hmm.... I know of one such person... very famous middle eastern dancer who shall remain nameless.... that does TONS of the standing still waving her arms about... I find it so BORING! Even when there is the never ending shimmying that goes along with it many times.... however, as she is middle eastern, and therefore much more knowledgeable in all things of that culture than I, I will simply say that however bored I am by it, if it can be done while you are dancing, it's part of the dance.

"however, as she is middle eastern"

In response to this statement, I think the "just because a belly dancer does it, it doesn't make it belly dance rule applies." I'm not saying that snake arms aren't belly dance, but I don't think we can say that just because a Middle Eastern dancer has done it, it automatically makes it belly dance. :)

I agree with Shira on this. Primarily I've seen Egyptian dancers use the smaller snake arms which originate in the shoulder. This is if you don't consider Modern Egyptian style, but I really haven't seen even a more contemporary dancer do snake arms for an extended period of time while standing in one place.

I learned the shoulder roll into a small worm movement as Egyptian worms.

The next larger side, which would travel within the range of the hip and about the eye line, I learned as Turkish style and I have in fact learned Turkish folk choreographies with this movement in them. These can be done to the sides or to the front.

The largest of the snake arms, which travel between the mid-thigh and up over the head, I learned as Indian snakes. This was confirmed (not that I needed much, my teacher pays very close attention to the differences in styles and what is and is not authentic) by my Indian students.

Persian dance also uses a variety of snake arm type movements. They can be small, like the Egyptian worms or the medium size, like the Turkish snakes. The medium sized snakes can be to the front or up in the air (Mayan Sabo - which most likely isn't how you would spell it) or down near the hips. I've also seen snake arm type movements in the Khorezm style of Uzbek dance.

I've theorized many Tribal Fusion dancers are using Persian arm movements and I'd be interested in finding out how they found their way into the style.

I'd also be interested in finding out how the movement found its way into Egyptian dance. Though, with all of the various mixing of cultures through Asia, the Middle East and Africa, it wouldn't surprise me if at some point an Egyptian saw a Persian dance and there is was! I've also learned the folk dance, Bandari, is influenced by African dance (which comes to no surprise). So it wouldn't be much of a stretch to assume someone saw someone else do snakes even in Egypt and decided to assimilate the movement.

I said it on the other thread, but thought about reposting it here:
An ethnologist friend of mine with great interest in folkloric dances of India in her research, and of oriental dance as a Turkish national, said snake arms were imported into bellydance from Indian dance. At first I was puzzled - but then, thinking of it: I have not seen it in Arab folklore. Unlike shoulder shimmies, or certain other arm and shoulder moves.

I believe she is right on the snake arms. She said the Indian style arm movements were brought by Roma and other "gypsy" migration to the Arab lands, and a thing of professional performers (to a large extent "gypsy") for centuries. Folklore did not adopt it because it was something "foreign", and belonging to those professional entertainers only. I was fascinated by this theory. Thinking of it, many of the waving hand movements are not done in folklore in an Arabic context. They always looked kind of Indian to me. And some of these "floreos" are done in flamenco, too - and that is also a "gypsy" dance at the basis. The India-gypsy theory appears sound to me.
I am not an ethnologist, so I trust her opinion on this one. Would be delighted to hear other ethnologists on the matter :)

Really interesting thread here. Here is a slight deviation, though I think it's relevant. I'm also aware that some people may disagree wildly, so shoot away.

In Shira's original post, she notes that "someone in the early use of American belly dance noticed that occasional use of snake arms by dancers 'over there'...and the next thing we knew belly dancers in the U.S. thought it was appropriate to stand in place and just wave the arms." This seems very plausible. She also said that "doing a whole bunch of snake arms in a row is not something you would see in the countries belly dance comes from." Also true.

The implication here is that the "American snake arm" movement, if that kind of classification makes you comfortable, doesn't represent "real" a real belly dance movement. And yes, it may be true that snake arms are not part of an "Egyptian belly dance vocabulary," or a "Middle Eastern dance vocabulary" (though as I learn about and research more in depth individual and regionalized ME dance styles, I find this characterization of a monolithic ME dance vocabulary increasingly problematic). Nonetheless, snake arms have become--and are--part of the American belly dance vocabulary.

I feel that at this point, American belly dance--let's say American cabaret, I'm not even talking Tribal here, which is a whole different can of worms (though I still love and respect it)--has become established as it's own style. We can recognize Lebanese, Turkish, Egyptian, and American styles of belly dance, among others. I find American belly dance to be no less legitimate or authentic than ME styles. It was influenced by Middle Eastern belly dance styles, and has in turn influenced them immensely, too. I see it as Cape Breton fiddle is to Scottish fiddle: they are both, undeniably, styles of Celtic fiddle music, but one developed across the pond. American belly dance developed in the context of ME, Mediterranean, and North African immigrant communities (and, of course, was adopted and changed by the influences of non-ME performers and teachers). It's different, yes--snake arms are a particular example of this. It's not necessarily "Middle Eastern dance." But it's still belly dance.

In sum, just because snake arms are an American innovation (or even misinterpretation) of belly dance, they are now an established part of the American belly dance movement vocabulary, which makes them, in my opinion, a legitimate belly dance movement.