Brooks. |
| Hitman |
1991 |
Sarita |
Stars Chuck Norris. |
| House of the Black Death |
1965 |
Sabrina |
Stars John Carradine & Lon Chaney. Cult horror flick. Notable for its belly dance scenes. |
| How Do I Love Thee? |
1970 |
Soroya Farah |
Stars Jackie Gleason, Maureen O'Hara, & Shelley Winters |
| Hunchback, The |
1997 |
Salma Hayek |
Salma Hayek appears in the role of Esmeralda. |
| Hunchback of Notre Dame, The |
1939 |
|
Stars Maureen O'Hara |
| Ilsa, Harem Keeper of the Oil Sheiks |
1976 |
|
|
| Impulse |
1974 |
Paula Dimitrouleas |
Stars William Shatner |
| Island of Dr. Moreau |
1996 |
|
Stars Marlon Brando |
| Jason & the Argonauts |
1963 |
|
|
| Joe Strummer: The Future Is Unwritten |
2007 |
|
Independent film about Joe Strummer, a musician with the band The Clash. Fun scenes in black and white featuring Turkish belly dancing. |
| John Goldfarb, Please Come Home |
1965 |
Shirley MacLaine, Nai Bonet, Sultanna, Antoinette |
Stars Peter Ustinov |
| Justine |
1969 |
Anna Karina |
Several belly dance scenes and and a very short scene with the Tunisian folkloric troupe doing a pot dance |
| Key to Rebecca, The |
1985 |
Lina Raymond |
Lina Raymond appears in the role of Sonja El Aram |
| Khartoum |
1966 |
Lisa Guiraut |
Stars Charlton Heston & Laurence Olivier |
| King Frat |
1979 |
Ligia |
A belly dancer at a costumed frat party dances for about 40 seconds in one scene and 8 in another |
| King Richard & the Crusaders |
1954 |
Nejla Ates |
Stars Rex Harrison & Virginia Mayo |
| King's Pirate, The |
1967 |
|
Stars Jill St. John |
| Kismet |
1944 |
Marlene Dietrich |
Stars Marlene Dietrich. The dance scene doesn't resemble belly dancing at all, except for a second or two of snake arms. It consists primarily of Dietrich jerking from one pose to another. View or vote in the opinion poll. |
| Kismet |
1955 |
|
The dancing looks like Thai dancing, not belly dance. View or vote in the opinion poll. |
| Last of the Secret Agents |
1966 |
Aida Fries |
Stars Marty Allen, Steve Rossi |
| Last Resort |
1994 |
Tanya George |
Although she is credited in this movie as Tanya George, this actress also appeared in many other movies under the name Tanya Lemani |
| Life With Mikey |
1993 |
Adrienne Canterna |
Stars Michael J. Fox |
| Man With Bogart's Face, The |
1978 |
Kamala, Jaqueline Lombard, Mish Mish |
Stars Robert Sacchi. Orchestra was Guy Chookoorian and his band. |
| Marlowe |
1969 |
Camille Grant |
|
| Mata Hari |
1931 |
Greta Garbo |
Stars Greta Garbo & Lionel Barrymore |
| Meridian |
1990 |
Nashira |
|
| Monster & the Stripper |
1968 |
June Russell |
This movie is also sometimes known by the title The Exotic Ones |
| Moonlighting Wives |
1966 |
Fatima |
Features a belly dancer performing poolside for 2 minutes. Cheese cake at its best. |
| Mr. Wrong |
1996 |
|
Stars Ellen DeGeneres. Dull attempt at comedy. Read Shira's mini-review. |
| Mummy, The |
1999 |
|
|
| Night and Day |
1946 |
Milada Mladova |
Dancer performed to "Begin the Beguine". Stars Cary Grant and Alexis Smith. |
| On the Town |
1949 |
Ivy Smith |
Ivy Smith plays the role of a cooch dancer on Coney Island. Gene Kelley, Frank Sinatra, and Jules Munshin dress up in women's harem costumes and dance on stage. Read Shira's mini-review. |
| Once Around |
1991 |
Samra |
Stars Richard Dreyfuss & Holly Hunter |
| Outlaw of Gor |
1989 |
|
|
| Paradise |
1982 |
Riki Halfon |
Stars Willie Aames & Phoebe Cates |
| Party Girl |
1995 |
|
Stars Parker Rosey |
| Princess of the Nile |
1954 |
Debra Paget |
Stars Debra Paget. View or vote in the opinion poll. |
| Projectionist, The |
1971 |
Morocco |
Stars Chuck McCann, Ina Balin & Rodney Dangerfield |
| Psychic Detective |
1994 |
Meaghan Gannett |
|
| Queen of the Damned |
2002 |
Aaliyah |
Vampire movie. In a scene set in Egypt, the character Queen Akasha dances. |
| Rabbit, Run |
1970 |
Sabah Nissan |
Filmed in Reading, Pennsylvania |
| Rejuvenatrix |
1988 |
Goddess Ambrosia |
|
| Ride the High Country |
1962 |
|
|
| Road to Morocco, The |
1942 |
|
|
| Rocket Attack USA |
1961 |
|
A belly dancer is featured in a Moscow nightclub to symbolize the immoral Russian regime |
| Rollercoaster |
1977 |
|
Stars George Segal & Timothy Bottoms |
| Romancing the Stone |
1984 |
|
|
| Romany Trail, Part One, Gypsy Music Into Africa |
|
|
Several belly dancers, as well as other dance styles. |
| Romany Trail, Part Two, Gypsy Music into Europe |
|
|
A child, and many Romany dances |
| Roustabout |
1964 |
Wilda Taylor |
Stars Elvis Presley. Wilda Taylor does a particularly excremental performance to the song Little Egypt as Elvis sings it. Read Shira's mini-review or vote in the opinion poll. |
| Sahara |
1983 |
|
|
| Salomé |
1953 |
Rita Hayworth |
The dance of the 7 veils doesn't resemble belly dancing at all. View the opinion poll. |
| Salomé, Where She Danced |
1945 |
Yvonne DeCarlo |
Dance style doesn't remotely resemble belly dance. Read Shira's mini-review or vote in the opinion poll. |
| Salomé's Last Dance |
1988 |
|
Mostly dancers doing head slides |
| Scorpion King, The |
2002 |
Stella Angelova |
About 5-10 seconds of dancing with veils, very short. |
| She |
1965 |
Julie Mendez, Lisa Peake, and Soraya |
Stars Ursula Andress |
| Sheik, The |
1921 |
|
One dance scene loosely resembles Persian classical dance. Others resemble modern dance. None would pass as "belly dancing". View the opinion poll. |
| Sinbad & the Eye of the Tiger |
1977 |
|
Stars Jane Seymour. Notorious for its bad dancing. At least the costumes are nice. |
| Sketches of a Strangler |
1978 |
|
Stars Allen Garfield & Meredith McRae. Tanya George (also sometimes known as Tanya Lemani) is in the cast. |
| Snake People, The (La Muerte Viviente) |
1971 |
|
Stars Boris Karloff. Notorious for being a very bad movie with very bad snake dancing. |
| Sodom and Gomorrah |
1962 |
Mitsuko Takara |
|
| Solomon and Sheba |
1959 |
Gina Lollobrigida |
This is modern dance, not belly dance, but is still entertaining to watch. Read Shira's mini-review or vote in the opinion poll. |
| Some Kind of a Nut |
1969 |
Desiree Paterson, Tanya Lemani, Angie Dickinson |
Stars Dick Van Dyke & Angie Dickinson. Maria's list also mentioned Poupee Bocar as being in this, but imdb does not include her in the credits. |
| Something Wicked This Way Comes |
1983 |
|
|
| Son of Ali Baba |
1952 |
|
Stars Tony Curtis |
| Son of Sinbad |
1955 |
Nejla Ates |
Stars Vincent Price. Read Shira's mini-review or vote in the opinion poll. |
| Son of The Pink Panther |
1993 |
|
|
| Son of the Sheik |
1926 |
Vilma Banky |
Dancing mostly is modern dance, but in one piece to 6/8 music the choreography appears to have North African scarf dance influence. View the opinion poll. |
| Song of Norway |
1970 |
Morocco |
Morocco dances in the scene where Grieg is playing "Anitra's Dance" in the mansion |
| Song of Scheherazade |
1947 |
Yvonne DeCarlo |
|
| Spy With a Cold Nose |
1966 |
Nai Bonet |
Spy spoof |
| Stoogemania |
1986 |
Jenza |
Dancer's stomach was shown quivering to finish off a really bad one-liner |
| Swinger, The |
1966 |
Ann-Margret |
|
| Ten Commandments |
1956 |
|
Stars Charlton Heston, Yul Brynner, Vincent Price. Jethro's daughters bellydance before Moses to pick one for bride. |
| Ten Violent Women |
1982 |
Cheryl Jensen |
|
| Things Are Tough All Over |
1982 |
Maya Harman |
Stars Cheech & Chong. Belly dancing uses a snake. |
| Topkapi |
1964 |
|
Stars Maximilian Schell, Melina Mercouri, & Peter Ustinov |
| Traveler's Gin |
2000 |
Maria (from Boulder) |
Independent film produced locally in Boulder, Colorado which went straight to DVD |
| Troy |
2004 |
|
Belly dancers at celebration party in beginning of movie |
| Two Faces of Dr. Jekyll |
1960 |
|
Contains snake dancing |
| Valley of the Kings |
1954 |
Samia Gamal |
Stars Robert Taylor and Eleanor Parker. Read the full-length review or vote in the opinion poll. |
| Videodrome |
1983 |
Franciszka Hedland |
Stars James Woods & Deborah Harry |
| Warlords |
1988 |
|
Stars David Carradine |
| Wee Wee Monsieur |
1938 |
Curly Howard, Larry Fine, and Moe Howard (in drag) |
The Three Stooges dress up as "harem girls" and dance. The movement vocabulary isn't belly dance, though. Read Shira's mini-review. |
| Wham Bam Thank You Spaceman |
1975 |
Anisa Gluzan |
|
| Wild Wild West |
1999 |
Will Smith (in drag) |
Stars Will Smith |
| Witchmaker, The |
1969 |
Diane Webber |
Diane Webber's role is The Nautch of Tangier |
| Wizards of the Demon Sword |
1991 |
Melinda Golden |
|
| Yankee Pasha |
1954 |
Rhonda Fleming |
|
| You Can't Win 'Em All |
1970 |
|
Stars Tony Curtis & Charles Bronson |
| Young Messiah |
2016 |
Lois Ellington |
|
| Young Sherlock Holmes |
1985 |
|
|
| Your Ticket Is No Longer Valid |
1981 |
Star Bell |
|
| Zarak |
1956 |
Anita Ekberg |
Stars Victor Mature |
The list of movies on this page was compiled by Maria over the course of several years, and used to reside on her own web site. After she discontinued her web site, she granted permission to Shira to place it here on Shira.net so that it wouldn't be lost to the dance community.
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