Why belly dancing in harems, and is it a shame to dance barefoot: Myths and stereotypes around oriental dances

2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55

Belly dance has excited the imagination of the European man in the street since the time when the first peaceful travelers to the Islamic East were able to describe it, and the first orientalist artists - to depict it in paintings. There are many stereotypes around this dance, there are many legends about it, and after entering the European stage, when the dance threw off the flair of mystery, there are still a lot of stereotypes and legends, except that they themselves have changed somewhat.

The dancer wriggles, wriggles … finished wriggling

Belly dance is a very vague definition, in fact, it is sometimes customary to refer to it as all dances where there are many beats and swaying of the pelvis. These movements are the basis for the dance of many Pacific tribes, African peoples, some Native American women and, of course, many of the dances in countries dominated by the Muslim faith. Many pelvic movements in tribal - modern dance; were famous for the exciting movements of the hips of the slave girls from the Iberian coast and Egyptian dancers even in the ancient world.

At the same time, many aesthetically and historically associated with belly dancing dances almost never use pelvic movements. To avoid confusion, in the end, the definition of "oriental dances" is often used (leaving the definition of "Asian" in the Far East). Oriental dances usually include Arab, Turkish, Gypsy, Iranian and Indian dances, and in each of these categories there is far more than one type of dance.

It is clear that if there are so many oriental dances, then they can seriously differ from each other in terms of style. In one there will be more jumps or shakes, in the other - wriggling movements of the arms and body. Sometimes these dances have a specific name, like bandari, sometimes they are rather streamlined: for example, "beledi" simply means "folk", and "raks (al) sharki" is simply "oriental" (and, by the way, is more of a European origin) …

The dance that wives used to seduce husbands

An advertisement that beckons housewives who have had some cooling in their relationship, says that oriental beauties performed belly dancing in harems for their husbands in order to seduce them and receive a gift the next morning. This myth sits firmly in the minds of the average man in the street. Upon learning that a woman is performing belly dance (the name of the dance in English), many exclaim: "Your husband is lucky!"

Let's leave aside the opportunity to dance after the working day for the same exhausted husband in the living room of the Khrushchev between the nursing children and the mother-in-law who wants to talk about politics; the truth is that in eastern countries, belly dancing was not a way to seduce a husband. Many wives would be offended if they were asked to dance in front of their seemingly master: this dance was performed in front of a man by concubines, slaves, courtesans, eunuchs, prostituted youths, or simply gypsies, whose women walked with open faces (and this in itself is depraved) … In extreme cases, young men, dressed as women only for performances, danced at men's meetings so that one could enjoy dancing under the conditions of a ban on women's dances.

In harems, that is, in the female half of the house, dances were indeed often performed. Wives and concubines were entertained by slaves, maids, and invited dancers. On a holiday somehow connected with fertility - that is, preparing for a wedding or in the event of a child's birth - women of any position often danced in front of each other themselves. This custom has a pre-Islamic origin, although in our time its meaning has completely disappeared: it is clearly associated with women's sacred rites.

Belly dance was used and in a very practical way. First, he strengthened the body of a young girl so that pregnancy and childbirth were not so dangerous for her: Eastern men for centuries have married girls with the first signs of puberty, not caring how much they are able to endure the hardships of childbirth. Secondly, the dancers concentrated on some of the movements during childbirth, and the woman in labor had to try to repeat them. Yes, to one, too curious French king, the manner of giving birth lying down was not very common: it was done in a squat. It was not necessary to squat deep before pushing.

I must say, the custom of using dance movements to relieve pain and regulate labor activity was noted by the Brazilian obstetrician-gynecologist Dr. da Cunha and dances with his patients in the early stages of childbirth. Women like it.

In dance intended for entertainment, professional dancers of yesteryear often used gymnastic elements or juggled objects. Such dances are hardly intended to seduce, rather to surprise. And even the street dances and dances in coffee houses that infuriate men were not always the ultimate goal of seduction; the growing erotic tension made the male spectators more generous, and the salty jokes, shown with gestures or shouted out at the right moment, defused the situation - the viewer laughed and calmed down.

I must say, despite the ancient history, most oriental dances now look quite different from what they were centuries ago. Each of the types of oriental dances had its own stages of fashion, its own finds and its own forgotten techniques; when dance entered the big stage in Egypt in the middle of the twentieth century, the dancers actively consulted with European choreographers, and this influenced both the manner of performance and the drawing of the dance.

Do you need a belly for belly dancing?

Many myths have also developed around the appearance of the dancer, moreover, they can be different among the dancers and the audience. Among belly dancers, there has recently been a strong belief that only a woman with a perfect waist and slender legs is suitable for belly dance. The audience is still sure that belly dancing is only for the fat ones. In addition, there is an audience stereotype that belly dance requires the most open costume, and a myth among dancers that only beggars traditionally danced barefoot, and other dancers showed their wealth by wearing shoes. There is also a prejudice against white-skinned women, and especially with blond hair, to perform bellydance: they say, it is unhistorical, which means that it contradicts the style of dance.

Most of the oriental dances did not appear with an eye to a particular type of figure. Of course, it was traditionally believed that women slightly in body (and in North Africa - and very full) perform it more seductively, but outside situations of seduction, the dance was performed by girls and women of absolutely any size, from thin gypsy girls to venerable Iranian matrons with figures of ancient goddesses of fertility … In oriental dances, there are enough movements to choose those that will be easy for everyone (and even for everyone) to perform.

If we are to mention the Iranians, then many of them were naturally white-skinned, like the inhabitants of the Ottoman Empire (most of the Turks, as you know, are of non-Turkic origin). And among slaves and concubines, blonde girls stolen and brought by Crimean Tatars or North African pirates were highly valued. They were also taught to dance, so the blonde belly dancer, whether she's plump or skinny, is historical.

Of course, public dances in most Muslim countries could not be performed in open clothes even by slaves and slaves, so outside the harems, the traditional dance costume could be very tight at the waist and emphasize the hips, but it still covered the skin. For folk styles, folk costumes are generally characteristic, which cannot be blamed for sexual pretense.

Open costumes entered bellydance en masse in the early twentieth century, when Lebanese woman Badia Mansabni opened a nightclub in Egypt. Dancers on stage imitated American burlesque actresses, influencing both the costume and the manner of performance. Now on the stage one can generally see performers whose only thongs and bra cups are opaque - this is the request of the viewer, and the pop style does not imply the obligatory preservation of traditions, so the dancers do not compromise on anything.

Finally, the dispute over whether it is a shame to dance barefoot is resolved by itself if we remember that in Muslim countries they traditionally take off their shoes before entering a room, and women who danced in the house - whether in front of other women or in front of men - had no right to do it. shod. Shoes are a sign of the one that performs in public. By and large, it is equally historical to perform in heels (hello, burlesque of the thirties!), And in oriental shoes, and barefoot.

Legend and stereotypes aren't just about belly dancers. About, how chorus girls lived and worked before the revolution in Russia, there are a lot of misconceptions too.