where belly dancers shake, balance and twirl

B elly dance, one of the oldest of dance forms, is one of few that is still performed in restaurants. While people eat such Middle Eastern delicacies as bastilla, grape leaves and baklava, they can also watch somebody else’s stomach.

Perhaps because it is the only dance named for a body part, belly dance--or Middle Eastern dance, as many professionals would prefer to have it called--is probably the least understood dance form. It demands perfect concentration, but only a few of the hundreds of movements are done by the abdominal muscles.

Dancers often perform with props and are able to move arms, hands and head in coordinated opposite directions while twitching hips and playing finger cymbals in time to the music.

The origin of belly dance is uncertain, but many think it started with slaves in Northern African tribes about 5,000 years ago and spread to Turkey, Morocco, Syria, Greece, Northern India and other countries--all adding their own variations.

In the Southland, belly dancing is featured in about 30 restaurants, where you can feast your eyes on a sensuous and ancient art form while feasting your stomach. Here is a sampling of those restaurants: Dar Maghreb, 7651 Sunset Blvd., Hollywood, (213) 876-7651. Open Monday-Friday 6-11 p.m., Saturdays and Sundays 5:30-11 p.m. with belly dancing every night. Stepping into the 12-year-old Dar Maghreb, which means “House of Morocco,” is like being in an ornate palace from the “Arabian Nights.” This Moroccan hideaway has fountains, wood carvings, mosaic tiles, hand-painted beamed ceilings and a large open-air courtyard in the entryway. One of four female dancers performs. There is no cover, but one of the seven-course feasts ($20.50-$24.50) is required. Another location is at Rancho Mirage in Palm Springs, (619) 568-9486.

Athenian Gardens, 1835 N. Cahuenga Blvd., Hollywood, (213) 469-7038. Open Tuesday-Sunday 6 p.m.-2 a.m., with entertainment 9 p.m.-2 a.m. Features the queen of quarter-rolling, Helena Vlahos, who lines up nine quarters on her belly and flips the row up and down her stomach, then rolls just one quarter at a time up and down her belly, keeping the other quarters still. This Greek club, established 20 years ago, does not charge extra for the show, but one must order a dinner or two drinks. Dinners range from $13 to $20.

Marrakesh, 13003 Ventura Blvd., Studio City, (818) 788-6354. Open seven days, Sunday-Thursday 5-10 p.m. and Fridays and Saturdays 5-11 p.m. Features a female belly dancer Wednesday-Saturday and a male belly dancer Fridays and Saturdays. Flirtatious dancers like to involve the audience and make them laugh, sometimes climbing on the cushions and dancing around behind diners, often draping a veil around a customer. Mohammad Khordadian balances a sword on his head, a cane on each shoulder and a cane on a bent knee, and then dances in this position. He also performs while balancing filled glasses. Female dancers balance swords and canes while dancing. The restaurant, started in 1979, has seven tent-like rooms with carpeted walls, long, low couches and a ceiling the color of the evening sky. There is no cover and dinner is not required, although most patrons order a meal, from $16 to $22. Also has locations in Newport Beach, (714) 645-8384, and La Mesa, (619) 223-6609.

Moun of Tunis, 7445 1/2 Sunset Blvd., Hollywood, (213) 874-3333, features belly dancing seven nights, with a male dancer Monday-Wednesday and a female dancer Thursday-Sunday. Hours are 6-11 p.m. Dancers perform 20-minute shows in each of the six pillowy, tent-like rooms of this Tunisian-Moroccan restaurant started nine years ago by Moun Asli. Female dancer Marie, who has performed in Arab countries, dances right on top of the cushions next to patrons. Male belly dancers balance swords and canes on their heads as they shimmy around tables. No cover charge, but dinner is required. Prices of $9.95 to $14.95 for authentic Tunisian food.

Aegean Isles, 4325 Glencoe Ave., Marina del Rey, (213) 822-6221. Opens 11 a.m. Tuesday-Friday and closes at 11 p.m. except Fridays (2 a.m.) Opens at 5 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays and closes 2 a.m. Saturdays, 11 p.m. Sundays. Closed Mondays. Designed like a Greek taverna , this restaurant features a “Belly Dance Night” Thursdays with belly dancers from the area and musicians. Sometimes featuring up to seven dancers, professionals dancers perform alongside nervous beginners. Belly-dance veterans Shadia and Kamala perform Fridays and Saturdays at 9 p.m. and 11 p.m. And there is a belly dance lunch on Thursdays at 12:30 p.m. The 2-year-old restaurant requires a $5 minimum, which one can apply toward dinner, appetizer, dessert or drinks.

Byblos, 1964 Westwood Blvd., West Los Angeles, (213) 475-9558. Open Tuesday-Sunday, but no belly dancing on Tuesdays and Sundays. Hours are Tuesday-Thursday 5 p.m.-midnight; Friday-Sunday 5 p.m.-1 a.m. Entertainment begins at 9:30 p.m. on weekdays and 10 p.m. weekends. The house dancer is Suhaila, who performs to a six-person band. This 3-year-old restaurant is named for the ancient Lebanese harbor city. Food is Lebanese and about 40 appetizers are featured; entrees between $11 and $15.50. Cover charge varies, depending upon day of the week and entertainment. Generally, there’s a cover charge Thursday-Saturday of between $5 and $10, and no cover charge on Wednesdays. Cover charge plus dinner required on weekends.

Greek Connection, 401 N. La Cienega Blvd., Los Angeles, (213) 655-7214. Open noon-2 a.m. Fridays and Saturdays and noon-midnight Wednesdays, Thursdays and Sundays. Different belly dancers are featured every night. The Greek custom of breaking plates is encouraged “to get your frustrations out,” said owner Christos Haritonides, who opened the restaurant 1 1/2 years ago. Often when the band is playing and customers are group dancing, people order plates by the dozen ($15) or $2 per plate, and then smash the plates on the floor. On an average night, at least 100 plates are broken. No cover, but a $10-$17 dinner is required to sit at a table. No dinner is required at the bar.

Akhtamar Armenian Restaurant, 16912 Parthenia St., Sepulveda, (818) 894-5656. Open Tuesday-Thursday 11 a.m.-8:30 p.m., Fridays 11 a.m.-midnight, and Saturdays 5 p.m.-midnight. Closed Sundays and Mondays. A different belly dancer entertains each Friday and Saturday in this 7-year-old restaurant that’s named after a church in Turkey. Performers dance to a live band, which begins playing at 8:30 p.m. No cover, but Armenian dinners are $8.50-$12.50 or a two-drink minimum is required.

Sitar by the Sea, 125 W. Torrance Blvd. at Redondo Pier, (213) 376-9447. Open seven days. Hours: Fridays 11:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. and 4-11 p.m., Saturdays 3-11 p.m., Sundays noon-10 p.m. Monday-Thursday, 11:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. and 5:30-10 p.m. Features female dancers, with one show at 8 p.m. Wednesdays and Thursdays, and shows at 8 and 9 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays. The 2-year-old Indian restaurant seats 120 diners and dancers come up to the tables to perform. No cover, but dinner ($12.50 minimum) is required for table seating. Also bar seating and an outside terrace that overlooks the ocean. Another Sitar by the Sea is in Anaheim at 2632 W. La Palma Blvd., (714) 821-8333.

Babouch, 810 S. Gaffey St., San Pedro, (213) 831-0246. Open Tuesday-Sunday 5-10 p.m., with a different belly dancer featured each night. Asmara, who dances Thursdays, balances a lit candle on top of her head while undulating and twirling through the 8-year-old restaurant’s billowy, tent-like atmosphere. Other dancers balance swords and canes. No cover charge, but a six-course dinner, at $15 per person, is required.