Top Turkish Talent

 Let’s explore what makes the Turkish style of belly dance unique and exciting. Historically, Turkish belly dancing has existed since the 7th century. What we call Oriental Dance officially began in the 1920s throughout the Middle East. At that time in Turkey, women were liberated in many aspects of everyday life. Dancers in particular enjoyed a freedom they never had before, finding more opportunity to aggressively display their feminine beauty and emphasize sexual appeal both in the sensuality of their movements and by wearing costumes that emphasized the figure.
 
Turkish dance routines moved from fast to slow to fast again. Dancers entered to a happy upbeat song, playing zils and wearing a veil that was tantalizingly draped over their costumes. The second song usually was to the slow chiftetelli rhythm, incorporating veilwork and/or floorwork which pushed the limits of flexibility into more gymnastic poses. The routine included at least one song to the kashlimar rhythm which is a fast, complicated 9/8 that keeps the dancer bounding with energy and liveliness. The demands on speed and agility can explain why Turkish dance routines are shorter than Egyptian-style routines, and also why Turkish dancers tend to be younger than dancers in Egypt and Lebanon. It was the Turkish dancers who first moved off the stage and into the audience to collect tips and to coax audience members to participate and dance along.
 
I found an out-of-print book entitled “The Belly Dancer in You” written by retired Turkish dancer Ozel Turkbas. Ozel encourages the dancer to maintain her self-respect and treats the dance as something beautiful and spiritual. Ozel claims that Turkish dancers were responsible for introducing the belly moves to belly dance. She admits that the dance has been exploited by those who “could show—for a good price—women dancing in a manner forbidden to the God-fearing.” This exploitation occurs everywhere in the Middle East, including Turkey, where striptease and belly dance were often intermingled. Ozel admitted that sometimes the only way to become famous was for the dancer to pose practically nude or to be involved in some sort of public scandal.
 
There was time when Turkish style costume were considered scandalously more sexual than the Egyptian style costume. However, the contemporary costume worn in Cairo today unfortunately consists of a skimpy outfit that reveals far too much skin, a skirt that is shear or of ultra mini length, and a bra that over emphasizes already ample breasts. Sadly, any artistry in the performance is overshadowed by the sexuality of how the movements look when performed in such costuming.
 
Who are the famous and infamous Turkish belly dancers that were respected, revered and viewed as artists?
 

• Emine Adalet Pee: During the first years of the Turkish Republic of the 1920s, one dancer became quite famous. Emine Adalet Pee was born in 1909 and started dancing at age 14. She married a German and eventually went to Germany to further her dance career. Emine danced before royalty and statesmen, performing on stages in America, Egypt, and England.
• Nergis Mogol:  Born in 1923, Nergis was three years old when she first appeared on stage. She became famous throughout Turkey, Iraq, Lebanon and Kuwait. Nergis was considered responsible for tutoring the next generation of famous dancers.
• In the 1950’s, the famous dancers included Nimet Alp, Melike Cermai and Saliha Tekneci.
• Sema Yildiz and Inci Birol: Both were legendary throughout the Middle East and were the stars of the 60’s and 70’s. Sema retired in 1991 with many accolades. Other dancers who hit Turkish fame during this time were Ozcan Tekgul, Leyla Sayar, Birsen Ayda and Zennube. They starred in movies and had songs dedicated to them.
• Necla Ates: Necla became famous in the U.S. She played in movies and on Broadway and was called the master of the “fire dance”. 
• Ozel Turkbas: Ozel was featured in 14 Turkish films before she moved to the U.S. In the 70’s, while belly dance was a huge American fad, Ozel produced books and music, and taught Americans how to belly dance.
• Nesrin Topkapi and Princess Banu: In the 80’s, two of the most beloved artists were Nesrin Topkapi and Princess Banu. Nesrin was the first dancer to perform a show on Turkish TV at a time when belly dancing was banned. She started to teach and was popular with German students who visited Turkey. In the 90’s, Nesrin established a school of oriental dance in Germany. Princess Banu has performed all over the globe and is recognized as the best interpreter of the Egyptian school of dancing. She is a classy dancer with powerful hip movements.
• Burcin Orhon: Popular in 2000 was Burcin Orhon. Burcin is the daughter of a famous Turkish composer. In her youth, Burcin studied ballet and tried out for the national ballet troupe of Turkey. She did not pass the try-outs and sought other means to dance professionally. When she tried oriental dance, she found success. Her ballet training is very prevalent in her dance, trading hip shimmies for highly extended kicks and very wide plie’s.
• Mezdeke: This trio of dancers made it big in the early 2000’s. They were known to never perform without their face veils and were internationally recognized for producing dance CDs, which contain a pop mix of Arabic (not just Turkish) music.  
• Evrim Sultan: The latest rage in Istanbul is male belly dancing. One of the most well known is Evrim Sultan, who has been featured on television and has won several awards. Male belly dancing does have roots in the era of the Ottoman Empire, when women were not allowed to perform publicly. Move over ladies, the nightclubs on the Bosphorus are striking a blow for sexual equality for men in belly dance!

 
As in all Middle Eastern areas today, Turkish belly dancers struggle against the morals of a Moslem country. Following the many artists of the past hundred years, only the loveliest, most agile, and most gifted dancers can successfully follow their lead. Has the magic of Turkish style belly dance bewitched you yet?

Do you love to learn about the history of Middle Eastern dance? Do you dream of making more of your love of belly dance? Then please explore www. SakkaraDance .com and let me know if you want to set up a time to talk about how this program can be tailored to your specific needs!