The belly-dancer had a bare stomach except for the pearl in her navel.

[Nonverbis]

Could you help me understand why it is "a bare stomach"? The stomach is unique for this particular belly-dancer.

 

[jutfrank]

Are you asking what bare means in this context? It means 'unadorned'. She's not wearing anything except the pearl.

 

[Nonverbis]

No. What troubles me is the indefinite article in the phrase "a bare stomach". The stomach is unique in this context. Why not the definite article?
And by the way, "the pearl" troubles me as well. The reader has not heard of that pearl so far, so, I would say "a pearl".

 

[jutfrank]

I don't understand your question yet. In what way do you think the stomach is 'unique'?

 

[5jj]

No. What troubles me is the indefinite article in the phrase "a bare stomach". The stomach is unique in this context. Why not the definite article?

We all have individual parts of the body, I, for example, have a nose, a mouth, a chin, etc. Such individual parts are simply single examples of a general category.

And by the way, "the pearl" troubles me as well. The reader has not heard of that pearl so far, so, I would say "a pearl".

You could say 'a pearl'. The writer of your sentence has chosen to present it as the particular pearl that the belly-dance has in her navel.