Male Belly Dancing

When we hear or read the word ''belly dancing'', the immediate image that jumps in our mind is that beautiful plump female dancer in her ornamented and sexy outfit dancing and wowing the male audience. It never occurs to our minds that a ''belly dancer'' could be a man. Some people receive the idea with resentment, shock or lamenting the lost masculinity. Some other broad minded people like and encourage the idea.

Actually, male belly dancing is becoming more famous as a unique form of art. It is the opposite of what most people think. It is not new, in fact male belly dancing is very old.

The Ottoman Empire was an era that was named for a Muslim prince called Osman I. The golden age of the Empire was during the reign of Suleyman the Magnificent (1520-66). Throughout the reigns of several sultans, the Ottoman Empire lasted from 1345 until 1922, when the sultanate was abolished and Turkey became a republic.

The center of the Empire was always the royal palace of the Sultan, the Topkapi Palace in Istanbul. Should you visit Istanbul today, you can still visit the buildings of the Palace, now presented as a tourist attraction and a museum of great historical value. The Palace was at its greatness a collection of buildings around a series of courtyards and included beautiful gardens and the Sultan's harem.

In Muslim countries, the harem was that part of a house set apart for the women of the family. It was a place in which non-family males were not allowed. Eunuchs guarded the Sultans' harems, which were quite large, including several hundred women who were wives and concubines. There, female dancers and musicians entertained the women living in the harem. Belly dance was performed by women for women. The rakkase is the female dancer of the Ottoman era. Becoming a rakkase or a singer was strictly forbidden for Muslim women. Even non-Muslim rakkase had to wear headscarves and very conservative dresses. Although forbidden by religion, the government tolerated music and dancing. Yet, female dancers hardly ever appeared in public.

With the absence of females in social and entertainment life, Ottoman men would watch male belly dancers, generally known as rakkas, to satisfy their need to see something aesthetic. The male dancers had more freedom when compared with rakkase. They could be either Muslim or non-Muslim. Historians say that there were two different kinds of rakkas: kocek and tavsan oglan.

The tavsan oglan (which means "rabbit boy") wore a charming hat and tight pants. The koceks often wore women's clothes and allowed their long, curly hair to flow freely. Koceks and tavsan oglans performed for wedding celebrations (the custom included men and women to celebrate separately), feasts, festivals, and also in the presence of the sultans.

The tradition of rakkas is a reflection of the solitary existence of the Ottoman male. The dancing boys were organized into different companies of entertainers called kol. By the mid 1600's, they were said to be about 3000 of these dancers in twelve companies. They were young boys who were sensuous, attractive, effeminate, and carefully trained in music and dance. Their dancing was sexually provocative and impersonated female dancers. It incorporated ladylike walking, finger snapping (a special two-handed finger snap), slow belly movements, suggestive gestures, acrobatics, and playing wooden clappers called calpara or, in later times, metal cymbals called zils. The boys danced as long as they stayed good looking and could hide their beards. The dancing boys were an acceptable substitute for the prohibited women dancers. Some audience members were so enamored with the koceks that they would write poetry about the male dancers. Many times audiences lost control, shattering glasses, and even shouting and attacking the dancers.

The koceks profession went out of style in the 1800's during the era of Mahmut II. It was officially banned in 1856, forcing many of the koceks to emigrate to other countries such as Egypt.

Nowadays, male belly dancers perform in many places of the world. One young and talented male belly dancer Jamil says ''I want people to know that male bellydancing is something that many males grow up with a passion for, it is not purely for commercial purposes. Male Bellydancers have to deal with a lot of crap inorder for them to express their passion to others. it is not easy. Also various movements and the biological differences between males and females shows that men although dance in a 'bellydance' style have different ways of interpreting music with their body. it is not meant to be graceful and tender like female dancing. It iS more a blend between Raqs el Sharqi and Saaidi, with a mixture of Lebanese Dubki thrown in.''

When asked about if he thought that belly dancing is female art he said ''I think bellydance has beecome a female art, because socially and commerically it has been pitched in such a manner for many many years! I dont think any form of dance should be 'specific' to any gender. dance is an expression of passion and emotion... to say that men shouldnt dance, would mean that men should not have the right to express either of these two qualities which in essence is absurd! the entanglement of bellydance and sexually has further increased the notion that belly dance is a female art as many people have preconcieved notions that Bellydance is actually a eroticly exotic dance performed by females, not a classy performance of emotion.''

In the future, Jamil would like to have his own studio where he can ''teach dance to both men and women and break down social conceptions of what the dance is and 'should' be... to an expression of spirit.''

Maybe you'd like to change your conceptions too. Tens of male belly dancing videos are available on the internet.

Jamil is a professional dancer in Sydney Australia and has been learning the art for over 9 years. a clip of Jamil can be seen at www.youtube.com/watch

Citations:
Jasminjahal, February, 2002
By Heba Hosni