Before They Were Belly Dancers : European Accounts of Female Entertainers in Egypt, 1760-1870 / Kathleen W. Fraser.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Fraser, Kathleen Wittick.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Belly dancers--Egypt--History--18th century.

Belly dancers.

Belly dancers--Egypt--History--19th century.

Belly dance--Egypt--History--18th century.

Belly dance.

Belly dance--Egypt--History--19th century.

Women dancers--Egypt--History--18th century.

Women dancers.

Women dancers--Egypt--History--19th century.

History.

Egypt.

Physical Description:

xii, 296 pages : illustrations ; 23 cm

Other Title:

Belly dancers

Female entertainers in Egypt, 1760-1870

Egypt, 1760-1870

Place of Publication:

Jefferson, N.C. : McFarland and Company, Inc., Publishers, [2015]

Summary:

Focusing on Egypt during the period 1760 to 1870, this book fills in some of the historical blanks for a dance form often known today in the Middle East as raqs sharki or raqs baladi, and in Western countries as "belly dance" Eyewitness accounts written by European travelers, the major primary source for modern scholars, provide most of the research material. The author shapes these numerous accounts into a coherent whole, providing a picture of Egyptian female entertainers of the period as professionals in the arts, rather than as a group of unnamed "ethnic" dancers and singers. Analysis is given of the contexts of this dance-that was a legitimate performing art form in Egyptian society appreciated by a wide variety of audiences-with a focus on actual performances-and a re-creation of choreography. Book jacket.

Contents:

Section 1 Background

1 On Writing This Book 9

2 Selected Egyptian History-the Study Period 15

3 Writers and Paintets in Egypt from 1760 to 1870 18

Section 2 Setting the Stage

4 A Name for the Dance and a Name for the Dancer 33

5 The Low Reputation of Female Entertainers 43

6 The Geography of Going to the Show 48

Section 3 Going to the Show- Professionals at Work

7 The Corporation of Female Singets-the Chanteuses 59

8 Identifying the Raqqasin, Corporation 200 64

9 Identifying the Ghawazi, Corporation 192 72

10 Male Performers-Dancers and Musicians 81

Section 4 The Lives of Female Entertainers

11 Relationships with Various Groups in Egyptian Society 89

12 Professional Relationships with the Audience 99

13 Training 105

14 Economic Position of Female Entertainers 108

Section 5 Biographies

15 Thirty-One Female Dancers and One Male 125

Section 6 Gossip, Hearsay, Rumors and Myths

16 The Missing 'Awâlim 147

17 The Massacre of "The Four Hundred" 151

18 Banning the Dance in Muhammad Ali's Egypt 158

19 Myths of Origins of Female Dancers and Singers 167

Section 7 Building the Aesthetic of Performance

20 A Costume Benchmark Set by Edward Lane 177

21 The Musicianship of Dancers 200

22 The Aesthetic of Dance Movements 205

Section 8 Choreography and Performance

23 Six Choreographic Elements Basic to the Dance 215

24 Extending the Definition of Choreography 219

25 Three Identifiable Dances 223

26 Accessory Dances 236.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 281-289) and index.

ISBN:

9780786494330

0786494336

OCLC:

898585255