Belly Dancing Men – What’s Up With That?
Belly dancing men a long time ago when
During the reign of the sultans of the Ottoman Empire (1345-1922), male belly dancers were often a product of fashion. With many women confined to their harems, and those in public forced to cover up, there weren’t many opportunities to see the women twirling around in sexy belly dancing outfits. That left a gap for the belly dancers, who conquered the old town of Turkey. There were two varieties of male belly dancers: tavsan oglan, meaning Rabbit Boy, known for their tight pants and charming hats, and the koceks who did their swaying and hip thumping wearing women’s belly dancing costumes with their long hair flowing down. . Both tavsan oglan and koceks provided colorful entertainment for sultans, aristocracy, and commoners at parties, festivals, and weddings, where men and women were separated.
In Egypt, just 50 years ago, men strutted alongside women on stretches like Cairo’s Mohammed Ali Street, where one goes for all one’s needs. But when Gamal Abdul Nasser took over the land in 1954, the belly-dancing boys were expelled because he felt they were symbolic of the ousted King Farouk’s debauchery.
Egypt, like Istanbul and other parts of Turkey, North Africa and the Middle East, have made it increasingly difficult for men due to its perceived association with homosexuality, which is taboo under Islamic law. But in a change of fortune, male belly dancing is making a comeback.
Thailand has its ladyboys, Turkey has its kol.
Raqs sharqi, (meaning Near Eastern Dance), the best-known style of belly dancing in the West, is making a comeback in clubs, cabarets and restaurants in cities like Istanbul and Cairo and beyond. More men act as a reminder of the glory days of the Ottoman Empire and the centuries-old Egyptian tradition.
In 2000, a 19-year-old belly dancer made international headlines after he was rescued by Turkish police after being chained to a bed for three days by his father. His father’s defense was that his son had been performing as a belly dancer.
Our chained heroine was not alone. More and more of Istanbul’s trendy nightclubs have burly young men performing belly dances practically every night of the week. In that city they are affectionately known as rakkas, derived from the Turkish word raks, which means dance. They are famous for their dazzling brightly colored outfits that shimmer under the lights of nightclubs. Male belly dancers posing as patrons in Cairo clubs are often paid by the clubs to dance and bring some edginess and cool factor to the clubs.
So expect to see more and more men doing the Raqs sharqi (meaning Near Eastern Dance) in clubs, cabarets and restaurants in Istanbul, Cairo and cities further afield like Santa Cruz. Even Japanese Olympic gold medalist Daiichi Suzuki, now a swimming coach, has his boys belly dance to get in shape, a playful reminder of the glory days of the Ottoman Empire and ancient Egypt.
