A Short History of Bellydance

 

Jean-Leon Gerome (1824-1904) French / Dance of the Almeh, 1863 / oil on wood panel, 19 3/4 x 32 inches. The Dayton Art Institute

The World's Oldest Dance- A History of Bellydance by Karol Henderson Harding

Medieval Egypt and the Ghawazi

The Gypsies of Egypt are the well-known Ghawazi. There is no record of them until the
1600's when European foreigners s began to travel in the Middle East and write about the
scandalous and exotic dancers of Egypt. The reason for the lack of information is likely to be
the same that there is no written record of the dancing boys and girls of Istanbul; it simply was
not respectable or important enough for anyone to write about in a society where only the most
elite and most respectable knew how to write. From the previous history of Egyptian culture, it
is readily apparent that indeed, there were professional dancers from earliest times, and that
dance was a part of everyday life. What these early itinerant dancers might have worn, or have
been called, we have no record of. So we will continue the story as seen by outsiders.

In 1798 the first organized expedition to Egypt was undertaken by a European power:
Napoleon landed there seeking an alternative route to India. In Cairo, his soldiers encountered the
Ghawazi, otherwise known as "banat el beled", or daughters of the country. The Ghawazi, which
meant "invaders of the heart," were gypsies. They were found in settlements along the lower
Nile and also in Cairo, where they quickly discovered a new source of revenue - the French
soldiers. Bonaparte's Generals likened them to a pestilence and suggested that they be drowned
if they were found loitering. In fact, the writer Auriant tells about 400 of the Ghawazee who
were captured and decapitated, after which their bodies were bundled into sacks and thrown into
the Nile like so much vermin. General Billier then suggested to the government that perhaps they
should try to find proper work for the Ghawazi. On a more practical level, the French later set up
licensed brothels in the city. Not only could the women be checked by doctors, they could be
taxed. This chilling story is an example of the colonial attitudes of the times which Western
culture had towards any Eastern culture or tribal society. The Westerners cultivated a fantasy of
the exotic Oriental woman, dangerous Oriental men, and uncivilized, barbarian ideas. This
stereotype, unfortunately, persists to this day.

Although these early foreigners found the Ghawazi quite obscene, their pictures show
women wearing fitted tunics with a low cut bodice, large full skirts, and bulky scarfs around their
hips. The tunic, cut low around the bodice appears to have derived from the
Persian/Turkish tunics as seen on the ladies of the Ottoman Court. Another distinctive feature
associated with the Ghawazee are the elbow-length sleeves with a decorative piece of material
off the elbow; these are quite logically derived from the Persian coat, which had detachable
sleeves, and sleeves which were so long as to be impractical and purely decorative. They are also
shown wearing fitted jackets which go halfway down over their hips. Yet another version is the
sheer blouse, with small fitted vest, and long full skirt starting at the hips. A very full pair of
Turkish "hareem" pants might also have been seen instead of the skirt. Note the similarity of the
Ghawazi costume to the pants worn by the female Balkan Gypsies in Fig. 15.

The attitude of the Egyptians themselves toward the dancers was much different. They
were horrified at the idea of the Egyptian women consorting with the foreign infidels. There
were several levels of skill and respectability amongst dancers. During the reign of Haroun Al
Rashid in Egypt in the ninth century, dancers outnumbered singers to such an extent that it was
decided to train some of them more fully in the musical arts. These became known as Almeh
(from Alemah, Arabic for learned women). The Almeh were not seen by Napoleon's army
because they were so disgusted with the foreigners that they withdrew from the city and did not
return until Napoleon left. Except for special occasions it was considered improper to have
Ghawazi inside the house, which was the province of the more respectable Almeh. The Almeh
were often part of private harems, and taught the arts of love through their sensuous dances.

Today in Egypt, the Mazin family claims to be the true descendants of the "Ghawazi."
They were generally said to have been centered in Esna, Qena, or Luxor. The modern-day
descendants live in Luxor, and are known are the Banat Mazin,. The Egyptian National Folkloric
group used research done with this family to choreograph "Ghawazi" dances for the new folkloric
tradition. Interestingly, the Mazin dancers speak of their dance as "raqs sha'abi," or folk dance,
rather than "raqs sharqi" or belly dancing. "They said that oriental dancers moved around more,
and had a more varied repertoire, especially of arm movements. Oriental dancers performed to
"oriental" music with the classic middle eastern instruments, a taqsiym (slow/arrhythmic)
section; while the proper music of the Ghawazi was folk music on the mizmar and tabla baladi,
or perhaps the rebabi (a type of string instrument). Oriental dancers wore revealing costumes of
delicate, gauzy materials; Ghawazi wore heavier, more complicated outfits which, they said, did
not allow as much freedom of movement" (fig. 12) Morocco reports that the Banat Mazin have
not been allowed to dance in public for the last several years due to the protests of Islamic
fundamentalists.

As to the dance style of 19th century Ghawazi, Quamar notes that Edward Lane, the
19th century engraver, noted that their dances had "little of elegance; it's chief peculiarity being a
very rapid vibrating motion of the hips, from side to side". However those who see Lane's time-
stopped, very elegantly engraved dancing ladies forget that he intended nothing of the kind!
Qamar noted that the chief movement of the Ghawazee dance was a side-to-side shimmy
performed extensively to a very fast 4/4 beat, and was the basic movement to which the dancers
returned again and again. The dancers not only dance, they also sing, tell jokes, and generally
interact with the audience. This aspect of their performance would have been lost to foreigners,
who did not understand the language.

A Short History of Bellydance by Yasmina Ramzy

Danse du Ventre, Raks Sharqi and the Bellydance are names given to an ancient art form that has been so severely persecuted and repressed for the last 2000 years; it is a wonder the dance exists at all. It does indeed exist and right now is making an extraordinary impact on women all over the world. Its origins in the Middle East are subject to many debates. The Islamic regimes in North Africa and the Middle East deny that Bellydancing is part of Arabic culture at all, even though every single Arab daughter, sister, mother, grandmother and great-grandmother perform this dance for each other at all family gatherings. The dance is older than Islamic or even Christian culture. Many believe its roots are in the temple dancing and fertility rites of rites of ancient matriarchal religions.

A lineage of women called the Awalim (sing, Almeh) are known today as prostitutes and dancers, but were once highly respected in society for their expertise in all the arts including poetry, literature, dancing, music and the art of making love. It was their occupation to teach these arts. In the Middle East today and abroad in Arab communities, it is customary to perform the Wedding Procession or Zaffah at all weddings. The Rakiseh or Bellydancer leads the wedding procession from the church or mosque to the reception party. Along the way, she encourages the couple to perform hip movements and to occasionally kiss. Whether the family is Christian or Muslim, this tradition is so strong that many mothers feel if the Bellydancer is not present at the wedding, the couple may not produce babies and wealth. In small villages, still today, the Bellydancer leads the newlyweds to the bridal chamber to consummate the marriage rather than taking them to the banquet hall. The rhythm for the wedding march or the Zaffah cannot be found in other Arabic music. At one time this Bellydancer would have been the temple priestess or perhaps even an Almeh.

After overcoming the stigma attached to this dance, all women love to Bellydance. It is an expression of a woman enjoying her femininity, sensuality and the power that the female body has an embodiment of reproduction. A leading Bellydancer in the Middle East performs for an hour and a-half to two hours straight, accompanied by her own 50 piece orchestra. The show, which can be performed up to three times every evening, is all about her personality, beauty and agility. It is about one woman’s glorification of the fact that she is female.

The dance is for women of all ages, and in its natural form is performed by women for women. Behind closed doors, women from 3 to 103 strut their stuff for everyone’s appreciation. Once while performing at a large Syrian/Armenian family gathering, that was a 50th wedding Anniversary, I was brought to tears.

Often the Zaffah is performed at anniversaries as well as weddings, so in the middle of my performance, I went over to the couple to pull them up to dance. As I was approaching, the crowd stopped me with a big “NO” because the wife could not walk, so I was not to embarrass her. But before I could return to the dance floor, she grabbed my arm with a strength to be reckoned with. She then firmly placed one hand on the table and used the strength in both arms to help herself rise. Everyone around protested. She gave them a scolding and got herself almost to a standing position. Using all her strength to support herself on the table and my arm, she proceeded to sway her hips from side to side, while beaming a huge smile at me. The room was silent until she sat down, then roared with appreciation as she looked proudly into her husband’s wide and bedazzled eyes.

During twenty years of teaching Bellydancing to as many as 120 women a week, I have come to realize that the reasons students take up the dance are varied and that there is no “typical type” of woman. They come from all walks of life. These women persist because Bellydancing enhances self-esteem. Often one will tell how she found the courage to stand up to a boss, an abusive husband or equally difficult situations. Eating disorders have been alleviated, entrepreneurs born, and all have experienced a new awareness of comfort with their bodies regardless of shape and size. Coincidence? Maybe … but these women will tell you it is because of Bellydancing.

In her book Revolution From Within, Gloria Steinem points out that although women can now vote and are paid better in more rewarding positions, the real changes haven’t happened because women haven’t changed how they feel about themselves. Deep down they still feel that they are second-class citizens with no inherent self-worth, except that which can be compared to a man. The most intimate part of themselves – their sexuality – has been robbed, and again only expressed from a male point of view. Bellydancing is both powerful and feminine at the same time. This combination often inspires a subconscious fear in many people, which feeds the stigma.


It is time for women to claim their natural heritage that has been withheld from them for so long and to begin a healing process that starts with an appreciation of their own bodies. Bellydancing is a perfect vehicle for opening a new door on how to view the female body, what can be expressed through it and the power that real feminine sensuality holds.