History of belly dances in Turkey

It is thought that the history of dance is as old as the history of humanity. The primitive human had attributed the unperceivable things to supernatural powers, had believed in the holiness of these powers; had created their own myths, and developed several rituals on behalf of these. Besides the totems such as natural events, warding off evil spirits, wishing and praying for abundance, health and strength, they had also held ceremonies for the transitional stages like birth, adolescence, marriage, and death. The reproduction had also taken place in the rituals with dance performances. It is thought that the historical origins of belly dancing are based on these rituals as some researchers state that belly dancing which consists of sexuality and eroticism emerged through imitating the pregnancy and labour pains. Belling dancing has become to the present day through the cultural interaction of the societies to which it touched. It has been developed with the cultural exchanges of Turks migrating from the Central Asia, sedentary Anatolian societies, Gypsy/Romani societies arriving through migration and Arabian/Egyptian societies around. In the Anatolian lands, throughout the centuries, belly dancing was performed in the branches of "çengi" and "köçek" kol's within the Ottoman feasts and festivals, and in the traditional theatre-in-the-rounds, and it also took its place in improvisational and modern theatres with Tanzimat Reform Era. It has been developed as an individual dance form with more women getting involved in social life in the Republic Period and has become to the present day. Belly dancing consists of vertical, horizontal and circular movements that centre upon gluteal and waist areas. Moreover, there are shakes on shoulders and hips. Because of the transparent and bare costumes used in the dance, belly dancing is considered immoral by the society as the performers are also perceived as morally fallen. The aim of this study is to investigate the emergence and development of belly dancing, to evaluate the professional performances before and after the Republic Period and lastly to explain the historical developmental stages of belly dancing in Turkey.