Beledi is an Arabic word used to describe the rhythmic style most often used in belly dancing music. The term "belly dance" is actually an Americanization of the word "beledi" in 1893. Traditional Egyptian belly dancing is most often done to a piece of music using the beledi rhythm.

In Arabic, belly dance is known as Raqs Sharqi ("eastern dance") or Raqs Beledi ("folk dance"). While the beautiful classical Egyptian and Turkish caberet styles remain popular, many Western dancers have created fusion forms such as Gypsy, American Tribal Style (ATS), Tribal Fusion, and Gothic Fusion inspired by Eastern folkloric dance styles and Western urban dance styles including pop-and-lock, hip hop, gothic industrial dance, and burlesque.