If you're a newbie to bellydance, then where did you get this information? Do you personally know many bellydancers? Have you worked professionally with any bellydancers? Did you look up this golden nugget of information on the Internet? Have you personally seen a bellydancer's resume? Or is this something you've just assumed?
To "clarify the boundaries," although there are some dancers out there who do perform other forms of dance besides bellydance, such as pole dancing and burlesque, this is not something that is standardized. Not all bellydancers perform both bellydance and "adult-oriented" dance genres (by the way, "Oriental dance" is not considered to belong to the latter. Oriental dance is good old Raqs Sharqui, which is the basis for bellydance).
Yes, Uncle Google and Mr. YouTube are the most wonderful teachers & instructors. Why not.
No, I did not know that 'oriental dance'
is 'Raqs Sharqi' until your post above. And becos I'm still not so well versed in these things, I should steer clear of visually enjoying belly dancing as an art form? No, I don't think so.
And to be completely honest, I'm still trying to get my head around the true, full meaning of Raqs Sharqi, although I hv a vague idea of it, from reading the Arabic script on many dance vids, and whether correct or otherwise, as one form of belly dancing.
For me, by my layman's understanding, 'oriental dancing' cud hv meant anything from Asia, especially, but not necessarily limited to, the easternmost parts of Asia. But now, especially in the context of dancing, it's increasingly looking like I'm going to need to expand this perception. Quite substantially too.
You might hv a different understanding of 'exotic dancing' & 'oriental dancing', but not me. Not right now, not yet, although I'm just beginning to sense a subtle difference. Well, maybe it's a major difference, I don't know this yet. But for me, up to this point in time, I've been somehow inclined to consider that the terms 'exotic' & 'oriental' are, on their own, to be specific, in many ways closely related, especially if one is thinking from a western-based context.