| Egyptian Belly Dance--Prostitution or Dance? And Why the Confusion? by Cheri Berens |
COPYRIGHT 2003
For years the only belly dancers I saw in Egypt were on Nile cruise boats or in the nightclubs of the 5-star hotels. I was exposed
only to the cleansed version of belly dance. The music, dancing and costumes in the 5-star hotel nightclubs were always more
sophisticated and polished than the Nile boats, so I frequented them much more often. The performances in the 5-star hotel
nightclubs were choreographed to the best oriental music and danced on raised stages away from the audience. I never saw any
dancer dance anything but a professional dance. Dancers never mingled with the audience. The dancers were promoted like
movie stars with giant glamour photos outside the nightclub entrance. Audience members were always dressed up and included
equal male and female audience members. Often families, including children could be found in the audience.
In more recent years, I have ventured out into the three and 4-star clubs. My experiences in these nightclubs have shown me
another side of belly dance and I now understand the love-hate relationship Egyptians have toward belly dancers. I have also
learned about the history of belly dance in Egypt and this, too, has helped me understand these mixed reactions.
The Turkish occupation of Egypt took place from 1517-1804 and the Albanian King era (Mohammed Ali Dynasty) lasted until 1952,
ending with the reign of King Farouk. During the end of the Albanian King era, legal prostitution flourished. During that time, the
majority of dancers worked at weddings, but there were a few nightclubs in a seedy part of Cairo (before the big nightclub boom of
more recent years). Whether a dancer was a nightclub dancer or a wedding dancer, and even when a dancer could support
herself financially through her dancing, dancers couldn’t refuse sex with a pasha (Turkish authority) or a king. If she refused, the
pasha or king would throw her in jail or cause her trouble. To add confusion to the reputation of dancers, many prostitutes
danced, and there was an abundance of prostitutes during that time, so dancers typically had a bad reputation whether they
deserved one or not.
Tahia Carioka was popular during the King Farouk period in the 1930’s through the 50’s. She introduced very slow movements
and used her body in a way that was in complete harmony with the music. She set new standards in Egyptian dance. People
loved her dancing style. Tahia started dancing in the weddings of the upper class, but she also danced in nightclubs and then
later in movies. It was through movies that Egyptians got to know her. Dancers were still dancing in the big palaces of the pashas
and the King, and, as mentioned earlier, were often obligated to have sex with them. Tahia refused to offer herself to the pashas or
King when she performed (but rumor has it that she married the King for a week to bypass this tricky situation). During Tahia’s
time, many belly dancers were involved with high people and politics. There was a dancer named Beybah Ez el Din who was very
famous in political circles and well known in the palace of the king. Egyptians began to enjoy gossiping about the lives of belly
dancers.
Samia Gammal gained major notoriety as an actress by playing bit parts in movies. Her first movies were in the 40’s with one of
the most famous Egyptian singers and composers, Mohammed Abdel Wahab. Her dancing talent was discovered in these movies
and her career exploded. Samia had a different dance style and it was very well received. She used her arms in a way that no one
else had. Samia also had a different body type. She was tall and slender, and this uniqueness, combined with the graceful use of
arms, made her dancing very enjoyable to watch. Also, she was loved by one of the most famous singers in Egypt, Farid el
Attrach, and this also helped her achieve success and admiration from the Egyptian public.
Nagwa Fouad was well known during the 60’s through the late 80’s. There were no spectacularly famous nightclub dancers
during this time, most well-known dancers were performing in movies. Nagwa participated in movies during the early 60’s. She
wasn’t considered to be a great dancer, but working in movies helped her to become famous. During this time, though, her style
of nightclub dancing and reputation as an actress upgraded the image of dancing. But, at one point in her career, many bad
rumors circulated and she lost Egyptian popularity for awhile. The worst rumor occurred when she was in her late 50’s and
married an extremely young, well loved singer. He died within two years after their marriage and the rumors were that it was her
sexual appetite that killed him. The gossip was that he consumed massive amounts of ‘sex’ drugs to keep up with her. Egyptians
blamed her for his death. Later on, though, she recovered her reputation because her nightclubs were respectable and she
promoted the dance professionally.
Suheir Zaki danced from the late 60’s until the mid 70’s. She started as a Mohammed Ali Street dancer. She was from a small
village and had little education. She earned her living as a wedding dancer. It was her uniqueness that made her become so well
loved. She is still considered by most Egyptians to be one of the best dancers of all time. One important factor that helped make
her so well loved was that she chose to dance to the music of Um Kholsoum. Not everyone can dance to Um Kholsoum’s music,
so her dancing was considered special. She eventually did movies and this, too, helped her become so well loved by Egyptians.
Sahar Hamdi is a name I had never heard of until I began living in Egypt, but she is quite well known here. She was popular in the
late 70’s through the late 80’s. She started in nightclubs and then went to the big hotels. No one knows how she began or how
she jumped right into big nightclubs and hotels, but rumor has it that it was through sexual favors. She was the first dancer in
Egypt to make a cassette tape of belly dance music. But she chose words with sexual innuendo, so after making the cassette
tape, combined with her curious rise to fame, she was thought of as a prostitute. She disappeared without a trace and to this day
her disappearance is still gossiped about.
Fifi Abdou has been well-known since the 1980’s. She left home at 13 and probably lived as a prostitute. She had a special style
and didn’t imitate anyone. Fifi talked about sex and danced with sexual movements. She was ‘discovered’, but no one knows
how she paid for this discovery. Most assume that it was through sexual favors. During the late 70’s, Arabs from gulf countries
began flocking to Egypt to vacation. Fifi ranked #1 in 5-star hotels and nightclubs during this period and became very famous.
But since she danced primarily for Arabs, Egyptians hated her at first. Eventually Fifi started doing movies and this is what
brought her closer to the Egyptian people. Egyptians grew to love her through her movies.
Lucie has been well known since the early 90’s. She didn’t become popular until after doing movies and TV mini-series. She isn’t
considered to be one of the best dancers, but she is a good dancer, a talented singer, and is well loved. She owns her own
nightclub. Rumor has it that her husband was the one who discovered her talent for singing and dancing and bought the
nightclub for her. Often when I go to Lucie’s nightclub he is there in the background. They have been married for many years.
Lucie and her nightclub are well respected and she puts on a fabulous show.
Dina has been well known since the early 90’s. I have never talked to anyone here in Egypt who likes her and she usually gets bad
press. Dina started with the help of someone unknown. There is a big question here, and this does not help her popularity or
image. Also, Dina talks snobbish in interviews and Egyptians don’t like this snobbish behavior. No one considers her dancing to
be very good, just very sexual. And she was involved in a pornography scandal, so most Egyptians are disgusted and
embarrassed by her.
There is a current dancer named Camelia who is gaining respect and popularity. She only dances in the nightclubs of the 5-star
hotels, so few Egyptians have the money to see her dance, they have only heard of her. No one knows her origins, but
speculation is that she started at some lower class of nightclubs. She didn’t necessarily have to be a prostitute or do sexual
favors, but she has had to pay her dues in some way to be able to jump to the top the way she has. Speculation has it that she
may have known someone who enable her to dance for free at the weddings of politicians or the upper classes and since her
dancing is very good, she was able to move forward from this exposure.
The majority of belly dancers in Egypt are not famous. They dance at weddings and in the lesser (1-4 star) nightclubs. Most
dancers in the lesser clubs are prostitutes or sexual dancers. Their dance is done to entice male audience members to stay for the
late show and to spend as much money as possible. Their dance is sexually stimulating and aimed at men. The audience
members are almost always all men and sometimes include a few prostitutes. The atmosphere is usually seedy. The dancing in
these clubs is why most Egyptians consider belly dancers to be prostitutes, but combined with the adoration of selected famous
dancers as I've described above, Egyptians have a love-hate relationship with belly dancers. All Egyptians grow up with the
dance and most love to dance privately in their homes and at celebrations and social occasions. But given the long history of
belly dancers being mixed with prostitution and sexual favors, the image of the belly dancer will most likely always remain low.
only to the cleansed version of belly dance. The music, dancing and costumes in the 5-star hotel nightclubs were always more
sophisticated and polished than the Nile boats, so I frequented them much more often. The performances in the 5-star hotel
nightclubs were choreographed to the best oriental music and danced on raised stages away from the audience. I never saw any
dancer dance anything but a professional dance. Dancers never mingled with the audience. The dancers were promoted like
movie stars with giant glamour photos outside the nightclub entrance. Audience members were always dressed up and included
equal male and female audience members. Often families, including children could be found in the audience.
In more recent years, I have ventured out into the three and 4-star clubs. My experiences in these nightclubs have shown me
another side of belly dance and I now understand the love-hate relationship Egyptians have toward belly dancers. I have also
learned about the history of belly dance in Egypt and this, too, has helped me understand these mixed reactions.
The Turkish occupation of Egypt took place from 1517-1804 and the Albanian King era (Mohammed Ali Dynasty) lasted until 1952,
ending with the reign of King Farouk. During the end of the Albanian King era, legal prostitution flourished. During that time, the
majority of dancers worked at weddings, but there were a few nightclubs in a seedy part of Cairo (before the big nightclub boom of
more recent years). Whether a dancer was a nightclub dancer or a wedding dancer, and even when a dancer could support
herself financially through her dancing, dancers couldn’t refuse sex with a pasha (Turkish authority) or a king. If she refused, the
pasha or king would throw her in jail or cause her trouble. To add confusion to the reputation of dancers, many prostitutes
danced, and there was an abundance of prostitutes during that time, so dancers typically had a bad reputation whether they
deserved one or not.
Tahia Carioka was popular during the King Farouk period in the 1930’s through the 50’s. She introduced very slow movements
and used her body in a way that was in complete harmony with the music. She set new standards in Egyptian dance. People
loved her dancing style. Tahia started dancing in the weddings of the upper class, but she also danced in nightclubs and then
later in movies. It was through movies that Egyptians got to know her. Dancers were still dancing in the big palaces of the pashas
and the King, and, as mentioned earlier, were often obligated to have sex with them. Tahia refused to offer herself to the pashas or
King when she performed (but rumor has it that she married the King for a week to bypass this tricky situation). During Tahia’s
time, many belly dancers were involved with high people and politics. There was a dancer named Beybah Ez el Din who was very
famous in political circles and well known in the palace of the king. Egyptians began to enjoy gossiping about the lives of belly
dancers.
Samia Gammal gained major notoriety as an actress by playing bit parts in movies. Her first movies were in the 40’s with one of
the most famous Egyptian singers and composers, Mohammed Abdel Wahab. Her dancing talent was discovered in these movies
and her career exploded. Samia had a different dance style and it was very well received. She used her arms in a way that no one
else had. Samia also had a different body type. She was tall and slender, and this uniqueness, combined with the graceful use of
arms, made her dancing very enjoyable to watch. Also, she was loved by one of the most famous singers in Egypt, Farid el
Attrach, and this also helped her achieve success and admiration from the Egyptian public.
Nagwa Fouad was well known during the 60’s through the late 80’s. There were no spectacularly famous nightclub dancers
during this time, most well-known dancers were performing in movies. Nagwa participated in movies during the early 60’s. She
wasn’t considered to be a great dancer, but working in movies helped her to become famous. During this time, though, her style
of nightclub dancing and reputation as an actress upgraded the image of dancing. But, at one point in her career, many bad
rumors circulated and she lost Egyptian popularity for awhile. The worst rumor occurred when she was in her late 50’s and
married an extremely young, well loved singer. He died within two years after their marriage and the rumors were that it was her
sexual appetite that killed him. The gossip was that he consumed massive amounts of ‘sex’ drugs to keep up with her. Egyptians
blamed her for his death. Later on, though, she recovered her reputation because her nightclubs were respectable and she
promoted the dance professionally.
Suheir Zaki danced from the late 60’s until the mid 70’s. She started as a Mohammed Ali Street dancer. She was from a small
village and had little education. She earned her living as a wedding dancer. It was her uniqueness that made her become so well
loved. She is still considered by most Egyptians to be one of the best dancers of all time. One important factor that helped make
her so well loved was that she chose to dance to the music of Um Kholsoum. Not everyone can dance to Um Kholsoum’s music,
so her dancing was considered special. She eventually did movies and this, too, helped her become so well loved by Egyptians.
Sahar Hamdi is a name I had never heard of until I began living in Egypt, but she is quite well known here. She was popular in the
late 70’s through the late 80’s. She started in nightclubs and then went to the big hotels. No one knows how she began or how
she jumped right into big nightclubs and hotels, but rumor has it that it was through sexual favors. She was the first dancer in
Egypt to make a cassette tape of belly dance music. But she chose words with sexual innuendo, so after making the cassette
tape, combined with her curious rise to fame, she was thought of as a prostitute. She disappeared without a trace and to this day
her disappearance is still gossiped about.
Fifi Abdou has been well-known since the 1980’s. She left home at 13 and probably lived as a prostitute. She had a special style
and didn’t imitate anyone. Fifi talked about sex and danced with sexual movements. She was ‘discovered’, but no one knows
how she paid for this discovery. Most assume that it was through sexual favors. During the late 70’s, Arabs from gulf countries
began flocking to Egypt to vacation. Fifi ranked #1 in 5-star hotels and nightclubs during this period and became very famous.
But since she danced primarily for Arabs, Egyptians hated her at first. Eventually Fifi started doing movies and this is what
brought her closer to the Egyptian people. Egyptians grew to love her through her movies.
Lucie has been well known since the early 90’s. She didn’t become popular until after doing movies and TV mini-series. She isn’t
considered to be one of the best dancers, but she is a good dancer, a talented singer, and is well loved. She owns her own
nightclub. Rumor has it that her husband was the one who discovered her talent for singing and dancing and bought the
nightclub for her. Often when I go to Lucie’s nightclub he is there in the background. They have been married for many years.
Lucie and her nightclub are well respected and she puts on a fabulous show.
Dina has been well known since the early 90’s. I have never talked to anyone here in Egypt who likes her and she usually gets bad
press. Dina started with the help of someone unknown. There is a big question here, and this does not help her popularity or
image. Also, Dina talks snobbish in interviews and Egyptians don’t like this snobbish behavior. No one considers her dancing to
be very good, just very sexual. And she was involved in a pornography scandal, so most Egyptians are disgusted and
embarrassed by her.
There is a current dancer named Camelia who is gaining respect and popularity. She only dances in the nightclubs of the 5-star
hotels, so few Egyptians have the money to see her dance, they have only heard of her. No one knows her origins, but
speculation is that she started at some lower class of nightclubs. She didn’t necessarily have to be a prostitute or do sexual
favors, but she has had to pay her dues in some way to be able to jump to the top the way she has. Speculation has it that she
may have known someone who enable her to dance for free at the weddings of politicians or the upper classes and since her
dancing is very good, she was able to move forward from this exposure.
The majority of belly dancers in Egypt are not famous. They dance at weddings and in the lesser (1-4 star) nightclubs. Most
dancers in the lesser clubs are prostitutes or sexual dancers. Their dance is done to entice male audience members to stay for the
late show and to spend as much money as possible. Their dance is sexually stimulating and aimed at men. The audience
members are almost always all men and sometimes include a few prostitutes. The atmosphere is usually seedy. The dancing in
these clubs is why most Egyptians consider belly dancers to be prostitutes, but combined with the adoration of selected famous
dancers as I've described above, Egyptians have a love-hate relationship with belly dancers. All Egyptians grow up with the
dance and most love to dance privately in their homes and at celebrations and social occasions. But given the long history of
belly dancers being mixed with prostitution and sexual favors, the image of the belly dancer will most likely always remain low.
For more details about prostitution and belly dance in Cairo's clubs, read (click) the following article: