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WHAT IS MIDDLE EASTERN DANCE?
By: Tarik Sultan, (T. Bailey)

In recent years “belly dance”, has enjoyed a wave of popularity across the United States, Europe and parts of Latin America, helped by such performers as Britney Spears, Shakira and the Brazilian soap opera “El Clon. However, the image that we have, of it as being a sexy, risqué activity done by women in order to seduce men, is a Western fantasy in sharp contrast to the dance as it is done in it’s cultural context.

It’s simply one of many folk dances native to the Middle East, North Africa and Central Asia; a celebratory dance expressing happiness, done amongst family and friends. Like every other folk dance in the world, it’s learned informally in the home and is done by men, women and children of all ages. In fact, its real name isn’t “belly dance”; nor is it ever referred to as such in any of the countries where it is found.

In Arabic it’s known as either as Raks Sharki: Shark-y*, Raks Baladi: Ba-la-dy*, or simply Raks*. In Turkish it’s called Oryantal Tansi and in Greek, Anatolitiko Horo. It was in 1893 at the Chicago World’s Fair that Raks Baladi began to be called “Belly Dance”. The promoter of the Midway and owner of the Egyptian Theatre, in an attempt to gain interest and customers for the dance shows, decided to give it what was then considered a racy name that would catch the public’s attention. At that time, referring to any body part by name was considered very vulgar. When the American public heard the name, they anticipated an exotic wanton display of lustful sexuality. As expected the public descended on the Egyptian dance theatre in droves; the promoters of the fair were soon making money hand over fist.

Some people found the movements strange and shocking, but most people who came anticipating something wild, actually enjoyed the simple folk dance they saw. Unfortunately, the stereotype remained firmly stuck in the imaginations of the general public who never saw the real dance. This was not helped by the fact that in the years that followed, imitators hoping to cash in on the

interest, began popping up across the nation in traveling carnivals, sideshows and burlesque theaters. These Western performers were not concerned with cultural appreciation or exchange. For the most part, the dance they did was not the real thing, but a lewd display designed to excite the male public; even back then they knew sex sells. In time, this distorted image would also impact the dance in its native countries.

In the mid to late 19th and early 20th centuries, when European tourists began traveling to the countries of North Africa and the Middle East, (in particular Egypt and Turkey), they came expecting to see the harem fantasy they had read about in Western novels or heard about in rumors. At that time, it was common for the local people of Eastern countries, to hire young men and boys, as well as women to dance for their guests at weddings and other community celebrations. In fact, in Turkey, young men did all public dancing. European travelers, who were mostly male, were only interested in seeing the women: they didn’ t even want to see male dancers in their own ballets. Soon, as the European powers began to exercise more influence on the cultures of the region and dancers began to rely more and more on the tourist trade, the custom of professional male dancers died out.

One of the greatest impacts of this foreign demand came about in the late 1930’s in Egypt. A large club, modeled on British Music Halls, catering to the British colonial officers and the Egyptian ruling class that depended on them, opened in Cairo. Egyptian dancers even adopted the two - piece costume, created on the theater stages of America and Europe which reflected the stereotype of the seductive, dark eyed, Eastern temptress or “harem girl”. In short, because European colonialist and tourists wanted to see “harem girls” and had the money to pay for it, they got it, cultural reality be damned!

On cultural, religious and political grounds the promotion of this image of the dance and it’s reflection on Eastern women in particular, has led to feelings of resentment and disapproval, from many Mideasterners. Ironically, conservative Westerners also disapprove of the dance, regarding it as an embarrassing display of sexuality. Modern dancers in Europe and America, in an attempt to legitimize themselves as artists, began trying to uncover the history of the dance. Many of them, lacking real cultural knowledge, or influenced by the popular stereotypical image of the dance claimed it had its origins in ancient fertility rituals. Others, seeing the dance as a form of female empowerment claimed it was originally done in honor of ancient mother goddesses. The fact of the matter is that on historical, cultural or archeological grounds there is no proof to support either of these claims. As stated earlier, this folk dance, as done by its native people, (as opposed to professional nightclub entertainers), is simply a dance of happiness and celebration. There is no reason to suspect that it was ever anything other than this.

The truth is, like most folk dances, no one can say exactly how old it is, or when it started, because such things were never considered important enough to record. By looking at it carefully however, we can tell that many of its movements were borrowed from the cultures that were in contact with that part of the world. Many of the hip movements are identical to those found in various African dances, while the fluid hand arm and torso movements are also found in the dances of Central Asia and Anatolia. The most logical conclusion is that over thousands of years, as peoples from Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa settled in the countries of North Africa and the Mideast, they brought their dance and musical traditions as well, blending them with those already there. In the process they created something new, (just as the descendants of African slaves did in the U.S and Latin America).

In the final analysis, while many people are initially attracted by the fantasy of magic carpets, silk veils and seductive harem girls, the dance’s true spirit of joy and celebration still manages to shine through these layers of cultural distortion. It is this, rather than the false reputation, which keeps people interested and has ensured it’s continued success around the world. Those who remain committed to it soon find that it’ s a complex dance form, which requires much patience, and dedication to master. Above all it is a wonderful expression of the human spirit, a great form of low impact aerobic exercise and just plain fun!

* Raks: Dance
* Balady: Balady can have many meanings depending on the context in which its used. Generally speaking, it refers to anything that is native to the country, or something from a rural area.
* Sharki: Literally, eastern, or oriental. The name given to the night-club version of the dance in the 30’s to differentiate it from the western dances of the Europeans.