Yep, been there - and embraced it. Very early on I was called by an experienced dancer "a folkdancer in bedleh" - at the time I had no idea what she meant (other than a put down). Now I don't wear bedleh that much
I've basically gone for beledi styled belly dance (which I use for most of my performance work) and Egyptian folkloric (which there is rarely a call for other than Ethnic galas)
With regards to shimmies, they do appear in folkloric but are bigger and looser. You don't get that fine (modern) Egyptian shimmy.