W hether at hip, ambient club events, in evening classes, at gyms and sports halls, or at Middle Eastern restaurants, belly-dancing is experiencing a revival in Tokyo. It is tempting to dismiss this as an oriental cliche: either a titillating amusement for bored suburban housewives, or an exotic divertissement of sheiks.

Though belly-dancing's reputation is built on images of seduction, it is an art form whose history goes back at least to the time of Alexander the Great (356-323 B.C.). Its roots lie in the fertility rituals of the ancient Greeks and Egyptians, with the undulating belly said to resemble a woman giving birth.

Sadia, a Lebanese-American, is among belly-dancing's leading exponents. A follower of Samia Gamal, one of the Middle East's greatest belly dancers, she has danced in much of that region and has also been named "Belly Dancer of the Year" in the United States. To see her dance is to quickly realize the difference between the stereotype of the belly-dancer (akin to a burlesque stripper) and a true artist in complete control of her performance.

In terms of appearance, the androgynous form currently favored by most fashion magazines is a poor model for a belly dancer. The ideal dancer must be womanly, with the voluptuous attributes that the term implies. Sadia has the figure of a well-ripened peach, and when she dances she exudes a transcendent glow. In a world obsessed with nymphets, Sadia is a true goddess.