Full Description
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.
Contents
Table of Contents
List of Illustrations
Preface
Section One: Background
1. On Writing This Book
2. Selected Egyptian History—the Study Period
3. Writers and Painters in Egypt from 1760 to 1870
Section Two: Setting the Stage
4. A Name for the Dance and a Name for the Dancer
5. The Low Reputation of Female Entertainers
6. The Geography of Going to the Show
Section Three: Going to the Show—Professionals at Work
7. The Corporation of Female Singers—the Chanteuses
8. Identifying the Raqqâsin, Corporation 200
9. Identifying the Ghawâzî, Corporation 192
10. Male Performers—Dancers and Musicians
Section Four: The Lives of Female Entertainers
11. Relationships with Various Groups in Egyptian Society
12. Professional Relationships with the Audience
13. Training
14. Economic Position of Female Entertainers
Section Five: Biographies
15. Thirty-One Female Dancers and One Male
Section Six: Gossip, Hearsay, Rumors and Myths
16. The Missing 'Awâlim
17. The Massacre of "The Four Hundred"
18. Banning the Dance in Muhammad Ali's Egypt
19. Myths of Origins of Female Dancers and Singers
Section Seven: Building the Aesthetic of Performance
20. A Costume Benchmark Set by Edward Lane
21. The Musicianship of Dancers
22. The Aesthetic of Dance Movements
Section Eight: Choreography and Performance
23. Six Choreographic Elements Basic to the Dance
24. Extending the Definition of Choreography
25. Three Identifiable Dances
26. Accessory Dances
Epilogue
Appendix One: Biographical Facts About Selected 18th-and Early 19th-Century Travel Writers and Artists
Appendix Two: Travelers' Terms for Female Entertainers: Selected Passages by Date of Travel
Chapter Notes
Bibliography
Index
