A Brief History of Oriental Dans in the U. S

The beautiful, skillful dance better known as bellydance is growing in popularity thanks to such tours as the Belly Dance Superstars shows and the prolific making of performance and instructional DVDs. Sometimes it is called Middle Eastern dance, which is more accurate, but not quite. It is performed indigenously all over the Orient, not just in the Middle East. Therefore, its proper nomenclature is Oriental Dans. In Arabic, it is called Raqs Sharqi.

Oriental Dans is as old as mankind it seems. The Biblical story of Salome and the beheading of John the Baptist illustrates this, especially since the dance is treated in stories such as these as a long established custom. The history of the dance is murky and mostly subject to conjecture and speculation as a result. It is believed that it originated in India.

It is believed that Oriental Dans was first brought to the attention of the larger American population at the Chicago World Fair in 1893 where those who attended were fascinated (and scandalized) by a dancer called Little Egypt, although no such dancer was ever officially recorded as having performed at the event. This began a fascination in the popular culture at the time of "the exotic Orient".

More than likely, the dance existed in America as long as the ethnic groups from which it originated also existed in the country. Although some were local, there was a long tradition of hiring dancers from countries such as Turkey to work in local cafes and clubs that served these ethnic groups where the dance would have been the prefered entertainment. This is because in some of its mother countries dancers had come to be viewed as "women of shame". Thus, their counterparts in America tried to pass off as singers and often denied knowing the dance and some did not learn it at all. Unfortunately, this view persists in some countries today where popular opinions are sometimes more extreme and conservative.

It was not until the Broadway show "Fanny" featured a dancer and traditional musician in its production in 1954 that more mainstream cafes and clubs catering to other peoples and classes began featuring this "new entertainment". Marliza Pons, a legendary teacher who helped popularize the dance, learned the moves by watching through the windows of an ethnic club in Chicago in 1948. She taught many dancers in the Las Vegas area during the 1960s through the 1990s. The cause was also helped along by World War II Veterans who had been stationed in North Africa. These wished to relive the entertainments of their youth and sought out the dance wherever they could find it. During the 1960s, demand for performances excceeded the number of dancers available.

Today, the tradition of Oriental Dans is being carried on more by American dancers than those to whom the dance is indigenous. It is growing in popularity in leaps and bounds and is quickly becoming a global art, not just an Oriental one. In view of that, it is important to dispell some misconceptions regarding the dance.

For instance, many think the dance is merely for the entertainment of men, and not always for pure reasons. This is not true. Many believe the dance began as a way for women in harems (or otherwise polygamous marriages) to entertain each other. Since the dance is traditionally performed when pregnant, it may also have been a way for would-be-mothers to stay in optimum health for birth (and indeed many women today are using belly dance classes to prepare for childbirth). At the time that it began, women and men were strictly segregated. As such, the dance would not ever have been performed for men. That evolved later.

Another misconception is that Oriental Dans performers are prostitutes. This likely spins off of the former misconception and such women as Mata Hari, who were involved in such activities as well as the dance, didn't help. But in fact, the women who perform these dances are true artists and athletes that both command and deserve respect as genuine entertainers, just as do opera singers, ballet dancers, and musicians. Today, Oriental Dans is performed by both sexes for the entertainment of both sexes and the great majority of the time in respectable establishments for special occasions.

A browse through You-tube should be more than enough to prove my points on these counts. The performances one can view there are often nothing short of amazing. They truly demonstrate just how difficult it is (yet how easy it appears) to properly execute a routine in the dance.

If you are interested in learning more about Oriental Dans a Google search will yield a great deal of useful information. Also, you can check out The International Academy of Middle Eastern Dance at http://www.bellydance.org. They have many DVDs of performances as well as instructional DVDs. They also have a listing of dancers and a more comprehensive history of the dance than I have included here.