Bossa nova the singing voice. Prior to bossa nova, Brazilian singers employed brassy, almost operatic styles. Now, the characteristic nasal vocal production of bossa nova is a peculiar trait of the caboclo folk tradition of northeastern Brazil. The lyrical themes found in bossa nova include women, love, longing, homesickness, nature. Bossa Nova was often apolitical. The musical lyrics of the late 1950s depicted the easy life of the middle to upper-class Brazilians, though the majority of the population was in the working class. However, in conjunction with political developments of the early 1960s (especially the 1964 military coup d'état), the popularity of
Belly dance Belly dance Belly dance, also referred to as Arabic dance (, literally: "oriental dancing"), is an Arabic expressive dance which originated in Egypt and that emphasizes complex movements of the torso. It has evolved to take many different forms depending on the country and region, both in costume and dance style. The term "belly dance" is a translation of the French term "danse du ventre", which was applied to the dance in the Victorian era, and referred to Egyptian and oriental female dances. In Arabic, the dance is known as "Raqs Sharqi" ("Eastern Dance") or as "Raqs Baladi" in Egyptian