Belly dance has probably been enjoyed in the USA for as long as widespread immigration has existed, indeed we have documented evidence of public performances since at least the Philadelphia Centennial in 1876 as well as at the Columbian Exposition of 1893 (where, incidentally, no dancer called Little Egypt was recorded as having performed). However, despite several flurries of interest brought about by the activities of Orientalists such as Ruth St Dennis and La Meri, for most of the first half of the 20th century the dance has been largely confined to those ethnic groups to which it was indigenous.

These mostly centered on the large Greek & Turkish groups in most major cities of the USA and naturally their cafes and clubs featured old-country singing and belly dancing amongst their preferred entertainments. Marliza Pons, the doyenne of Las Vegas dancers from the mid 60s through to the late 90s, wrote of learning her first moves as a young girl through the windows of such an establishment in Chicago in 1948.

Whilst some of them would come from the local community, there was also a long tradition of hiring singers and dancers directly from Turkey. The singers would be the stars and would be the best-paid entertainers. Such was the pecking order that they would often try to deny being able to dance to avoid the "shame" of being just a dancer.

It is possible that belly dance could have remained confined to such clubs indefinitely, largely unknown outside of its originating culture. However, fortune changed when the Broadway show "Fanny" opened on November 4th 1954. It featured the Turkish dancer, Necla Atesh, (other spellings include Nejla Ates or Najila Attash) who had been hired for the clubs from Turkey sometime between 1948 and 1952, and Egyptian pop singer Mohammed El Bakkar. The show was an instant smash hit with its oriental music and dancing causing a sensation. Soon mainstream clubs catering to the smart and fashionable were beginning to feature this 'new' entertainment.

This fashion began to spread more widely, especially with WWII veterans from the N African campaigns happy to relive the entertainments of their youth. This trend was helped by the occasional appearances at this time of Samia Gamal in films and in Las Vegas or at Ciro's club in Hollywood. Tahia Cariocca also appeared in a Hollywood film in the late 50's, although she didn't enjoy the experience and returned to Cairo.